Member Avatar for dhoch1488

I am running a photo booth application on an old Dell Dimension 2400 PC with Windows 98 SE.

We were using an HP2200 Business Jet printer but that seems to have failed and I cannot find another on the web.

Any new printer we install has to be already supported by existing drivers in W98 because a) we aren't networked; and b) our only external drive, a CD RW, doesn't work, so I have no way to put a new driver on the machine.

a) Is there a list somewhere of what printers w98 has built-in support for? I could exhaustively punch up each manufacturer in the 'Add Printer' dialog and then scribble down each model there, but a list would be much better.

b) We were using the above HP2200 (inkjet) printer to print the photos on glossy paper, but would a Laserjet work just as well? It seems easier to find old HP2200 Laserjets than Business/Ink jets.

c) Does anyone have any other suggestions for what printers already supported by Windows98 would print a decent (color, obviously) photo?

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Useful, practical summary and next steps to solve this without guessing at which printers are still floating around:

Windows 98 (and 98 SE) actually ships with a printers.txt that lists the drivers Microsoft included on the CD — that is the canonical built‑in driver list, and it’s the fastest way to see what you can install without adding new drivers. Use the Add Printer wizard on the machine to browse the Manufacturer/Model list, and cross‑check against the Printers.txt file online. (Microsoft’s copy of Printers.txt is here.)
Windows 98 Printers.txt (KB189672)

About getting driver files onto the Dell: the Dimension 2400 does have USB ports, so a USB stick could be tempting — but Windows 98SE does not include a generic USB mass‑storage driver by default, so many modern sticks won’t appear unless you install a third‑party NUSB/MSC driver or vendor drivers first. Replacing the faulty optical drive is often the least fiddly option on that model (the service manual shows the bays/connectors). If you’re comfortable with a quick hardware swap, a used IDE/ATAPI CD/DVD drive will usually get you back to “burn a driver CD” territory.
Dell Dimension 2400 manual (specs) · background on Win98 USB MSC limits. (see Retrocomputing.SE / Windows 98 notes).

Photo quality: for glossy, high‑quality color prints, inkjet (or dye‑sublimation) photo printers beat standard color lasers — lasers use fused toner and a CMYK palette which limits gamut and can cause fuser/paper issues on glossy stock. If image quality is the priority for your booth, prioritize a photo‑capable inkjet/dye‑sublimation that explicitly lists Windows 98 or supplies a floppy/CD driver.
Why inkjet/dye‑sublimation typically win for photos (DPReview overview) · [laser limits and paper/fuser cautions].(https://www.tespc.com/getting-vibrant-photos-can-a-laser-photo-printer-compete-with-inkjet/)

Quick checklist for next actions:

  1. On the PC: Start > Settings > Printers > Add Printer and scan the Manufacturers/Models list (matches Printers.txt).
  2. If you must add drivers: either swap in a working optical drive, or install a Windows‑98 USB mass‑storage driver first (use caution — language/version mismatches can crash the system).
  3. Prefer a photo inkjet/dye‑sublimation unit with Win98 drivers included on media; if you must use a laser, test the exact paper and beware fuser heat.
  4. If replacing hardware isn’t an option, look for used printers sold with their original driver disks — that avoids any transfer headaches.

Notes tied to thread: ’s point about replacing the CD drive is practical; and ’s recollections about photo printers and parallel/legacy interfaces are relevant when shopping used. Avoid buying a modern USB‑only printer unless you first confirm Win98 drivers and a way to transfer them.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

Something may have been left out of the details. CD drives are readily available here. I can go on Amazon and get them. Maybe there's something of a cost or you don't have a tech to change the drive?
notes the 2300 which I found with a web search. These old printers come and go but sometimes you have to decide if it's time to upgrade the system or not.

But back to my question. Why can't you replace the CDRW drive? I think I personally replaced over a thousand over the years.

Member Avatar for Dani

Back in the day (around the time I ran Windows 98) I had an old Kodak photo printer. I don’t recall if the drivers were built-in or not.

What about putting the drivers you need on a USB memory stick formatted as FAT16?

Member Avatar for chuckc

Tough problem because such long time ago. Good comments.
Maybe old printers that used the very old printer connectors, if you can find one that is still working. They included Radio Shack, Panasonic, Okidata, and some others. Some would take plain text, but you would have to format document? into some maximum chars per line, and the text would require CR/LF chars in the text, then you might be able to just use the copy command.
Good luck

Member Avatar for lucyoscar

The HP Laserjet 5 and 6 printers are Windows 98 compatible options if you're in a rush. They are available for viewing on Amazon. If you've been using your Windows 98 PC for this long, you must have a good reason.

Member Avatar for davidparkers

HP Laserjet 5 and 6 are compatible printers for Windows 98. Because window 98 does not have a USB port, so we need a printer with a parallel port

Edited by davidparkers
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