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Microsoft Windows Millenium Edition Reviews

Windows ME is terrible.
Nov 06, 2003 09:19 AM

I currently use Windows ME and all I have is trouble. All sorts of problems. I hate to give bad reviews but when it's the truth, it's the truth. When I got this computer, the Windows ME that was on it was corrupted so I had a professional to 'wipe clean' the whole hard drive and do a fresh install of ME, well it worked fine...for about a 2 days...some system files became corrupt, again. Well, after spending some more money I had it re-installed, this time it worked decent for a while.


Well I got on the net about a month after this using this computer. Well, for about a month now I have been getting a 'BSOD' on shut down on every shut down. I tried to find help at Microsoft’s website and all I found was a bunch of junk. I even tried the newsgroups and no one ever answered the questions I really needed answered. Microsoft makes the software, they should be prepared to handle the giving of support to those who use their products and need it. At some point I fixed the problem with the BSOD on my own, but I still don't know exactly how I did. I do know that Microsoft didn't help me.


Also since I got this computer 8 months ago, I have had to 'update' this thing almost weekly, I have already applied over 20 patches! You would think that an OS that came out back around 2000 would be 'fixed' by now (considering it is 2003 almost 2004). Also now it takes me about 20 minutes to log into the MSN website and a friend of mine (who knows his way around computers like he does around his own house) told me that it had to do with the .NET framework. I'm on dial-up and the .NET framework is over 20MB! I refuse to download the .NET framework. Also the ONLY thing keeping me on MSN is 2 friends I know on there.


You may be wondering why don't I just ''upgrade'' to Windows XP or something like that, well I'll tell you why. Windows XP has even more bugs and problems than Windows ME does. My uncle had Windows XP and it gave him more problems than ME gave me problems. Windows 98 to me seems to be the most stable and reliable OS Microsoft ever made. I used it for 2 years without ANY problems, EVEN though I came to find out that it had SIX viruses on it! Well I know what your thinking now and my ME is totally virus free.


I'm going to end this here, I could write a whole book on how bad Windows ME is and how bad Microsoft is, but I would probably be sued ;-)


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Me nor me
Feb 18, 2003 01:20 PM

I am a philosopher type of person and believe nothing is good or bad. It is what your needs make them. So all you need to do is identify your needs.


I personally feel that Me is a much better version than Windows 98SE. And if you r a home user like me you will also like it. Some drawbacks of windows me which I have heard from people have some justifications from my side.


1) The first thing pointed by most of the ME users is that it is slow. Yes if you run Me and 98SE on same configuration 98 will run faster. What is the cause? Windows Me is a feature rich operating system. New features and applications like moviemaker does take resources. And thus make it slow to run. But thats not the mistake of windows and Microsoft either. If they have to sell a new O.S they have to introduce new things. And isnt it what all software companies does. Tell me a name of software whose later version has smaller size than its previous one. And believe me all coming versions of operating systems are going to be heavy and need more resources. So dont count this as its drawback. Because if someone says that scooter is better than car as car cant enter in tight streets, then in my view that is a mistake. Yes but if he have to move in tight streets then scooter is a better option for him. But car is good for rest.


2) The other thing that is pointed out is it is not good for networking. Well! It is not made for networking. For that there is Windows NT, 2000 or XP pro. Yes it has got home networking wizard and supports very well 2-3 computers. Dont expect more from it.


3) It doesnt support some old drivers. Yes it is true and certainly a drawback. But if you have a new machine then just ignore it as the support it has for new drivers is just great. And the drivers which r not there in Win Me, Well you need to install just once and it will have them in its database e.g. I just had to use my modem cd for once for its driver and after that I never needed it as only thing I need from thereon was to update config and the driver was automatically installed.


4) System Restore: It takes up a lot of space and make system slow. Well it is true again but if Me has give this facility it has also given us power to enable or disable as well as customize it. And how many times it would have helped people is going just unnoticed. Keep visiting this site specially in Windows XP section and you will be surprised to see how many time the only workable solution left is system restore. And if you have resources why take risk.


