Not all KVM switches are that expensive. You can usually find one for around $50. We use them where I work for all the engineers who have multiple computers, and they work great. Unless you have tons of space for extras monitors they are the way to go.

Steph

My brother-in-law found a KVM switch for around $60, and there are other price under that price..I haven't seen one for that much money $249.. I also have limited space for two computers happygamer, but he is getting me one that i could place it on top of my computer desk and the monitor on top of it..He hasn't hooked it up yet, making sure the old one is working in tip to shape before hooking it up..

I don't know any game that only works win XP only the new Delaware game..

I bought my Beltran KVM switch at Best Buy for under $60. Works like a charm. I think I had to get one or two cable adapters (PS/2) as well but they were also inexpensive. I have my Windows 98SE desktop and my Dell Inspiron docking station hooked up to it. It's very easy to hook up and very easy to use. A very inexpensive solution.

As the games continue to improve and get more and more high tech, computers will have to upgrade. That's just another way to get money out of us.
I had to upgrade to play The Moment of Silence, but i didn't mind to much. I figured it would happen sooner or later. I had Win98 and now I have WinXP.
But I do not mind not playing the older games. I am LOVING the newer games and look forward to them all!

This is a really educational thread. Thanks to all for your input. What I'd like to do is get a WIN98 laptop computer and network it to my XP. I can't play a lot of the older games and would love to sit with my feet up and play a game.

Check the prices at Newegg for KVM switches
http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=143

They start around $22. What you pay will depend on whether you want PS/2 or USB connectors and other features.

Well actually I have been able to play all of the new games including Still Life with Win98..so sometimes I kinda think if you have enough RAM and a great video card it works...what I am having trouble with is Virus Protection...Norton and Panda don't like my WIN98 at all....I've had a tech check it out...spent hours on this problem so that is what really is pushing me to go to XP..maybe use the WIN98 for games never going online with that computer and get an upgraded computer with XP for internet and future upgraded games...with that new switch idea of course...which I REALLY fine appealing...great thoughts here guys...thanks again.

I agree to stay clear of Windows ME (or 2000). It is the most unstable.

Windows 2000 is not unstable.
But its compatibility mode is not as good as that of Windows XP. This doesn't matter for newer games though. Or if you're using an emulator like DOSBox or ScummVM to run an old game.
It's not likely you can find Win 2000 installed on a new computer unless you specifically ask for it though (or install it yourself).

I have the best of both worlds here on one computer. I have a dual boot setup with 98 SE on one drive and XP on the other. Can play anything with this setup. If a game doesn't work on one I go to the other. Some new games don't run in xp but do in 98SE as crazy as it seems (couldn't get Sentinel to run in XP but runs perfectly in 98 SE). For old DOS games I use XP with Dosbox, plays practically all of them. Would highly recommend this setup. Whatever you decide definitely stay away from ME the total pits for gaming and otherwise period!!

Happy Gaming,
Bill

I have the same setup as SIRDAVE, except that I have Win98SE rather than Win98. In my Win98SE I have additional memory and a 20 GB hard drive and somewhat improved audio and video boards, but I steered clear of upgrading the audio and video too much since that can sometimes give trouble. I also have both CD and DVD drives on both computers. Some of the older games are coming out on DVD, even though in many cases they haven't changed the programs to allow for running on WinXP. COLPET also hangs on to a Win95, as well as a Win98 and WinXP. The best of all possible worlds, since DOS games can easily be played.

Melia, you can definitely do that, I haven't tryed with my laptop cause it has other issues. Of course it is easier to network with two computers on the same OS, cause XP just does it. It all depends on if you want the laptop connected with a cord or wireless. My two computers are networked together with a bridge, not wireless. Your laptop needs an ethernet card of course, using a bridge you just connect all of them together through the router. Right now I have the cable modem (I get my phone through RoadRunner too)it is connected to the router and the router to the two computers. There are extra slots for more ethernet cables, which in Walmart are only about $7. I have a wireless for one computer (not hooked up) in case I want to move it to another room. If you are networking a laptop, you will get something different than if you are networking a desktop. Compusa has lots and they are so cheap now. I bought mine, thinking I got a good price and sat on it forever. Now they are really inexpensive.

I too have a KVM switch for my WinXP and Win98SE, it was $50 at my local computer shop...You can find them at computer stores..very reasonable! I have the WinXP on line [Cable Modem] the 98SE is not on line but has AOL installed on it, so if I need to d/l a saved game, I can just hook up my phone line to it...Works great for me! Glynn

Great minds Advpuzlov! I use almost exactly the same system including Win98SE & both CD & DVD drives on that system. Win98 was not the most stable system, but Win98SE is fairly reliable and is just as compatible with old games as Win98.

I will reiterate that I don't think a dual-boot system is the answer for most people. It requires more advanced computer knowledge to set it up and maintain it. A dual-boot system can cause problems when it comes to things like adding new hardware and the like. If you're highly experienced that isn't a problem: I build all my computers from the ground up so it isn't a problem for me, but I don't want unnecessary hassles and a dual-boot system can cause some so I avoid it.

