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Setting up 98se and DOS for a n00b

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First post, by Jupiter-18

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Hello!
So I have gotten a pretty good grasp of the ins and outs of basic retro PC hardware, but in terms of software, I am again at a loss. I have my first machine effectively finished:
K6-3+/450
Asus P5A
32 (soon to be 512) MB PC133 SDRAM
Matrox G400 Max GPU
Yamaha Audician 32+
Generic 120GB IDE Hard drive
Generic CD-ROM Drive (No DVD-ROM)
1.44MB Floppy drive

And i got Windows 98se running and all, but man, i still am very confused about drivers and DOS and such, and i'm wondering what software optimization i can or should do or what options i should choose to best set it up. This is my first time setting up 98se, and i just want to get the best out of it.
For example, I wasn't able to use the latest G400 Max drivers. I had to use older ones. I just want to get all I can out of my software and hardware, so any tips/tricks/guides are appreciated!

Reply 1 of 8, by jesolo

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If you want to set up a dedicated DOS session(s), create a start up (boot) menu - How to create a boot (start up) menu under Windows 9x/ME.
Just remember that under "real" DOS, you need drivers for your mouse, CD-ROM, memory manager, etc.

Reply 2 of 8, by dr_st

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Before you do anything like configuring DOS menus, setting up drivers and such - answer this question: do you currently have DOS games that do not work (or do not work well) if you just run them from inside Windows 98 SE?

https://cloakedthargoid.wordpress.com/ - Random content on hardware, software, games and toys

Reply 4 of 8, by jesolo

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For Windows 98SE, I always install the Unofficial Windows 98SE Service Pack 2.1a (which basically includes a combination of all the official Microsoft patches). Installing the later Service Packs adds features that were not officially released by Microsoft.
I then extract (from one of the version 3.x Service Packs) the USBStack driver set that then gives me USB support for removable media.
I recall seeing a post a while ago of what other users recommend you install. If I find it, I'll post the link.
EDIT: What updates do you consider critical for Windows 98 SE?

Reply 6 of 8, by cyclone3d

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jesolo wrote:
For Windows 98SE, I always install the Unofficial Windows 98SE Service Pack 2.1a (which basically includes a combination of all […]
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For Windows 98SE, I always install the Unofficial Windows 98SE Service Pack 2.1a (which basically includes a combination of all the official Microsoft patches). Installing the later Service Packs adds features that were not officially released by Microsoft.
I then extract (from one of the version 3.x Service Packs) the USBStack driver set that then gives me USB support for removable media.
I recall seeing a post a while ago of what other users recommend you install. If I find it, I'll post the link.
EDIT: What updates do you consider critical for Windows 98 SE?

You can get the USB storage driver separately. No need to mess with extracting from one of the later super buggy unofficial service packs.

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Reply 7 of 8, by jesolo

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Take note that the USB driver I'm referring to here is not "nusb33e.exe" - that driver has caused issues for me. I therefore use the USBStack.exe driver that is a separate file within the SP3.CAB file that forms part of the Unofficial Service Pack 3.x package.
A file extractor (like 7-zip) does the job.
If you know where to find that file separately, please do share.

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