The Visual C++ 2005 runtime is the last to carry Windows 98 support. Windows 98 Second Edition can be updated with the Microsoft. Windows Media Player 6.2 was also shipped replacing the old classic Windows 3.x/95 'Media Player' that originated with the Windows 3.0 MMC Extensions. DirectX 6.1 was also included with DirectSound improvements. Internet Explorer 4.0 was also upgraded to 5.0 and Internet Connection Sharing made its debut.

The song Homestar sings for the start up sound is the famous Microsoft Sound by Brian Eno, used as the start up sound for Windows 95.Windows 98 Second Edition is an update to the original Windows 98 that includes improved modem and sound/audio card support through the Windows Driver Model, improved USB support, Wake on LAN support, FireWire DV camcorder support, and SBP-2 Mass Storage device support.

The updated shutdown song is attributed to Gent Delabor.The Error sound is the page title for the 404 error screen.The Windows Exit sound first appeared in Sing Along.Windows 98 did not have the capability to use mp3-format sounds in desktop themes. The updated shutdown song from April Fools' 2014 is included as an mp3 file, but the desktop theme uses the older shutdown song instead, which is included in the Wave file format.This becomes apparent when opening the desktop theme file as a text file. The file for the empty bin is called 'homestar bin full', while the file for the full bin is called 'homestar bin empty'. The icons for the Recycle Bin are switched.The waiting cursor is Homestar's hat, with an animated spinning propeller. The house's chimney has smoke coming out of it when the bin is empty. The icons are Homestar Runner's head (which represents My Computer), an early version of the H-Star-R logo (Network Neighborhood), Melonade, and the house from In Search of the Yello Dello and The Reddest Radish (Recycle Bin). The updated desktop background is the picture of Homestar colored with crayons from the Downloads page. The desktop background has the H*R symbol on it which is repeated in a pattern. Mail received - Awww, somebody loves you!.The following are recorded with Homestar's old voice and included in the updated version, but are not in the original version:

Windows Exit - And now the looove that lasts forever has cooome tooo its end.

Windows Start - Dooon, doodle-ing! Di-Ding ding ding ding!.

These are the sounds spoken by Homestar whenever a specific action happens.

Windows 98 themes download