[Android Central Question]

Trying to figure out if I can use my phone Hotspot with my desktop which is running windows 98

[spARTacus]

You mean connect your windows 98 machine via WiFi to your phone hotspot? I don't see why not, provided you can still get a Wi-Fi adapter that works for your windows 98 machine. However, I have noticed that a couple of my old windows vista laptops will no longer get "internet" access via WiFi. They will connect just fine to the access point, but will remain limited to "local only access". I assume it is a built in interoperability aspect of newer routers, not backwards compatible enough to certain older 802.1 standards. The old laptops will still connect fully via wired. So, you won't know until you try (to connect your windows 98 machine to your phone). Your phone's hotspot capabilities might equally not be backwards compatible enough, depending on what Wi-Fi adapter you use with the windows 98 machine. I have a couple of old usb Wi-Fi adapters that still work for windows 98 but I haven't recently checked if they will still successfully join my Wi-Fi.

[hallux]

What on earth would one use Windows 98 for online? Web browsers that support that OS are not going to have the security protocols needed for modern browsing.

It would be advisable to spend the least amount of time possible actually connected, Windows 98 isn't patched to handle anything that's come out in the last 15 years.

[mustang7757]

What on earth would one use Windows 98 for online? Web browsers that support that OS are not going to have the security protocols needed for modern browsing.

It would be advisable to spend the least amount of time possible actually connected, Windows 98 isn't patched to handle anything that's come out in the last 15 years.

Its equivalent to people using Android 4.4 and you know there are some lol

[stevenjb2020]

If the computer has an Ethernet port, you could use an Access Point

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! For your own security, it would be extremely advisable to upgrade to a computer with a more current Windows version (or at least Windows 10). Windows is much more vulnerable to security threats than Android, so you're really taking a risk continuing with Win98 these days.

Please register on this forum, which will allow you to engage in discussion more easily, as well as post images. https://forums.androidcentral.com/as...community.html

[L0n3N1nja]

Its equivalent to people using Android 4.4 and you know there are some lol

Think I still have a 4.3 device lol

[L0n3N1nja]

To my knowledge anything that supports wifi should be able to connect to a phones mobile Hotspot.

However taking a 25 year old operating system into account I can't say for certain it would work.

[mustang7757]

Think I still have a 4.3 device lol

lol

[B. Diddy]

I just occurred to me that the OP might be asking about USB tethering, rather than using the phone's wi-fi hotspot. I've seen more problems with USB tethering discussed here.

[Laura Knotek]

Windows 98 doesn't even natively support USB 2.0, much less USB 3.0. It's highly doubtful that there are any drivers that would allow USB tethering on such an ancient version of Windows.

[BerryBubbles]

Think I still have a 4.3 device lol

I have a Asus Transformer Pad that's on 4.0.3. Ice Cream Sandwich.
It still has such a beautiful screen, I use it for games.
Well, old games...

[mustang7757]

This turned into a interesting thread

[spARTacus]

I used to have a windows98 machine on my local network as recent as a couple years ago. I had a rule in my router to prohibit it from reaching to the outside world, and only used it for some periodic experiments. I never left it on when not being used. I am pretty sure it will still flash-up. Reminds me of the movie SpaceCowBoys when they needed the old folks to fix the old computer on the satellite.

[L0n3N1nja]

I have a Asus Transformer Pad that's on 4.0.3. Ice Cream Sandwich.
It still has such a beautiful screen, I use it for games.
Well, old games...

I've still got the original Samsung Note 10 from 2012. Haven't used it in months but still keep it around to sketch on.