exe files are the actual executional programs. zip files are compressed files. To uncompress them you'll need winzip or similar (Aladdin offers a free expander for windows.) bin files are (to my knowledge) cd files/images that need to be burnt (there's more than one type of bin file!) rar is another compressed file. Installer apps are often (not always) called setup.exe

If the file is zip/rar you'll 1st need to uncompress it. Then find the setup program (may have same name as main program) & double-click. Follow its instructions.

Depending how old your apps are, I suspect they might not run on win 98 or else would need a win 98 service pack update 1st!

I can't be too much more specific b/c I'm a mac user! hehehe