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Browser crashes bug Win 98

Windows 98 offers tight integration with Internet Explorer but brings greater consequence to browser crashes.

2 min read
Microsoft's Windows 98 operating system boasts tight integration between its file management application and the Internet Explorer Web browser.

In fact, it is so tight that even historical Netscape backer IBM is planning to eschew Navigator in favor of IE on upcoming computers. (See related story)

Although the blend of the browser and the OS that is Windows 98 offers seamless interoperability between the two, it brings greater consequence to the annoying, but generally harmless, browser crash.

CNET Reviews: Windows 98

"If you already use IE 4.0's Active Desktop, Windows 98 will look completely familiar. There are many subtle variations between Windows 95 and Windows 98, but 'true Web integration' is the defining difference. Win 98 integrates the Web browser and Windows Explorer, so your PC views the Internet as nothing more than a large, slow network drive."
--Cormac Foster

Today, using Windows 95 and Internet Explorer or Navigator for Web browsing presents little risk to users in case the application shuts down. But when IE and the OS are tightly bound, there is the potential for larger data loss when the browser crashes, according to CNET's review of Windows 98.

"Be wary...of Win 98's browser/OS integration, since one bad browser crash can take down your whole system," stated a CNET review of the Windows upgrade. "On the other hand, Windows 98 crashes far less than Windows 95 with IE 4.x, its Internet access is cleaner, and its backup and maintenance tools help protect your critical data."

In a previous interview with NEWS.COM, Windows 98 product manager Rob Bennett acknowledged the problem, but he noted that Windows 98 and the latest version of IE are much more stable than previous versions.