5) And at last the only flaw I ever found in windows Me is what I come to know was my lack of knowledge. It does not have Dos mode. Well it does have the real time dos mode. All we need is a little patch and we have Dos mode running fine. For more details, you can check one of my asked questions in same section.


And the facilities it has! Well have you tried defragmentation in windows 98. If yes then you r going to love it happening in Me. System, movie maker are some applications for which some people will willingly pay to similar software manufacturer. Windows media players digital support and directly copying audio CD in itself are some of other good features. So what I am going to recommend you is go for Windows Me? I am going to surprise you by saying No. Because a better option is there in market as Windows XP and if you have a system with configuration good for Windows XP then jump directly to it.


And from next time anybody tells you that Windows Me is not a good O.S. ask him why he thinks so. And judge it urself whether that will be a problem for you or not.


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Hendersonville USA
Almost idiot proof.
May 14, 2001 08:30 PM

I've been using Windows Millenium Edition ever since it first came out, and I have had mixed reactions to the software. For the most part, I like it, but it does have a couple of features that tend to irritate me.


First, the good news. Microsoft Millenium Edition is somewhat idiot proof, which in my mind is a good thing, as I'm not always as savvy as I'd like to be with software. Sometimes I make mistakes, and I occasionally install software that is either unneccessary, or downright troublesome. This is not a problem with Millenium Edition. Uninstalling software is a relatively simple procedure, and for big mistakes, the software has a rather nifty feature called System Restore. All you have to do is select a date in time before you messed up your computer and, voila, your system's information is restored to that halcyon time.


I also like the fact that Millenium Edition is honed for internet usage, as that is where I spend much of my time. The Explore feature is useful, as well, and allows you to find any obscure data you may have placed on your hard drive.


On the downside, Windows Millenium Edition still uses the outdated Active Desktop, which slows down computation, and ultimately will cause your entire system to freeze just for the sake of placing a pretty picture on your desktop. I recommend that the first thing all Millenium Edition users should do is disable Active Desktop, and they will not have to worry about this annoying glitch. To disconnect Active Desktop, right click on your desktop and make sure ''show web content'' is turned OFF. This does not effect your internet use, and will save you many headaches.


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Microsoft Windows Millenium Edition
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I and Me
May 13, 2001 11:53 AM

Change and improvements are part of life and hence change in OS is also welcome to me, cause software upgrades are always aimed to serve better, especially when the creator expects to earn. (How far they are successful in achieving this aim, is a different story!) But to pay for a shoe and pay the same price for purchasing a similar shoe with an extra stud, the next day, is a little absurd. And what if you could buy that extra stud for much lesser and nail it yourself to your existing shoe? So is the case with Windows ME. But I couldn’t help it…I had to check it out before I use Windows XP. (Oh! I already have an article “Windows XP: Whats in store?”….first on this site, for those who are curious…. Pity, October is still far away)


And truly the installation (upgrade to Win 98) was smooth and easy. Especially the cosmetics are cool with nice color scheme, saffron, green, blue and white. These colors are also present in our national flag (India), which make it all the more likeable. Strikingly enough I found some changes that impressed me at first sight. The explorer has a “thumbnail” in View menu that shows the contents (thumbnail images) of some documents like html and nearly all picture files. So one has a better idea, which file to open. This is also true in “file open” dialog boxes for some Windows applications like MS Paint, Imaging and PhotoEditor. Also obvious was faster boot due to absence of “real mode”. So booting from DOS Prompt is not possible (unless you make a startup disk, which retains Dos boot). Windows Media Player 7 is impressive and I have written an article titled “WMP7: Wonderful Marvelous Product”. The moviemaker is interesting tool but I for now have no usage for it. The WIA devices like cameras and scanners can be utilized better with a special wizard.