Advpuzlov also is right about being careful about upgrading audio & video on the Win98SE system. If you do it at all, it should be very conservative. Not only can it decrease compatibility with old games, but also: One of the dirty little secrets of present hardware/software is that it is very misleading when it says on the box 'compatible with Win98SE/WinXP'. Manufacturers & developers are not fully testing their products under Win98SE and sometimes things like drivers simply won't work under Win98SE. For instance, I recently purchased a new HP printer- it installed effortlessly on the WinXP system, but absolutely would not on the Win98SE system.

You are right! You do have the best of both worlds. Unfortunately on the newer computers you don't always get that choice. My newer video card has no working driver for Win 98se/ME so for me not a viable option. Oh how I envy you, lol.

Ah now that's the advantage of having an ATI card. ATI believes just because someone has 98 SE that should not stop them from getting their newer cards, thus all cards have downloadable drivers on their site for 98 SE.

Bill

Thanks Mr. Bill. I can't afford to change now, but with the next computer I will definitely keep ATI in mind. I upgrade the video card anyway, but will look into the ATI cards with my next Dell. Current has nVidia 128 mb GeForce FX 5200 and it plays the games great.

I keep learning day by day - - -

Nvidia has drivers for Win 98/ME.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/win9x_71.84.html
Are you saying they don't work?

With all due respect Bill- ATI's Win98SE drivers are poorly tested and it's a crapshoot whether they'll work or not. The ATI Catalyst drivers for my 9700 video board were so unreliable under Win98SE in spite of several deinstalls & installs and trying more than one update, I finally gave up and updated to WinXP (at the time, both of my main computers were Win98SE so it was time to upgrade one anyway) and the driver problems disappeared.

And therein is an example of the problem with dual-boot. If you have a working dual-boot Win98SE & WinXP system, it will be with trepidation that you try to do any major hardware upgrade such as a new video board!

Thanks Jenny, this nVidia site was updated Mar 2005 and I attempted the dual boot back in Jan 2005. At that time the only drivers were from "driver sites" and not one would work. I would spend forever trying to download and install, and as soon as I would open the files, I got the "this is for XP" and it would just abort. Duh. I have bookmarked the site you listed and if and when, I will definitely try again. I would prefer to play on one computer but 2 isn't so bad, lol.

Are there any conflicts between video cards between systems when using a kvm switch? For instance, Nvidea & ATI?

It sounds like an ideal situation.

Thanks.

Melanie

Not really. Remember that the switch, in the case of video, is simply switching a common monitor between 2 different video boards so, in the simplest sense, a given board only 'sees' the monitor as if it has sole possession of it ie. this isn't anything like a network.

There are occasional silly little things that can happen that are of no real consequence: for instance, if you boot up the Win98SE system but the switch happens to be set for the other computer (so that the Win98SE video board is not connected to the monitor during the boot), the screen resolution may reset to 640x480 but that's just a simple matter of resetting it to whatever it was before. The WinXP system seems to be 'smarter' so this doesn't tend to happen if the reverse occurs!

Well let's put it this way SirDave, I've been contemplating getting a 9600 AGP with 256 MB. A friend loaned me one to try out and with the 98SE drivers it's running fine so I will in the coming months get one and still swear by my dual boot system. Did you use the new 98SE/ME driver that came out 4/5? Seems to work perfectly. I've also did a major hardware up grade resulting in my having to format both my 98SE and XP drives as I installed a much more powerful motherboard (FIC AU11 with an Athlon 2 gig processor and added 1 gig or DDR Ram). The 98SE motherboard drivers took fine, no problems. So so much for not being able to upgrade. I have had problems with some things but nothing that hasn't been fixable particularly due to Norton GoBack used with both 98 SE and XP (yes, it's better than system restore, fixed some problems the SR couldn't and works like a charm with 98 SE). Basically a Spyware problem in one case and a bad program install in another, nothing hardware related.

Bill

No, My new Dell has the nVidia 128mb GeForce FX 5200 and the old Compaq has Intel 3D Direct AGP Graphics. The only thing I ever noticed is the refresh rate changed on me a couple of times, but only in the beginning. Don't know why.

In some ways I was lucky to not have the driver for the new card to run Win 98se as my new Dell is way too fast for some of the older games, plus not all like that newer Hyper Threading. I have too much memory and the HD is also too large so I was having to lie to the computer. The older Compaq really does the better job and the KVM switch with audio support has cleaned up my play-room. As an example, no one could understand why I was unable to play Zork Nemesis and Grand Inquisitor but there was no way to control the mouse... I turned like a top in XP. Finally got to play the games in 98se. And recently Post Mortem gave me fits because it doesn't like the Hyper Threading but the patch didn't quite fix it all... ran like a dream in the Compaq 450mhz with 128mb SDRam.

Just like with people, sometimes old ain't so bad.

Well, I'm happy for you!

No I haven't tried the 4/5 drivers because, as I've said, I gave up & installed WinXP on that system. But don't get me wrong- I wasn't saying that a dual-boot system doesn't work or that, in the right hands, it won't be a good setup.

My point really is that a dual-boot system requires more computer knowlege than most people on a forum like this have & can limit hardware upgrades (or cause problems as you yourself had, but knew how to get out of) and that would be more true if a user isn't particularly sophisticated. You apparently are, to the point of knowing that a program like Go-Back can be used to get you out of trouble and allow you to try something else if a driver upgrade doesn't work. Computers are cheap now and having experienced dual-boot systems and 2 totally separate systems running their own native OS & using a common keyboard, monitor & mouse, I find the latter much easier to handle.