Problems with SL and Win 98

Okay, I realize that Windows 98 isn't a supported operating system, though I don't really understand why. What I'd like to know is, are there any steps that can be taken to make SL more compatible with it?

The reason I'm asking is that on my GF's computer, we've been having problems with SL crashing at different times. The crash invariably occurs within newview.exe, but the reason isn't always clear. When trying to start up in fullscreen mode, an error window pops up saying it couldn't switch to 1024x768 fullscreen and that the game will play in a window. Trying to set fullscreen causes an illegal operation in newview.exe. Also, on two occassions thus far the game has crashed (Again, in newview.exe) while playing. One was while flying high above the landscape, the other was after flying into a new sim and landing.

I've never had a crash on my other computer, which has Win XP, so I assume Win 98 is the problem. We're not going to have the money to upgrade her computer to XP AND pay for SL, so this is kinda dependant on her getting an account next month.

If it helps, here are the full specs:

P3/1GHz
Win 98
512MB RAM
GeForce 2 MX/32, 41.09 driver
Creative sound card (not SB Live)

Is Win 98 support something you're going to work on later, or are you only going to support XP/2000?

Another option is installing Windows ME on her machine, since we have an old copy we no longer use. This isn't something we really want to do because, well... it's ME for godssake! But it is something we could do if it'll help. Which I doubt... but no harm in asking.

What resolution and color depth do you have the desktop set to? What version of DirectX and does it pass all the directX tests?

1024x768x32bpp

DX 4.09.0000.0901 (also known as 9.0a)

All tests are successful. The video driver is not WHQL certified, which it tells me can't be remedied since drivers are no longer certified in Win98. I'm using 41.09 anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Also please note the PC has no trouble in any other 3D applications.

Alfkin, while we don't officially support Win98, there are a few things that you can try which usually help out stability that are not Windows version specific.

The most important of these (and least-commonly known) is to upgrade the AGP drivers on your motherboard. Second Life uses AGP MUCH more frequently than most other applications/games, these driver upgrades often bring BIG boosts in stability and performance (and not just to Second Life).

Installing WinME wouldn't help much - since the OS is basically a prettier(?) version of Win98, it probably won't help stability much.

There are some articles about debugging your system in the Knowledge Base, in the Technical Support section. Unfortunately at this point, I haven't figured out how to actually link directly to them at this point. The article that you'll probably want to look for is "How do I update my AGP drivers", although there are other useful ones there as well.

- Doug