Here is what I like and dislike:


Interface: Mascara and Eye Liner:


The noticeable eye-candy are icons seem somehow more clear and sharp on screen. “Start menu” has WinMe on left side and the Program submenu opens all listed applications together rather than scroll-and-try-to-find-me type of Win 98. It is supposed to list the most frequently used applications (something noticeable in menu system of Word 2000) and leave the rest for one scroll button, but on my PC it shows all of them. (wonder why?). Check the “hyperlink” interface for control panel, its noticeably different. There are new picture files (goldpetals.jpg is my favourite). The “Find” in Start Menu is replaced by “Search” which has traditional features like search for files with “containing text” filter and based on date, size etc. But the interface appears like html document with scripts. The “My Network Places” (previously known as Network Neighbourhood) appears terribly cluttered. It does not list the computers, but all the shared resources (eg: c: on Amit, c: on Vikas, dos on Amit, my documents on Amit). Advantage is one-click access.


HELP and SUPPORT:


This was html interface before but the WinME help interface seems very different (although still like html page). With links that list topics, which seems to change based on help topics accessed and updates based on changes to microsofts websites. The search in help system is simply marvelous. Just key in word and it lists links related to search (eg. I tried “rename file” in search and it had one link that mentions how to rename file with right-click on filename and selecting a rename option. Another link told me how to rename using save as option.). There are two major problems though. Firstly it takes more time to load “help” and secondly there is no way of differentiating whether a click will take you to help topic in PC or the one on Web, until you click it.


UPnP: What’s that?:


Win 98 SE had a better PnP but required installation of Iomega Zip CD (USB) through a CD-ROM. Win ME PnP (with more drivers naturally) worked best. It was even more fascinating to connect the HP1220C deskjet printer. It installs in a few seconds. But what is UPnP? For one I haven’t tried it out because I don’t have any hardware with UPnP. Well still curious? Ever heard of Web refrigerators that will order groceries. These hi-tech devices use Universal Plug n Play and ME already has a support. Pity it’s not of much use and XP will already be here by October.


Net: It’s a part of myself and ME too:


Oh yes, I spend most of my (non-valuable) time on NET and ME is for me. ICS was introduced in Win98 and allows different PC to share a common net connection. The setup is made simpler by “home networking wizard”. Games in Windows – ha! Boy I thought Wolf, Quake, Doom, NSF etc are the most preferred. Ever heard of Solitaire or Minesweeper? Hmm..of course we played them once upon time. ME has Spider Solitaire and BackGammon and Checkers etc. Why am I mentioning games under Net heading. That’s because these can be played over the Internet. MSN Messenger is a compulsory install but I couldn’t go past the “sign in”. IE5.5?? I had IE5 and installed IE6 preview. So I do not know much, except that it provided only a print preview feature over IE5.


System: Oh! It Got Better:


Defrag, ScanDisk, Disk Cleanup, FAT converter, Resource Meter, Dr. Watson, DirectX Diagnostic tool, Update Wizard, Registry Checker are inherited from Win98, there are some changes. There is a new System Restore which is extremely useful. It’s a simple tool that allots certain hard disk space where it saves the current state of the system (after every 10 continuous hours of operation…if you work that hard…continuously!). This it does by taking snapshots, which is possible manually too and before installing/uninstalling a program. In case there is any failure or corruption of a system file…just use “System Restore” and things are back in place. It doesn’t work with data though… Something innovative is “Hibernation” which saves state and shuts off the hard disk too and hence is a step ahead of the standby mode. The backup feature is absolutely missing. Even a search for word “backup” does not prove useful.


System Information:


There is something interesting though under Programs-Accessories-System Tools-System Information. Firstly this is where one could see plenty of information regarding all the hardware resources, components etc. But WinMe has addition of “application” category here (only MS Office applications…). Did you know that Word 2000 is actually Word 9.00?. If a word document is open (for instance) here all the information regarding page layout, fonts, settings are visible here. In the “Tools” Menu there is a new feature WMI (Windows management Instrumentation) that enables any user or group to perform windows management tasks on remote or local PCs and backup/restore (not of data) but of database of objects, which can be accessed for WMI.


So lets not surrender to fancies like WinME, so that an upgrade is an upgrade and NOT that extra stud.


P.S: (DOS to Win 3.1 to Win 95 were real upgrades)


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To upgrade or not to Upgrade!
May 09, 2001 08:44 PM

September 14 2000, the world awaited with bated breath for the launch of Windows ME. It is fourth in the range of Windows operating systems. Lets take a look at what it has to offer us.


