Windows 98 SE build 2106

4.10.2106
	Build of Windows 98 Second Edition
Release name	Beta 1
OS family	Windows 9x
Version number	4.10
Build number	2106
Architecture	x86
Compiled on	1998-11-18
Expiration date
Timebomb	1999-04-01 (+134 days)
Product key
	C9TCH-G72Y6-G4DQK-QCQRM-K7XFQ
About dialog

Windows 98 SE build 2106 is the official Beta 1 build of Windows 98 Second Edition.

History[edit | edit source]

The build was originally found on the Euro-Asian Beta Group as an incomplete ISO, since the Windows installation files were present, but the extra content (Interactive Tour, Trial Software) was not included. It was then uploaded to BetaArchive on 7 April 2010 by member linuxlove.

KenOath was the only known holder of the build's original installation media until 2014 when marcoguy uploaded a dump of the complete disc.

New features and changes[edit | edit source]

This build includes Outlook Express 5 and Internet Explorer 5, both in the Beta 2 phase.
The channel bar no longer appears by default (removed entirely in Windows XP).
Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer have smaller spacing between buttons and items.
The look and feel of Outlook Express has been completely redesigned.
DirectX has been updated to version 6.1. It also introduced the DirectX Diagnostic Tools (dxdiag.exe).
NetMeeting has been updated to version 2.11.
FrontPage Express has been updated to version 2.0.2.1128.
Microsoft Wallet has been updated to version 3.0.0.1830.
Microsoft Chat has been updated to version 2.5.
Added the ability to import Web Folders.
A Certificate Manager was introduced.
NetShow Player has been updated to Windows Media Player 5.2.
RealPlayer and VDOLive Player have been removed.

MSN Messenger[edit | edit source]

A very early build of MSN Messenger 1.0 (version 1.0.0452, Beta 2) is included in this build, but is not installed by default and can't be selected during setup. To install it, follow this procedure:

Extract files MSMSGS.EXE from WIN98_47.CAB, MSMSGS.INF from WIN98_49.CAB, MSMSGSC.DLL from WIN98_38.CAB, ONLINE.WAV, NEWEMAIL.WAV and TYPE.WAV from WIN98_54.CAB and APPLETS1.INF from the precopy chain (PRECOPY2.CAB) of build 2106 into a directory of your choice.
Extract MSMSGSIN.EXE from Windows ME build 2419 or build 2429 to the same directory.
Open the "Add/Remove Programs" control panel applet and switch to the "Windows Setup" tab.
Click on the "Have disk..." button.
Navigate to your directory with extracted files and select MSMSGS.INF.
In the component list, double-click on "Communications" and then check "MSN Messenger Service".
Confirm your selection and when asked for the location of the files, confirm the path to your directory with extracted files.
When asked for LICENSE.TXT, skip it as it is missing and not needed.

After installation, a Start Menu shortcut is created but it has the wrong path set, you can fix it to start Messenger with C:\Program Files\MSN Messenger Service\MSMSGS.EXE.

Messenger can also integrate with Outlook Express, but this integration is disabled by default. To enable it, open the registry editor (REGEDIT.EXE) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Outlook Express\5.0 and delete or change to 0 the Hide Messenger value in that key. However, if Messenger is not installed, all the options in the menu will be disabled, and if it is installed, Outlook Express will crash on startup due to an illegal operation in MSOE.DLL.

MSN Messenger was removed by build 2120 at the latest and would not be included with Windows again until Windows Me build 2419 almost exactly a year later.

Fixes[edit | edit source]

This build fixes the issue where a Windows Protection error appears on AMD processors with a clock frequency set to 350 MHz or higher and on Intel processors with a clock frequency set to 2.1 GHz or higher.