Software review
Created: Sept, 2000
Microsoft has released another version
of its Windows operating system. It's called Windows ME or Windows
Millennium Edition.
So should small businesses consider Windows ME? The answer
depends on how new the systems in your office are and whether
you have stability problems on your computers.
First some background. Windows ME is the last in the Windows
95 family of product that included Windows 98 and Windows 98
Second Edition. Up next in Microsoft operating systems is a
merger with Windows 2000, the company's business-strength software
at the end of next year. Its codename is "Whistler".
First up in the decision making process is whether your office
computer crashes a lot.
Windows, as a general rule, is a crash monster. It typically
requires a reboot once a day. If this has been a particular
problem in your office, put one check mark in the buy column.
To help improve stability, Microsoft has removed "real
mode". This is a mode to allow older MS-DOS programs to
run. MS-DOS or Microsoft Disk Operating System was the operating
system that came before Windows 3.0. In fact, the Windows 3.x
family of products was installed on top of MS-DOS. Some MS-DOS
programs will still run, but in an emulation window.
The absence of real mode means you can no longer boot into
DOS to fix a problem. This may be a problem for some hard-core
tinkerers, but the rest of us won't notice.
This effort has affected some popular utilities; running Norton's
SystemWorks 2000, for example, pops up a window warning of incompatibilities.
The remove of DOS may also affect the operation of some older
sound cards.
If you plan to run Windows ME on older systems then it may
be worth check to see that the various components are compatible
with it.
For example, during initial testing, it was necessary to manually
add a common garden-variety NE2000 network adapter, and there
is at least one common graphics adapter which worked fine under
Windows 98 SE, but is not yet supported in anything other than
VGA mode (ie 640 x 480 pixels with 16 colors).
Even newer hardware may have some problems; for instance, Logitech
mice work, but not as well as with the software that they come
with.
Since time is money in a small business there are two features,
which will allow you to snatch back some time for your existing
computer systems
Take hibernate mode. This shutdown option takes a snapshot
of the current desktop and work area, saving it to disk, and
upon powering up again, the system comes back exactly as it
was left, open work spaces and all. Unfortunately, unlike the
Windows 2000 equivalent, support from the motherboard (the main
circuit board in a computer) is required for this feature to
work.
Help and support has also been given an overhaul. Windows ME
has an integrated resource center to aid and guide users in
using and troubleshooting various features of the OS. Complementing
this effort are friendlier and more understandable error and
warning messages. Personalized menus have also been introduced.
This effect moves commonly used items in a menu to the top,
and less commonly used ones are hidden. This can be easily turned
off if you don't like it.
The motto for installing a Microsoft OS is still: be prepared.
The process has got smoother, but still has warts. Checking
drive space (and other hardware requirements) before starting
is a must, as Microsoft still has not mastered the arcane art
of checking for sufficient space before entering a 25-digit
serial number (even on empty, new drives). One system produced
the infamous 'blue screen of death' during the install process.
Another new feature, System Restore, is designed to restore
a computer back to a time before it became inoperable or unstable.
If a new program is added to a computer and it corrupts drivers
or interferes with its smooth operation,
System Restore can be used to return the computer to the state
it was in before the problematic application was installed.
Early testing of System Restore demonstrated it has a tendency
to shut down and lose its restore points. Until it becomes more
robust, you will need a better back-up plan.
The much-touted home networking feature, introduced in Windows
98 Second Edition, allows multiple computers to hook up to one
computer that serves as a gateway to the Internet. The 'home'
part of the name refers to how the instructions are handled;
even a networking novice working at home would have little difficulty,
with comprehensive discussion of (for instance) the issues with
various types of connections.
When it works, it seems to do so quite well. The problem may
be getting it to work; if any problems arise, what you'll do
is a quick reboot, as the troubleshooter seemingly requires
a reboot after every step. In one instance, the troubleshooter
requests a file that is not present from the Win ME CD.
Perhaps the biggest issue in upgrading to Windows ME is performance.
While a Windows ME system is very quick to start up (about
40 seconds) and shutdown (10 seconds is typical), the operating
system is sluggish. A machine that ran Windows 98 SE will perform
slower when Windows ME is installed. Think about upgrading your
machine's memory if you make the move to ME.
While ME is more stable than its predecessors, those with older
hardware, or those who have no problems with their current Windows
installation might think that the mix of features in ME is hardly
compelling. Those consider a new computer system with Windows
ME, should not hesitate.
Rating: 3.75 / 5
System requirements:
150 MHz or better processor; 32 MB RAM; 455 to 635 MB disk space.
300 MHz Pentium II with 64 Mb of RAM for video editing capabilities
Reviewer's comments: Windows ME really needs modern
hardware to work. Older hardware need not apply. The selection
of new features is nice to have, but no need to rush out and
buy this new operating system immediately.
Price: Full version $209 US / $309 Canadian. Upgrade
from Windows 98 or 98 SE: $59 US / $85 Canadian until Jan. 15,
2001. Upgrade from any other Windows version: $109 US / $169
Canadian.
Buy it: Click
here for online vendors in Canada and the US
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Adding RAM is easy, 
