An Integrated, Friendlier Windows Me
While Microsoft’s lawyers were battling the Justice Department and its executives were trumpeting the company’s next generation Internet strategy, programmers at the Redmond, Wash., campus were doing what programmers are supposed to do: developing new software. The software, in this case is Windows Me, an upgrade to Windows 98 that will be in the stores in September. Last week, Microsoft released the code to PC makers, and sent me a copy of the final version.
PC makers are expected to replace Windows 98 with Windows Me starting in the fall. Consumers can buy an upgrade CD for $90 to $100.
After putting the new operating system through its paces, I think Microsoft did a good job in enhancing Windows 98. It’s far from the best operating system in the world, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Windows Me (“Me” stands for “Millennium Edition”) is basically an incremental upgrade to the current version of Windows (Windows 98 SE). But it’s actually something of an interim product and the last version of Windows to be derived from what used to be called “MS-DOS.” Sometime next year, Microsoft plans to issue a new consumer version of Windows that’s based on a newer and far more reliable code used in Windows 2000.
Microsoft is quick to point out that Windows Me is designed for home users. The company is attempting to make a clear distinction between business users and home users. Frankly, I find that a bit odd considering that millions of people, like me, use their home PCs for both work and play. I run my one-person business from my home PC, but I also use it to store family photos, listen to music and edit videos. I don’t know whether Microsoft considers me to be a business user destined to master Windows 2000 or a home user relegated to Windows Me.
Well, the good news is that anyone else who uses Windows 98 can safely make the transition to Windows Me without giving up any functionality. About the only thing missing in Windows Me is support for “real mode,” which was used mainly by some old MS-DOS games. Most people will never miss it, but if you have an old MS-DOS program that you rely on, it’s probably a good idea to check with the software publisher (if it’s still around) before upgrading.
If you do upgrade and find that something fails to work, you can uninstall Windows Me and restore your old operating system. Just because a program is old, however, doesn’t mean it won’t run on Windows Me. I was able to run a 19-year-old copy of the VisiCalc spreadsheet program that came out at the same time as the first IBM PC.
The user interface of Windows Me is pretty much the same as Windows 98, which is a good thing for those of us who don’t enjoy having to learn new commands. About the only differences you’ll notice are a new start-up screen and some souped-up icons to represent “My Computer,” and the recycle bin.
The Start menu looks like it always has but now it’s a “Smart Menu,” which means that it prominently displays programs you use most often and it cuts down on clutter by cleverly tucking away little-used programs. Microsoft has also improved the Help system by putting all of its commonly used instructions in one place that has the look and feel of a Web site. The Help menu now has a “tours and tutorials” button that offers you multimedia help.
As part of its goal to make Windows Me consumer friendly, Microsoft has improved the way it displays picture files. If you store your digital photos in the “My Pictures” folder, you get several enhancements, including an immediate thumbnail view of each photo in the folder. Windows 98 offers a thumbnail option, but it’s slow and cumbersome. You also now have the ability to print, re-size or rotate an image even if you don’t have photo-editing software.
Windows Me is also better when it comes to playing and creating multimedia files. A new version of Windows Media Player supports a wider range of files and makes it easier to listen to audio CDs and what Microsoft calls “Internet Radio.” Fortunately, you don’t have to buy Windows Me, or even wait until it comes out to get that player. You can download a free copy of it now at https://www.microsoft.com/downloads.
Movie Maker, a cool new feature for home movie buffs, lets you shoot and edit your own videos. Movie Maker is quite rudimentary, but it’s a fun and easy way to introduce yourself to digital video editing. My 13-year-old son, Will, who had never used a video editing program before, figured it out almost immediately and, within about a half hour, produced a fun video of himself playing the guitar using a $60 video camera mounted on top of the monitor. An hour later he showed me an enhanced version, complete with a professional sound track that he had downloaded off the Internet.
For me, the most important new feature is System Restore. As someone who experiments with lots of software, I occasionally find myself wishing I hadn’t installed a particular program or performed an action because it somehow managed to mess up my system. At moments like that, what I want is the ability to turn back the clock--and that’s exactly what Windows Me now offers.
The System Restore feature allows you to take a snapshot of your operating system and software configuration at any point. If, after installing new software or making other changes, things don’t work out right, you can restore the system to that earlier point. The feature affects only software and the operating system. It will not restore data files that you may have corrupted or erased, nor will it cause you to lose new files or files you modified earlier. This feature is basically a stripped down version of Adaptec’s GoBack program that’s been available for quite some time, but it’s well integrated into the operating system.
A related feature called System File Protection prevents a software application from accidentally deleting or corrupting a critical system file, which is a common source of Windows system problems. The operating system is also a lot better at recognizing new hardware devices. The sound card on one of my machines wasn’t working under Windows 98, but Windows Me recognized it and automatically installed the proper drivers. The new version also has an AutoUpdate feature that fetches the latest bug fixes and drivers from the Internet and installs them for you.
Another key design goal for Microsoft was home networking. It’s becoming increasingly common for homes to have two or more PCs, which creates the need to share printers, exchange files and share a single connection to the Internet. Networking was built into Windows 98 and even Windows 95, but the new operating system has a “wizard” that makes it easier. It also has necessary software to share a single dial-up connection among multiple computers so you tie up only one phone line when everyone is online at the same time.
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Technology reports by Lawrence J. Magid can be heard between 2 and 3 p.m. weekdays on the KNX-AM (1070) Technology Hour. He can be reached by e-mail at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web site is at https://www.larrysworld.com.
