Discussion:
Can't use YouTube
(too old to reply)
98 Guy
2011-01-02 18:39:27 UTC
Permalink
I used to be able to watch videos on YouTube
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd reply because I
was fighting with the same hassles from Firefox.
Stop being a dick-wad and download KernelEx from here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/

Then you can install Flash 10.x on your win-98 system and watch all the
you-tube you want, even with FF 2.0.0.20.

Anyone running Windows-98 and not using KernelEx at this point is just
being a dink.
I'd like to tell Youtube what to do with their annoying
"Browser needs updating BS.
Download user-agent switcher:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59/

And then set your user-agent to Firefox 3.what-ever and you won't get
the nag message.
MyNews
2011-01-03 00:05:02 UTC
Permalink
Jan 2011 here the webpage at Guy!
Post by 98 Guy
I used to be able to watch videos on YouTube
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd reply because I
was fighting with the same hassles from Firefox.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/
Then you can install Flash 10.x on your win-98 system and watch all the
you-tube you want, even with FF 2.0.0.20.
Anyone running Windows-98 and not using KernelEx at this point is just
being a dink.
I'd like to tell Youtube what to do with their annoying
"Browser needs updating BS.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59/
And then set your user-agent to Firefox 3.what-ever and you won't get
the nag message.
--
http://mynews.ath.cx
Not-MyNews
2011-01-06 01:35:54 UTC
Permalink
mmm
Guy 98 You Know Like Opera!

So do not Believe And Post like that One!

Your
The one and Only Hot-Text

--

http://hot-text.ath.cx
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-03 03:28:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
I used to be able to watch videos on YouTube
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd reply because I
was fighting with the same hassles from Firefox.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/
And what is this going to do to my installation of Windows? I never
trust any of this aftermarket stuff.....
98 Guy
2011-01-03 03:42:55 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/
And what is this going to do to my installation of Windows?
I never trust any of this aftermarket stuff.....
That's why I'm saying stop being a dick-wad.

If you're going to keep using Windows 98 today, in 2011 (like I am) then
you've got to reach out and look at what other people are developing for
win-98 to make it compatible with shit like new browsers and multi-media
players.

KernelEx is the best thing to come along for windows 98. It allows you
to install and run stuff that normally requires Win-2k or XP. That
includes flash version 10.x, Firefox version 3.x and 4.x, VLC, Google
Earth, and others.

There is an active users group for it here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/130936-kernelex-45-final/

Ever since many web sites switched from requiring Flash 9 to Flash 10,
that has dramatically reduced the utility and usability of Windows 98
for general web-based browsing usage and usefulness, unless you install
KernelEx that is.
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-03 09:23:51 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/
And what is this going to do to my installation of Windows?
I never trust any of this aftermarket stuff.....
That's why I'm saying stop being a dick-wad.
If you're going to keep using Windows 98 today, in 2011 (like I am) then
you've got to reach out and look at what other people are developing for
win-98 to make it compatible with shit like new browsers and multi-media
players.
KernelEx is the best thing to come along for windows 98. It allows you
to install and run stuff that normally requires Win-2k or XP. That
includes flash version 10.x, Firefox version 3.x and 4.x, VLC, Google
Earth, and others.
http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/130936-kernelex-45-final/
Ever since many web sites switched from requiring Flash 9 to Flash 10,
that has dramatically reduced the utility and usability of Windows 98
for general web-based browsing usage and usefulness, unless you install
KernelEx that is.
Ok, I went to that message board and got a list of things that will
run when it's used, saw some problems and several programs that wont
run, and beyond that much of what I read was greek. Sort of reminds
me of installing Linux, which is something I'll never do again (Linux
I mean). I really only have one major question. What files in
Win98se are changed or modified? I want to know this so I can back up
these files in case of problems. Yea, I do have a complete and recent
backup of my whole computer, but I dont care to do a complete restore
just because a couple files changed. I'd rather copy these files to
something, and if problems occur, I can restore them from the dos
prompt. I could not find what these files are on that site, at least
not without spending 3 weeks trying to read thru all of that.

I'd hope that it just works, and I dont need to deal with a blank
screen or computer problems. But I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Finally, will I really need to do all that tweaking in the registry,
or is that only for specific programs? I really only want to install
Firefox 3.x and Flash 10. I dont see any need to upgrade anything else
nor do I have any XP software that I want or need. I'll even live
with Adobe reader 6, even though it occasionally will not load a PDF
file. I guess if it wont read the file, I dont need the file. In all
honesty, I cant understand how or why simple PDF files need to keep
being upgraded, actually, downgraded because the damn things dont
load, and I'll live without them.

Thanks
98 Guy
2011-01-03 14:21:37 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
KernelEx is the best thing to come along for windows 98.
I really only have one major question. What files in
Win98se are changed or modified?
The KernelEx installer changes 80 bytes in kernel32.dll to make it ready
for new symbol resolve engine (KernelEx Core) and to disable platform
checks of executables. No other system files are modified. I'm pretty
sure it saves a backup copy in your \windows\sysbckup directory (or - it
will create that directory and put a copy of your original kernel32.dll
there). It has it's own un-install program that will restore your
original file.
Post by j***@myplace.com
Finally, will I really need to do all that tweaking in the
registry, or is that only for specific programs?
You might have to make one change in your registry to allow Flash 10 to
install.

Now, here's where I'm not sure which is the correct or necessary change
to make. The instructions written in March 2009 state that this needs
to be done:

--------------------------
If this key does not exist, then create it:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

In that key, create a new string value and call it "CurrentVersion".
For it's value, make it "5.1".
--------------------------

What I had done in the past was this:

------------------------
Navigate to this key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

Change the value of the string called "Version" to "Windows NT"
Change the value of the string called "VersionNumber" to "5.1"

Remember - change the VALUE of those strings - don't change their NAMES
by renaming them. To change their value, right-click on them and select
MODIFY.
-----------------------

So I'm pretty sure that one of the above changes needs to be made to the
registry after KernelEx is installed to be able to install Flash verison
10. I can say that I've performed the second modification, and that
enabled me to install Flash player version 10.1.102.64.