History


Windows 95, which came first, was a significant improvent in terms of user interface and features. Then came Windows 98, which included many components, which Microsoft had released after Win95 such as IE. Then Win 98 SE was the quick Successor. And now we have the ME.


General Thinking


Many think that ME is a hybrid between the 9x range and the Windows NT/2000 range. Windows ME resembles 2000 as far as the looks and the interface is concerned but that is where it ends. When it comes to the underlying technology, it has borrowed nothing from 2000. It has its own set of improvements and has that stability which the 9x range lacked. It has added a few features, removed Real mode DOS support, has a bigger and better driver database with a rewritten TCP/IP stack.


Installation


The install process has not changed much and it is similar to the 99 procedures and has the same sequence even. But it requires less user intervention, but u still have to reboot your system thrice. The installation went on without a hassle.


Hardware Support


When it comes to hardware detection, ME does a great job. In my system it detected every piece of my hardware including my VOODOO card and motherboard. The only problem was that the OpenGL drivers for my card were not installed. Windows ME now has the capability to use the Firewire port, which might replace the USB interface soon. ME claims to support every USB digital imaging devices.


Underlying technology


The Real Mode DOS support has been removed. Now you cannot boot into the safe mode command prompt by pressing F8 at startup. Now extremely old DOS applications wont run anymore on your system. ScanDisk will run in high-resolution Windows mode. The Hibernate option in the shutdown menu will save all the applications being used to the hard disk and the next time u load the system u will find yourself exactly where you left yourself.


Multimedia


This is one area where Microsoft has added a few programs. It comes with Windows Media Player 7.0, the enhanced but slow and freeze prone media player that has a neat interface. The other offering is the Movie Maker. It is a compact Video Editor and Encoder . You can cut clips and paste them to a playlist and create a single video and stuff like that.


Gaming


If you are a game freak like me then u ought to have ME cos it squeezes every frame possible. I tried Quake 2 both in 98 and ME and using the console commands I had a boost of 9 frames per sec in ME. I think this is cos the DOS drivers are not loaded on the memory. The built in collection has been beefed up a bit. U can play board games online on Microsoft’s gaming site.


Internet and Networking


There is the IE 5.5 and the preinstalled MSN messenger and the new version 3.01 of netmeeting. IE 5.5’s print preview option is really great that removes the page backgrounds and image tabs makes the printout readable. Due to the rewritten TCP/IP stack many of the DoS attacks which affected Windows 9x series are no effective anymore.


Extras


Then u have the usual Themes and then the thumbnail preview mode for images. U can also open the zip files without using a third party software as Winzip. It also has a beefed up anywhere help system which feels like a website. This feature is really helpful.


Conclusion


If you are a gamer then rush to the nearest Computer store! If you are buying a new PC, get it preinstalled with ME. If u have Win 98 already then I think there is no need to upgrade as half the enhancements can come for free. And don’t think of using ME on your WIN 95 machine.


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To ME, or not to ME..that is the question
May 02, 2001 04:18 AM

Here are some of the new features that Windows ME has to offer.


Ability to import and edit video from your camcorder (analog or digital)


If your PC crashes, the System Restore feature can roll your system back to the state it was in prior to the crash (by date or restore point you created)


Supports Universal Plug and Play devices


PC Health protects critical system files from being deleted or altered


Improved networking features


Import and store images from your digital camera with a new wizard


Media Player version 7


Internet Explorer 5.5


Aside from the above features, there are many more that may tickle your fancy. Windows ME upgrade installs with ease (disable anti-virus and security programs). All of your existing drivers are either migrated or upgraded. Most of your existing programs should work (see compatibility list) fine. Windows ME has an improved desktop, start menu, and some fancy looking wallpaper. The boot time is quite a bit faster than Windows 98 (autoexec.bat & config.sys have been moved to the registry). Some applications may run a tad bit slower than in Windows 98 (I'm benchmarking these applications -- you may not see a difference). Overall, this new OS has some nice features. Keep in mind....a hand full of the upgrades found in Windows ME can be installed in Windows 98 (downloaded from the Microsoft web site or installed through Windows Update). I run Windows ME and have not had any major problems. In fact, it runs pretty smooth. So....if what you have works fine, you might want to wait for Windows XP. If you want the bells and whistles now, grab the upgrade and have fun.


