[Lf] Window Me

[Andre' Kesteloot]

WINDOWS ME, AN EASY INSTALL
by Dave Murphy, member at itrain.org

I sat down this weekend and got more than eight hours of
uninterrupted time to work with Microsoft's update to
consumer-side of Windows. Windows Millennium Edition
(WinMe) gets a big thumbs up from me.

I came up with a few concerns, but nothing major. I
recommend the operating system (OS) for new installations,
and I even installed three upgrades on top of Windows 98
(first edition). All installations worked great once the
prompts were followed, the "next" buttons clicked, and the
kinks worked out.

My recommendations:
1. Opt for WinMe over Win98 on any new PCs you purchase,
even if you've already got Win98 systems in your network.

2. Consider upgrading faster workstations that are currently

running Win98 to WinMe. First, seek the advice of your IT
advisor. This step is not for the less-knowledgeable
(especially those who think they're knowledgeable).

What I did:
I upgraded three Win98 (first edition) workstations
connected to a set of Linux file servers and peer-to-peer
network. All workstations accessed at least one of the
servers and all shared their hard drives with one another.
All workstations shared a high-speed digital connection to
the net.

I also installed a copy of WinMe on a brand new disk. This
workstation then accessed one of the Linux servers, the
other workstations, and the Internet router. This station
also
shared it's disks with the other Windows workstations.

It took about 90 minutes to install and tweak.

The new installation took about 25 minutes on a 500 MHz
system with 128MB of RAM. Configuration and tweaking
took about another hour. The system was ready for use in
less than 90 minutes. This is about the same time as a
similarly-configured new Win98 installation.

The upgrades took about 25 minutes to install and about
30 minutes to configure. All of the preexisting Win98
configurations were retained, and I tinkered with the new
options of WinMe.

My experience is that most technical installers and all non-

technical users run WinMe straight -- without any of the
performance and security tweaks I employ. If you fall in
this
group, figure less than an hour for an upgrade -- time to
cut
the shrink wrap, read the pamphlet, and such. Typing in the
serial numbers was a pain. I found this step more
cumbersome than with previous versions.

What I found.
The systems that were running at 200MHz and above
picked up a bit of speed. The 350MHz system with 64MB of
RAM runs sluggishly. It's definitely noticeable. So much so
that I'm thinking about reinstalling the previous disk
image,
thereby returning to Win98.

WinMe is a fun version. It's got neat features that I
haven't
yet tested. When I do, I'll report them in this e-zine. All
systems work well after two days. The Handspring Visor's
PalmOS hotsync program, the Adaptec CD burner software,
web browsers, Eudora, both Microsoft Office 2000 and the
old Office 97 seem to work. McAfee VirusScan 4.x and
Norton Utilities 2000 are fine.

I was actually surprised that the Win98-WinMe upgrades
worked well. I've never had good luck with OS upgrades. I'll

give it some time, and I'll let you know if my opinion
changes.

But for now, don't hesitate to pick up a new PC with WinMe
installed. But don't go out and upgrade your existing Win98
system without checking with each of your application and
hardware vendors to ensure you'll have full compatibility. I

spent quite a few hours over the last two weeks reviewing
all my upgrade details before I started ripping shrinkwrap.

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