The only requirement for KernelEx is that you have Microsoft Layer for
Unicode (unicows.dll) present in your /windows/system directory. Here's
where you get that file:

Microsoft Layer for Unicode (MSLU) 1.1.3790.0 (UNICOWS.DLL)
http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/7/5/b75eace3-00e2-4aa0-9a6f-0b6882c71642/unicows.exe
Post by j***@myplace.com
I really only want to install Firefox 3.x and Flash 10.
I dont see any need to upgrade anything else nor do I have
any XP software that I want or need.
I find that installing VLC (Videolan) is particulary useful and a more
capable multi-media player than Windows Media Player.

======================

VLC media player

VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and
framework, that plays most multimedias files as well as DVD, Audio CD,
VCD, and various streaming protocols. It is simple to use, yet very
powerful and extendable.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/vlc/files/1.1.5/win32/vlc-1.1.5-win32.exe/download
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-04 10:05:32 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
KernelEx is the best thing to come along for windows 98.
I really only have one major question. What files in
Win98se are changed or modified?
The KernelEx installer changes 80 bytes in kernel32.dll to make it ready
for new symbol resolve engine (KernelEx Core) and to disable platform
checks of executables. No other system files are modified. I'm pretty
sure it saves a backup copy in your \windows\sysbckup directory (or - it
will create that directory and put a copy of your original kernel32.dll
there). It has it's own un-install program that will restore your
original file.
Post by j***@myplace.com
Finally, will I really need to do all that tweaking in the
registry, or is that only for specific programs?
You might have to make one change in your registry to allow Flash 10 to
install.
Now, here's where I'm not sure which is the correct or necessary change
to make. The instructions written in March 2009 state that this needs
--------------------------
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
In that key, create a new string value and call it "CurrentVersion".
For it's value, make it "5.1".
--------------------------
------------------------
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
Change the value of the string called "Version" to "Windows NT"
Change the value of the string called "VersionNumber" to "5.1"
Remember - change the VALUE of those strings - don't change their NAMES
by renaming them. To change their value, right-click on them and select
MODIFY.
-----------------------
So I'm pretty sure that one of the above changes needs to be made to the
registry after KernelEx is installed to be able to install Flash verison
10. I can say that I've performed the second modification, and that
enabled me to install Flash player version 10.1.102.64.
The only requirement for KernelEx is that you have Microsoft Layer for
Unicode (unicows.dll) present in your /windows/system directory. Here's
Microsoft Layer for Unicode (MSLU) 1.1.3790.0 (UNICOWS.DLL)
http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/7/5/b75eace3-00e2-4aa0-9a6f-0b6882c71642/unicows.exe
Post by j***@myplace.com
I really only want to install Firefox 3.x and Flash 10.
I dont see any need to upgrade anything else nor do I have
any XP software that I want or need.
I find that installing VLC (Videolan) is particulary useful and a more
capable multi-media player than Windows Media Player.
======================
VLC media player
VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and
framework, that plays most multimedias files as well as DVD, Audio CD,
VCD, and various streaming protocols. It is simple to use, yet very
powerful and extendable.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/vlc/files/1.1.5/win32/vlc-1.1.5-win32.exe/download
After backing up Kernel32.dll, I went and installed KernelEx. No
problems at all, except it insisted on downloading unicows.dll, even
though I already had that file. I just let it do it's thing. I then
downloaded and installed the latest Firefox 3.6, and let it do it's
updates on my addons. (I put the new FF in a different folder to
retain ver 2. I found out that I could load a Youtube video right
away. Then I installed Flash Player 10, and it went smooth as a
whistle.

I cant say anything bad about any of this. Its great !!!!

Thanks

One thing about Firefox. It's retaining every website I ever used.
When I type in a URL, that popup of suggestions under it is bringing
up every website, some going back over a year or more. For example, I
type "www.y" and I see a flood of youtube URLs I've been to. If I
type "www.g" I'll get a bunch of google entries and so on. This got
sucked from version 2 and into 3.6. I did the "clear private data",
clear cache, cookies, etc.... What file is storing this info? I want
it removed. I'm assuming this file is stored in the
windows/application data/mozilla/firefox folder, because I did remove
FF 2 after I found ver 3 working well, and these things are still
there.

Thanks
98 Guy
2011-01-04 13:39:08 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
I cant say anything bad about any of this. Its great !!!!
Thanks
No problem.
Post by j***@myplace.com
One thing about Firefox. It's retaining every website I ever used.
I did the "clear private data", clear cache, cookies, etc....
What file is storing this info? I want it removed.
Clearing private data should have removed the history.
Post by j***@myplace.com
I'm assuming this file is stored in the
windows/application data/mozilla/firefox folder, because I
did remove FF 2 after I found ver 3 working well, and these
things are still there.
It's a file called history.dat, and it is in the folder that you
mentioned. Delete that file if necessary.
Post by j***@myplace.com
Thanks
One more thing.

