Build 1602 was the first version capable of performing a direct upgrade from Windows 3.1x
Perhaps the most practical legacy of Windows 98 was its support for Universal Serial Bus (USB). While Windows 95 OSR2.1 had very limited, buggy USB support, Windows 98 Beta 2.1 was where the driver stack matured. windows 98 beta 2.1
🔗 : For a frame-by-frame look at the installation process and the specific hardware used to test these builds, you can view the Microsoft Memphis Beta 2.1 demonstration. Build 1602 was the first version capable of
To see the first Beta 2.1 build in action and explore its specific UI changes: To see the first Beta 2
This was the era of the "browser wars," and Microsoft was aggressive. In Beta 2.1, the line between the local computer and the internet began to blur. The Windows Explorer (the file management tool) began to look and act like a web browser. Users could browse local files with a "Back" and "Forward" button, a feature that was revolutionary at the time but controversial, eventually leading to the massive United States v. Microsoft Corp. antitrust trial. Beta 2.1 was one of the first times the public could truly see this "Active Desktop" concept functioning in a semi-stable environment.
By Beta 2.1, the integration of Internet Explorer 4.0 was no longer optional. The Windows shell was now a web page. You could set a JPEG as your desktop background. You could subscribe to "channels" (push content from MSN). Clicking on a folder opened it in a web-like view. It was slow, resource-hungry, and mesmerizing.
