Windows 98

Released in mid-1998, Windows 98 arrived as the polished successor to Windows 95, blending a hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit architecture with an MS-DOS boot stage. Microsoft positioned this update not as a radical overhaul but as a necessary tune-up that finally embraced the web era. The interface integrated browser features directly into the desktop, while the system itself gained practical tools like Disk Cleanup and Windows Update. Users also saw major improvements in hardware support, including better USB connectivity and DVD playback capabilities.[edit]