A lot of people didn't like how Firefox 3 changed the way that the
history drop-down list is displayed from the address bar (I know that I
didn't like the change). There's an add-on that makes Firefox 3 look
like the old firefox 2 in that regard. It's called "Oldbar", and can be
found here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6227/
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-05 02:01:41 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
I cant say anything bad about any of this. Its great !!!!
Thanks
No problem.
Post by j***@myplace.com
One thing about Firefox. It's retaining every website I ever used.
I did the "clear private data", clear cache, cookies, etc....
What file is storing this info? I want it removed.
Clearing private data should have removed the history.
It didn't.
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
I'm assuming this file is stored in the
windows/application data/mozilla/firefox folder, because I
did remove FF 2 after I found ver 3 working well, and these
things are still there.
It's a file called history.dat, and it is in the folder that you
mentioned. Delete that file if necessary.
That's what I'll do, delete it.
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
Thanks
One more thing.
A lot of people didn't like how Firefox 3 changed the way that the
history drop-down list is displayed from the address bar (I know that I
didn't like the change). There's an add-on that makes Firefox 3 look
like the old firefox 2 in that regard. It's called "Oldbar", and can be
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6227/
Yes, I dont like that either, so I'll get this addon. Thanks

One final note. Since I installed Kernelex, I noticed that when I
open Resource Meter, it's almost full. Upon a clean reboot, with no
open programs, it was showing about 90% used. I looked at Startup
Manager, I only have the most basic required parts of Windows loaded.
Taskman showed nothing was loaded except itself. I also ran Hijack
this. Again nothing unusual. Does Kernelex cause the Resource Meter
to read wrong? Everything seems to run ok. I even overloaded on
programs just to find out, by opening Firefox, K-meleon, a video,
several photos, Agent, and a Wordpad document. The Resource meter was
only raised by 1% or so. Is this a known flaw?
98 Guy
2011-01-05 03:55:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
One final note. Since I installed Kernelex, I noticed that when I
open Resource Meter, it's almost full. Upon a clean reboot, with
no open programs, it was showing about 90% used.
The Resource Meter (Rsrcmtr.exe) shows the FREE resources, not the USED
resources.

In other words, the percentages that are shown are for the amount of
free resources that are available, not the amount of resources that are
in use.

When I run Rsrcmtr.exe (on this system with KernelEx) this is what I
see:

System resources: 80% free
User resources: 80% free
GDI resources: 88% free

Are you saying that you are seeing 10% free for these resources?

What is the version of Rsrcmtr.exe that you have?

It should be 4.10.1998, and the file should be dated April 23, 1999.

How much RAM does your PC have?

Are you running Windows 98 - first or second edition?
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-05 07:12:11 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
One final note. Since I installed Kernelex, I noticed that when I
open Resource Meter, it's almost full. Upon a clean reboot, with
no open programs, it was showing about 90% used.
The Resource Meter (Rsrcmtr.exe) shows the FREE resources, not the USED
resources.
In other words, the percentages that are shown are for the amount of
free resources that are available, not the amount of resources that are
in use.
When I run Rsrcmtr.exe (on this system with KernelEx) this is what I
System resources: 80% free
User resources: 80% free
GDI resources: 88% free
Are you saying that you are seeing 10% free for these resources?
Ok, I had that backwards. Never mind......
Right now I'm seeing 70+ percent for all three entries, but I have
several apps running.
Post by 98 Guy
What is the version of Rsrcmtr.exe that you have?
It should be 4.10.1998, and the file should be dated April 23, 1999.
I dont know where or how you get the version number to show up, but
the date matches what you have.
Post by 98 Guy
How much RAM does your PC have?
512megs
Post by 98 Guy
Are you running Windows 98 - first or second edition?
Win98SE

-----------

One final thing, I can NOT find any files from Firefox that have the
word "history" in them. I looked both is the Application Data (etc)
folder and in the Actual Firefox folder. I looked manually, then
searched those folders for hist*.*

Nothing !!!!

-----------

One other thing, I found that since I upgraded to Flash Player 10,
K-Meleon browser also works better on youtube.
MotoFox
2011-01-05 05:37:57 UTC
Permalink
"I dont know where or how you get the version number to show up, but the date
matches what you have."

Right-click on the file, and on the menu that shows up there should be a line on
the bottom that says "Properties". (You can also just highlight the file and
just hit Alt+Enter, that does the same thing and it's how some of us WINFILE
dinosaurs still do it.) In the little box that pops up there should be a tab
that says "version", right in between the "General" and "KernelEx" ones. Go to
it and you'll see the programme's version number and (probably) a bunch of other
information.

Incidentally 4.10.1998 is First Edition and its associated components. If I
remember right, SE is 4.10.2222.

(I also have to give cheers to 98 Guy for suggesting KernelEx. Now I can make
use of my PDF Exchange Viewer and Doom Builder without having to reboot into
2KSP4 each time! *clink*)
--
MotoFox
Former superstar of the Muzak Forums, 2003-2009
Do not staple, fold, spindle or mutilate; keep away from sources of magnetism.
If ingested, do not induce vomiting.
98 Guy
2011-01-05 14:22:38 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
What is the version of Rsrcmtr.exe that you have?
It should be 4.10.1998, and the file should be dated April 23, 1999.
I dont know where or how you get the version number to show up,
but the date matches what you have.
To see the version number of a file (code files, like EXE, DLL, etc)
browse to the file and right-click on it, and select properties. There
will be (or there should be) a Version tab, and when you open it you'll
see "File version" and a bunch of other stuff - usually the company that
actually created the file as well.

Because you now have KernelEx installed, you will also see a KernelEx
tab in the properties window. This allows you to set a specific
compatibility level of the file with KernelEx.
Post by j***@myplace.com
One final thing, I can NOT find any files from Firefox that have
the word "history" in them. I looked both is the Application
Data (etc) folder and in the Actual Firefox folder. I looked
manually, then searched those folders for hist*.*
Nothing !!!!
Search your entire drive (or drives) for "history.dat".

For me, I have it here in this folder:

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\i2u99bx3.default

I can confirm that deleting or re-naming that file results in the loss
of the address bar URL history, and restoring that file brings the
history back.
98 Guy
2011-01-05 14:31:31 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Search your entire drive (or drives) for "history.dat".
I can confirm that deleting or re-naming that file results in the
loss of the address bar URL history, and restoring that file brings
the history back.
I should add that I'm speaking about Firefox 2.0.0.20.

