I find 98SE more stable than ME, so we still use 98SE for our primary development systems. Installation Tips A quick note about card installation and IRQs. Despite Windows Plug and Play, you will cause yourself nightmares if you have add-on cards sharing IRQs. Put SCSI and any other extra cards in slots 4 and 5 which usually end up sharing IRQs with the IDE controller or USB controller. Make sure your system is well-cooled.
Many intermittent failures are due to overheated CPUs.
We also recommend getting a premium heatsink with a quieter fan from CoolerGuys . Motherboard temperature is rarely an issue. 95 OSR 2.1 for the most stable and fast system. For extra speed and customization, I highly recommend the 98Lite Windows installer. This will allow you to install the correct drivers during installation rather than upgrading later.