Which apparently is completely different than Firefox 3, as explained
here:

http://www.forensicswiki.org/index.php?title=Mozilla_Firefox_3_History_File_Format

The file that you're looking for is "places.sqlite" which should be
located here:

C:\Documents_and_Settings\<username>\Application
Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile folder>\places.sqlite

On a win-98 system, the path may not exactly match the above.

So look for the file places.sqlite.

When you installed firefox 3, your existing history.dat file was
probably incorporated into the new history file.
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-05 20:28:03 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by 98 Guy
Search your entire drive (or drives) for "history.dat".
I can confirm that deleting or re-naming that file results in the
loss of the address bar URL history, and restoring that file brings
the history back.
I should add that I'm speaking about Firefox 2.0.0.20.
Which apparently is completely different than Firefox 3, as explained
http://www.forensicswiki.org/index.php?title=Mozilla_Firefox_3_History_File_Format
The file that you're looking for is "places.sqlite" which should be
C:\Documents_and_Settings\<username>\Application
Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile folder>\places.sqlite
On a win-98 system, the path may not exactly match the above.
So look for the file places.sqlite.
When you installed firefox 3, your existing history.dat file was
probably incorporated into the new history file.
Thanks for the help.

This is not solving the problem though.
history.dat was only found in the K-Meleon browser folder, but thats
for K-Meleon.

I did find places.sqlite where you said it would be. I also searched
the whole drive and found another instance on my D: partition where I
have Windows 2000. I didn't touch that one because I'm not running
Win2K. I did however rename places.sqlite to places.sqlite.txt.
Opened FF 3.6 and as soon as I typed www in the URL bar, I saw the
last website I opened today and some real old ones in the list.

I closed FF, and found a new instance of places.sqlite PLUS
places.sqlite.txt. I completely deleted both of them. (after making a
copy on a floppy just in case).
I opened FF and got the same thing as before.
I should mention that the newly created places.sqlite was 176KB in
size. I opened it with a hex editor and it does contain a lot of web
links. I think it's actually taking them from my bookmarks, because I
see a lot of links that I know are bookmarked. Either way, it just
recreates it.

Actually, I wish I could just disable that drop down entirely. It's
annoying. I just want to type in my url and be done with it.
98 Guy
2011-01-06 01:22:39 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
So look for the file places.sqlite.
This is not solving the problem though.
The following is from here:

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Places.sqlite

=====================
The file "places.sqlite" stores the annotations, bookmarks, favorite
icons, input history, keywords, and browsing history (a record of
visited pages).

Places.sqlite is used in Firefox 3 instead of the older bookmarks.html
and history.dat files (the older files are left in the profile folder
for backward compatibility). Starting in SeaMonkey 2, places.sqlite is
used to store browsing history (but not bookmarks)

If you suspect that the file is corrupted, deleting "places.sqlite" will
delete your browsing history, and a new, empty file will be created
automatically. In Firefox 3, places.sqlite will be rebuilt using the
latest dated JSON file from the bookmarkbackups folder; if no JSON
backup exists, bookmarks will be imported from bookmarks.html, if found.
=====================

The use of an sql database format for storing browsing history and other
storable items related to web-surfing is just a stupid idea if you ask
me. Unfortunately, there are a lot of programmers out there that thing
that increased complexity is always a good thing, even if it results in
little or no benefit and even if it comes with some disadvantages - such
as ease of editing (as can be seen in this example).

What I suggest you do is this (with Firefox not running):

Rename all .JSON files you can find. This includes bookmarks*.json.
Delete (or rename) any or all occurances of the places.sqlite file.
Delete (or rename) any or all occurances of the history.dat file.
Find AND RENAME (not delete) any or all occurances of the bookmarks.html
file.

Then start Firefox 3 and see if your browsing history is cleared. If it
is, then Firefox will have re-created the places.sqlite file and it will
be an empty file.

Then close Firefox and restore your bookmarks.html and bookmarks*.json
files. This should restore your bookmarks without bringing back your
history (unless Firefox is determined to rebuild your history from your
bookmarks file).
Post by j***@myplace.com
Actually, I wish I could just disable that drop down entirely.
It's annoying. I just want to type in my url and be done with it.
I find that I can type just a few letters for the URL I want and then
hit the down-arrow once or twice to select the complete URL - much
faster and more accurate than typing in the entire URL.

In theory, this is how you clear your history in firefox 3:

------------
Click TOOLS
Then click OPTIONS
Then click PRIVACY
than click ask me before clearing private data (Clear now)
un-check everything except browsing history.
---------------


Also, I came across the following:

-------------------
The above answers were correct when it comes to erasing the history.
However, the Mozilla Firefox 3 has a new feature called "RichResults",
which unfortunately is more of an annoyance than a useful one.

RichResults stores the pages you have visited and tries to give you
access fast to the results that you want. As a result, all your history
gets reviewed - even the unwanted pages.

Now, there is unfortunately no way to erase the "rich" history (sucks,
eh?). The only thing you can do is disable the RichResults feature by:

1. Type "about:config" to the address line
2. Go to line "browser.urlbar.maxRichResults". The default value is 12,
change that to 0.

However, by doing this you wont get you history to show up even if you
wanted it in the future.

I had to scrap the whole Firefox 3 because of this and go back to
version 2. Shame that they let this go into the release version as it
ruined the release for me. They even knew it in the beta phase but
argued that its a "feature". Heh, quite a feature, destroyes security
completely or renders the browser useless (as you cannot see history if
you disable RichResults).
-----------------------

And:

------------------
Assuming that you have already hit "Tools/Clear Private Data", you will
still see websites in the URL bar when you start typing an address. Now,

a) It is true that this is a Firefox 3 bug.
b) DO NOT delete these from the URL bar because they will also get
deleted from your bookmarks.
c) One way to trim the list is to limit the saved history to 0. That
will prevent new history from getting saved BUT that will NOT remove
what you already have in the bookmarks.

Your options are:

a) wait for Firefox to issue a patch
b) move back to Firefox 2/or a different browser
c) use a different computer for your private work that does not have
firefox 3.
d) delete the bookmarks you are worried about
--------------------

Which version of Firefox 3 did you install? I have no idea if indeed
this was acknowledged as a bug in early versions of FF-3, or if it was
corrected in any later (or perhaps) last version of FF-3.
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-06 21:32:43 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
Post by 98 Guy
So look for the file places.sqlite.
This is not solving the problem though.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Places.sqlite
=====================
The file "places.sqlite" stores the annotations, bookmarks, favorite
icons, input history, keywords, and browsing history (a record of
visited pages).
Places.sqlite is used in Firefox 3 instead of the older bookmarks.html
and history.dat files (the older files are left in the profile folder
for backward compatibility). Starting in SeaMonkey 2, places.sqlite is
used to store browsing history (but not bookmarks)
If you suspect that the file is corrupted, deleting "places.sqlite" will
delete your browsing history, and a new, empty file will be created
automatically. In Firefox 3, places.sqlite will be rebuilt using the
latest dated JSON file from the bookmarkbackups folder; if no JSON
backup exists, bookmarks will be imported from bookmarks.html, if found.
=====================
The use of an sql database format for storing browsing history and other
storable items related to web-surfing is just a stupid idea if you ask
me. Unfortunately, there are a lot of programmers out there that thing
that increased complexity is always a good thing, even if it results in
little or no benefit and even if it comes with some disadvantages - such
as ease of editing (as can be seen in this example).
Rename all .JSON files you can find. This includes bookmarks*.json.
Delete (or rename) any or all occurances of the places.sqlite file.
Delete (or rename) any or all occurances of the history.dat file.
Find AND RENAME (not delete) any or all occurances of the bookmarks.html
file.
Then start Firefox 3 and see if your browsing history is cleared. If it
is, then Firefox will have re-created the places.sqlite file and it will
be an empty file.
Then close Firefox and restore your bookmarks.html and bookmarks*.json
files. This should restore your bookmarks without bringing back your
history (unless Firefox is determined to rebuild your history from your
bookmarks file).
Post by j***@myplace.com
Actually, I wish I could just disable that drop down entirely.
It's annoying. I just want to type in my url and be done with it.
I find that I can type just a few letters for the URL I want and then
hit the down-arrow once or twice to select the complete URL - much
faster and more accurate than typing in the entire URL.
------------
Click TOOLS
Then click OPTIONS
Then click PRIVACY
than click ask me before clearing private data (Clear now)
un-check everything except browsing history.
---------------
-------------------
The above answers were correct when it comes to erasing the history.
However, the Mozilla Firefox 3 has a new feature called "RichResults",
which unfortunately is more of an annoyance than a useful one.
RichResults stores the pages you have visited and tries to give you
access fast to the results that you want. As a result, all your history
gets reviewed - even the unwanted pages.
Now, there is unfortunately no way to erase the "rich" history (sucks,
1. Type "about:config" to the address line
2. Go to line "browser.urlbar.maxRichResults". The default value is 12,
change that to 0.
However, by doing this you wont get you history to show up even if you
wanted it in the future.
I had to scrap the whole Firefox 3 because of this and go back to
version 2. Shame that they let this go into the release version as it
ruined the release for me. They even knew it in the beta phase but
argued that its a "feature". Heh, quite a feature, destroyes security
completely or renders the browser useless (as you cannot see history if
you disable RichResults).
-----------------------
------------------
Assuming that you have already hit "Tools/Clear Private Data", you will
still see websites in the URL bar when you start typing an address. Now,
a) It is true that this is a Firefox 3 bug.
b) DO NOT delete these from the URL bar because they will also get
deleted from your bookmarks.
c) One way to trim the list is to limit the saved history to 0. That
will prevent new history from getting saved BUT that will NOT remove
what you already have in the bookmarks.
a) wait for Firefox to issue a patch
b) move back to Firefox 2/or a different browser
c) use a different computer for your private work that does not have
firefox 3.
d) delete the bookmarks you are worried about
--------------------
Which version of Firefox 3 did you install? I have no idea if indeed
this was acknowledged as a bug in early versions of FF-3, or if it was
corrected in any later (or perhaps) last version of FF-3.
I appreciate the detailed info you posted. I have the latest version
of FF 3.6.13.

After all of this stuff, I found it's real easy to change or
completely remove those popdowns. Thanks to your help, I went to the
options, and started changing them, and this is what I found.....

Here's how.....

Go to:
tools/options/privacy/
On the bottom, it says
"When using the location bar, suggest:"
Just change it to NOTHING.

Problem solved. No more popdowns at all.
You can also choose just HISTORY, or BOOKMARKS, or BOTH.
By default, it was set to BOTH, which is why I was seeing so many.
I have no use for them, so I set it to NOTHING.

I can type in a URL much faster than clicking on those things, and I'm
not distracted or annoyed by them anymore. It's just a personal
thing, but I find anythink jumping around on my screen is irritating.
Even those anmimated gifs and those most annoying bouncing smiley
faces people like to use in emails and on blogs.

ALSO
Toward the top of the page, the amount of days of history can be set.
I just changed that to one day, and to remove it when I close firefox.

As far as FF 3 or FF 2. I now find FF3 to be ok. I also found that
it's not possible to use both on the same computer because they both
use the same settings in "Application Data". After installing FF3,
and updating my addons, I opened FF2 and was told my addons were
wrong. The next time I opened FF3, I had to go thru the whole routine
to upgrade my addons again. I just removed FF2 after that.

I also have K-Meleon, and that seems to be an excellent replacement
for FF2, and I actually like the way it works better than FF. I can
open both of them at the same time without conflicts. The only
drawback of K-Meleon is that it lacks the addons. Supposedly it can
use some of the FF addons, but reading the info on that, it's way too
complicated to deal with for me.

Thanks
98 Guy
2011-01-06 23:13:41 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
I also have K-Meleon, and that seems to be an excellent
replacement for FF2, and I actually like the way it works
better than FF.
You might be interested in the "portable" versions of Firefox. They are
completely self-contained - they are not "installed" per say. They can
be run from within a single directory, and can even be run from a USB
thumb-drive (useful when you might have access to a public PC, at a
hotel or so-forth).

If you google "firefox portable" you'll find links to source forge and
mozilla for various versions.

Here is the direct download link for Firefox 2.0.0.20 portable:

http://cdnetworks-us-2.dl.sourceforge.net/project/portableapps/
Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20P.E.%20Legacy/Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20Portable%20Edition%202.0.0.20/
Firefox_Portable_2.0.0.20_en-us.paf.exe

Here is a shortened form of that url:

http://tinyurl.com/27lxqdq
j***@myplace.com
2011-01-07 06:49:33 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
I also have K-Meleon, and that seems to be an excellent
replacement for FF2, and I actually like the way it works
better than FF.
You might be interested in the "portable" versions of Firefox. They are
completely self-contained - they are not "installed" per say. They can
be run from within a single directory, and can even be run from a USB
thumb-drive (useful when you might have access to a public PC, at a
hotel or so-forth).
If you google "firefox portable" you'll find links to source forge and
mozilla for various versions.
http://cdnetworks-us-2.dl.sourceforge.net/project/portableapps/
Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20P.E.%20Legacy/Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20Portable%20Edition%202.0.0.20/
Firefox_Portable_2.0.0.20_en-us.paf.exe
http://tinyurl.com/27lxqdq
I'll have to look into this. One thing I kept getting in FF 2.x and
also on K-Meleon are these damn script errors, which cause everything
to hang until it finally posts the error message to try again or
cancel. I never used to get these, just in the past months. Talk
about annoying.....

The one thing I like about K-Meleon is that it has a bar where all
jave, java script, cookies, etc can be turned on and off with a simple
click. I sure wish FF had that. Constantly going into options and
that whole ordeal is a major pain. I like being able to disable java
script with one simple click when I start getting these damn script
errors. If I could, I'd keep it disabled all the time, but some
websites wont work with out it.

The tv station websites are the worst offenders it seems when it comes
to these script errors. I'm starting to think that these tv stations
have a war going on to see who can make the most complicated and
overly bloated websites possible. For example, do they really need 21
flash videos competing to load just on their home page? (not
exaggerated, I actually went to one that had 21). I dread going to
their sites these days. I'm on dialup too, so it can take 10 min just
to load their home pages, and that's with flash videos disabled.
(which leaves a pretty useless page when it finally loads). It sure
would be nice if FF and K-meleon (and maybe all browsers)had an addon
that would automatically disable scripts that are not loading
properly.

This makes me wonder what kind of idiots are creating these web pages
anyhow. FF is the second most popular browser, and I probably get
these script errors at least once every hour, as long as java script
is turned on. I dont know why they cant make them work properly, or
just not use them at all.

What really gets me, is that in the 1990's all a webpage needed was
some html code and some pictures. They loaded fast and were easy to
use. Now we got all these scripts, flash content, and so much clutter
and bloat that it takes forever to load pages, and in the end they are
still produce text or pictures. Why do we need all this junk????
I dont mind click on videos, like youtube, but why put videos on home
pages? Just to get a tv schedule on a local channel, I have to wait
for a video to load, and that video is where I click on the day and
time I want to view. Now why cant they just put that in html form?
Oh yea, I almost forgot, it's the bloat wars !!!!
98 Guy
2011-01-07 14:24:42 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
I'll have to look into this. One thing I kept getting in FF 2.x
and also on K-Meleon are these damn script errors,
I too am seeing an increase in web-pages that freeze for 10 to 20
seconds and then I get a "a script on this page has stopped responding"
message. A year ago I hardly ever encountered them.

About 2 years ago I installed the noscript add-on, which I think serves
more as a security roll but in this case would probably do exactly what
you want - which is to kill all scripts by default but allows you to
selectively turn them on based on the web-page or web-site you're
looking at. If there's a certain web-site that you always want the
scripts to run, then it's easy to tell noscript to do that.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722/

I see that it's been downloaded 79 million times. That version seems to
be for Firefox 3 and 4.

Based on the discussion in this thread:

http://forums.informaction.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4581

One user confirms that Noscript 1.9.9.97 runs on Firefox 2.0.0.20 on a
win-98 system. The download link for that version is here:

http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/addons/722/noscript-1.9.9.97-fx+sm+fn.xpi

There is a brief discussion (or argument) in that thread about the
merrits of running win-98 from a security POV as opposed to the newer
NT-based OS's. Reminds me of the arguments I had with MEB a year+ ago.
Post by j***@myplace.com
This makes me wonder what kind of idiots are creating these web
pages anyhow.
There is a tremendous amount of click-tracking going on behind the
scenes of modern web content, and it's all about trying to monentize or
generate revenue from your surfing, and google is behind a lot of it.

I suggest you obtain a third-party hosts file, which effectively neuters
(blocks) a lot of that junk. It not only speeds up the web experience,
but it removes some security fulnerabilities by preventing various
ad-servers from functioning and serving content to your browser. I've
always used the mvps hosts file, as described here:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

With direct download link here:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.zip

It might get updated once a month or once every couple of months - but
you can go a whole year or more without needing to update it.

Just unzip and place the file called "HOSTS" in your c:\windows
directory (over-write your existing HOSTS file if asked).

The HOSTS file is very useful for a lot of things.

In addition to out-right blocking certain web-domains, I use it to speed
up DNS requests. For example, the IP address for google.com is
74.125.226.80. If I regularly surf to google.com, then instead of
forcing my system to perform a DNS request every time, I will pre-load
the IP address in my hosts file, like this:

74.125.226.80 google.com
74.125.226.80 www.google.com

Those two lines in my hosts file mean that when-ever I want to bring up
google.com on my computer, the hosts file will tell my computer where
the IP address is for google.com, and no DNS request will be done. This
is much faster, because DNS servers can be slow, and sometimes can be
hacked (poisoned) and give you malicious results. So if there are
websites that you regularly go do, you can add their IP address to the
hosts file in a similar way. The only downside to this is that if the
website changes their server, it can mean that their IP address will
also change, so you'll get a time-out if you're still using the old ip
address.

Finally, there is a program (I think it's available on Steve Gibson's
website) that can test your DNS server settings for speed and can
suggest alternate (faster) servers to use. The DNS server setting is in
your Network Neighborhood properties page.
Rasta Robert
2011-01-07 14:43:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by j***@myplace.com
I'll have to look into this. One thing I kept getting in FF 2.x
and also on K-Meleon are these damn script errors,
I too am seeing an increase in web-pages that freeze for 10 to 20
seconds and then I get a "a script on this page has stopped responding"
message. A year ago I hardly ever encountered them.
About 2 years ago I installed the noscript add-on, which I think serves
more as a security roll but in this case would probably do exactly what
you want - which is to kill all scripts by default but allows you to
selectively turn them on based on the web-page or web-site you're
looking at. If there's a certain web-site that you always want the
scripts to run, then it's easy to tell noscript to do that.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722/
I see that it's been downloaded 79 million times. That version seems to
be for Firefox 3 and 4.
http://forums.informaction.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4581
One user confirms that Noscript 1.9.9.97 runs on Firefox 2.0.0.20 on a
http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/addons/722/noscript-1.9.9.97-fx+sm+fn.xpi
I got NoScript version 1.10 as what was the last update for it that
got installed in Firefox 2.0.0.20 on Win98SE.
--
<http://rr.www.cistron.nl/> -!- <http://www.rr.dds.nl/>
<http://www.dread.demon.nl/>
Rasta Robert
2011-01-07 14:30:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by j***@myplace.com
The one thing I like about K-Meleon is that it has a bar where all
jave, java script, cookies, etc can be turned on and off with a simple
click. I sure wish FF had that. Constantly going into options and
that whole ordeal is a major pain. I like being able to disable java
script with one simple click when I start getting these damn script
errors. If I could, I'd keep it disabled all the time, but some
websites wont work with out it.
The tv station websites are the worst offenders it seems when it comes
to these script errors. I'm starting to think that these tv stations
have a war going on to see who can make the most complicated and
overly bloated websites possible. For example, do they really need 21
flash videos competing to load just on their home page? (not
exaggerated, I actually went to one that had 21). I dread going to
their sites these days. I'm on dialup too, so it can take 10 min just
to load their home pages, and that's with flash videos disabled.
(which leaves a pretty useless page when it finally loads). It sure
would be nice if FF and K-meleon (and maybe all browsers)had an addon
that would automatically disable scripts that are not loading
properly.
For Firefox: NoScript can selectively block scripting, embedded content, flash,
protect against cross-scripting attacts.

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/722
http://noscript.net/
--
<http://rr.www.cistron.nl/> -!- <http://www.rr.dds.nl/>
<http://www.dread.demon.nl/>
J. P. Gilliver (John)
2011-01-08 08:30:10 UTC
Permalink
In message <***@4ax.com>, ***@myplace.com
writes:
[]
Post by j***@myplace.com
I can type in a URL much faster than clicking on those things, and I'm
not distracted or annoyed by them anymore. It's just a personal
thing, but I find anythink jumping around on my screen is irritating.
Even those anmimated gifs and those most annoying bouncing smiley
faces people like to use in emails and on blogs.
Ah, the dreaded Incredimail )-: [I developed a quite irrational hatred
of the "girl strangling teddybear" footer!]
[]
Post by j***@myplace.com
As far as FF 3 or FF 2. I now find FF3 to be ok. I also found that
it's not possible to use both on the same computer because they both
use the same settings in "Application Data". After installing FF3,
and updating my addons, I opened FF2 and was told my addons were
wrong. The next time I opened FF3, I had to go thru the whole routine
to upgrade my addons again. I just removed FF2 after that.
[]
Not sure if this applies both 3 and 2, but I _think_ it is possible to
make FF keep its settings at a specified place other than the default -
look in the (online) help for "profile", I think. It requires more
fiddling than you'd expect, but I have persuaded my works system to keep
the settings on my private network space, which means I can log on from
any machine.

The portable version that another suggested may also serve. (Presumably
this does something similar automatically.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)***@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

...Every morning is the dawn of a new error...
Etal
2011-01-08 19:04:20 UTC
Permalink
***@myplace.com wrote:

(Re: Configuring Firefox )
Post by j***@myplace.com
tools/options/privacy/
On the bottom, it says
"When using the location bar, suggest:"
Just change it to NOTHING.
Problem solved. No more popdowns at all.
You can also choose just HISTORY, or BOOKMARKS, or BOTH.
By default, it was set to BOTH, which is why I was seeing so many.
I have no use for them, so I set it to NOTHING.
I can type in a URL much faster than clicking on those things, and I'm
not distracted or annoyed by them anymore. It's just a personal
thing, but I find anythink jumping around on my screen is irritating.
Even those anmimated gifs and those most annoying bouncing smiley
faces people like to use in emails and on blogs.
I fully agree with how distracting unasked popdown-lists are when
they popup. Much of what is animated on web-pages today are
perhaps Flash-animations and there are addons to regulate that if
you want to have shockwave/flash-plague-in installed. But for the
GIF animations you can stop that happening via a simple
about:config edit as:

name = image.animation_mode
(type = string)
value = none

Then, still want to see a particular GIF animation?
Pull up the 'Page Info'-window, the Media (tab/button), and
select the desired GIF-file.


--
Etal
2011-01-08 19:18:45 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
-------------------
The above answers were correct when it comes to erasing the history.
However, the Mozilla Firefox 3 has a new feature called "RichResults",
which unfortunately is more of an annoyance than a useful one.
RichResults stores the pages you have visited and tries to give you
access fast to the results that you want. As a result, all your history
gets reviewed - even the unwanted pages.
Now, there is unfortunately no way to erase the "rich" history (sucks,
1. Type "about:config" to the address line
2. Go to line "browser.urlbar.maxRichResults". The default value is 12,
change that to 0.
However, by doing this you wont get you history to show up even if you
wanted it in the future.
Maybe i misunderstand what you write or perhaps this is a bug
that only affects Firefox 3.x under Win98?
But under WinXP i've had browser.urlbar.maxRichResults set to 0
(zero) from the start of using Firefox 3.x and still have had
access to my browser-history via both Ctrl+H (Sidebar) &
Shift+Ctrl+H (the URL-library)
Post by 98 Guy
I had to scrap the whole Firefox 3 because of this and go back to
version 2. Shame that they let this go into the release version as it
ruined the release for me. They even knew it in the beta phase but
argued that its a "feature". Heh, quite a feature, destroyes security
completely or renders the browser useless (as you cannot see history if
you disable RichResults).
-----------------------
The only way (i knew) to stop the distracting popdown-list in
Firefox 2.x was (the ugly hack) to lock the history.dat (when it
was empty) and then one would not get any history-entries either.
For me still having history-access but no longer having the
distracting popdown list in the address-bar was a big plus moving
up to version 3.x.


--
Esra Sdrawkcab
2011-01-08 00:22:20 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by 98 Guy
KernelEx is the best thing to come along for windows 98.
[]
Post by 98 Guy
I find that installing VLC (Videolan) is particulary useful and a more
capable multi-media player than Windows Media Player.
IAWTP
--
"Nuns! NUNS! Reverse! Reverse!"
98 Guy
2011-01-08 01:43:21 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
I find that installing VLC (Videolan) is particulary useful and
a more capable multi-media player than Windows Media Player.
IAWTP
I will add that I've been experimenting with another player, known as
"XMPLAY", which can be found here:

http://support.xmplay.com/

The visualizations available for this player are many and some are
incredibly mesmerizing - particularly one known as "rabbit-hole".

The visualizations available for VLC are very few, and not that good.

XMPlay is also billed as having the most accurate codecs for sound
generation, and is described as the most accurate audio player.

It can be downloaded from here:

http://support.xmplay.com/files/xmplay_archive/xmplay351.zip

I can't say that I like the interface skin.
MyNews
2011-01-08 02:34:14 UTC
Permalink
He Right when it come to Win 98!
Post by 98 Guy
Post by 98 Guy
I find that installing VLC (Videolan) is particulary useful and
a more capable multi-media player than Windows Media Player.
IAWTP
I will add that I've been experimenting with another player, known as
http://support.xmplay.com/
The visualizations available for this player are many and some are
incredibly mesmerizing - particularly one known as "rabbit-hole".
The visualizations available for VLC are very few, and not that good.
XMPlay is also billed as having the most accurate codecs for sound
generation, and is described as the most accurate audio player.
http://support.xmplay.com/files/xmplay_archive/xmplay351.zip
I can't say that I like the interface skin.
--
http://mynews.ath.cx
Steven Saunderson
2011-01-09 12:25:51 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
I will add that I've been experimenting with another player, known as
http://support.xmplay.com/
Thanks for the link. I've now downloaded this and it certainly is a
good audio player.

Cheers,
--
Steven
legg
2011-01-27 02:46:39 UTC
Permalink
<snip>
Post by 98 Guy
I find that installing VLC (Videolan) is particulary useful and a more
capable multi-media player than Windows Media Player.
======================
VLC media player
VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and
framework, that plays most multimedias files as well as DVD, Audio CD,
VCD, and various streaming protocols. It is simple to use, yet very
powerful and extendable.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/vlc/files/1.1.5/win32/vlc-1.1.5-win32.exe/download
I've tried VLC a few times in W98/2Ed, at ver 0.8 and the current
version. Neither would run after installing (in a non-default
directory, with audio registrations disabled).

When I try to run it:

"Device attached to system is not functioning"

"LIBVLCCORE.DLL file is linked to missing export
KERNEL32.DLL:CreateTimerQueueTimers"

RL
98 Guy
2011-01-28 05:40:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by legg
I've tried VLC a few times in W98/2Ed, at ver 0.8 and the current
version. Neither would run after installing (in a non-default
directory, with audio registrations disabled).
Your machine is screwed up. On a properly updated win-98 system, VLC
version .8 or .9 works fine.

I'm running VLC version 1.1.5. I can run that version thanks to
KernelEx. Look that up in google.
legg
2011-01-28 21:05:57 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by legg
I've tried VLC a few times in W98/2Ed, at ver 0.8 and the current
version. Neither would run after installing (in a non-default
directory, with audio registrations disabled).
Your machine is screwed up.
Probably...
Post by 98 Guy
On a properly updated win-98 system, VLC
version .8 or .9 works fine.
I'm running VLC version 1.1.5. I can run that version thanks to
KernelEx. Look that up in google.
Did that first.

RL
legg
2011-01-29 15:31:04 UTC
Permalink
Post by 98 Guy
Post by legg
I've tried VLC a few times in W98/2Ed, at ver 0.8 and the current
version. Neither would run after installing (in a non-default
directory, with audio registrations disabled).
Your machine is screwed up. On a properly updated win-98 system, VLC
version .8 or .9 works fine.
I'm running VLC version 1.1.5. I can run that version thanks to
KernelEx. Look that up in google.
You're probably right.

Does KernelEx/VLC depend on the existence of a 'My Documents' or a
'Documents and Settings' folder in root? Or default directory
instalation?

RL

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