https://microsoft.com/windowsxp/


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The Square Window
Mar 30, 2001 03:14 AM

After some ten years of using an Amiga computer for every possible purpose I eventually had to join the 21st century as the Amiga just could no longer compete with the faster racier PC models that dominate the computer world. Not that there was anything wrong with the Amiga as I could surf the web and hold my own on the ’net. After all what is the point of having a machine with a CPU rated in Ghz for Internet use when the modem is only a 56K device. But the Amiga was showing its age and it was the software that was not keeping pace with advancing web site technology rather than the computer.


So with much regret I bought myself a PC just before Xmas 2000. Having heard all sorts of bad tales about the Microsoft Operating System, Windows, and how unstable it was and the problems people had with it, I decided that instead of buying a naked computer and installing the OS and programmes myself I would go for a computer off the shelf as it were. After a little bit of research I eventually opted for a computer with the then latest OS on offer already installed. I chose a computer that had Windows Millennium Edition already installed as well as a selection of software that is so well integrated with the OS that it is difficult to know where the OS ends and the applications begin and what part the computer maker, Packard Bell, has played in putting them together. So this review has to be for Windows ME as is pre-installed.


After some four months of use I have to admit that it seems like the tales about Windows OS have been greatly exaggerated and probably down to the user trying to get the OS to do what it wasn’t designed to do, hence all the instability and crashes. But that is only my guess based on the fact that although the Amiga OS (Workbench X.xx) was an easy system to understand, it too would crash if you tried to do something that it wasn’t designed to handle. I mean you wouldn’t try to hang a one-ton weight using a rope with a breaking strain of 50 lbs now would you?


Keeping in mind that I have never used a PC other than the one I have now with ME on it, Windows Millennium works just fine and has never crashed or locked up if used properly. I did load one programme that had so many patches to make it work it is no wonder that Windows ME threw its hands up in disgust and opted out of working. It was at this point that I blessed the “Factory Restore” facility because I was able to restore my computer to the state that it was in when it left the factory. No need for expensive phone calls to the technical help line or sending the machine back to the shop to be put right. I could do it all myself in less than one and a half hours and with virtually no knowledge of PC operating systems.


From what I can gather Windows ME is the first of the Microsoft OS’s to incorporate the “Restore” facility, which is a great asset to people like me who’s PC knowledge is strictly limited. I think that it was Packard Bell who took this one stage further and introduced the “Factory Restore” so the next paragraph may not apply to those people who install ME onto an empty hard drive.


My hard drive has a capacity of 20GB yet only 17.6 GB is available for use as the other 2.4GB contains the back up software, which is used when you go through the ‘Factory and System Restore’ procedures. But before trying this you first have to produce 3 CD’s and a Master Recovery Disk. It is all done with the greatest of ease and a nice old wizard guides you through the procedure. Once the 3 CD’s have been burned, 1.37GB of hard drive space has been freed up and is now labelled Local Disk ‘D’. This can become very useful space when in the future you decided to do a “Factory Restore” as you can dump data from the main part of the hard drive (Local Disk ‘C’) into it for safe keeping whilst you restore the computer to its factory condition because the Local Disk ‘D’ is not affected by a “Factory Restore” procedure whereas Local Disk ‘C’ is trashed. Things like your Address Book, Favourites list and your documents etc. In fact you can dump anything you like in there for safe keeping during a factory restore. Or you can use it as another hard drive.


Readers with a mathematical bent will have realised that there is still just over 1GB unaccounted for. This part is untouchable by normal means as it is the hard disk back up that is used for the normal ‘System Restore’.


Whether the following is applicable to those people who install Windows Millennium onto an empty hard drive or not, I don’t know but I suspect that it will.


When you first switch on, the machine boots up in High Colour at a screen resolution of 800x600 and a Wizard appears to guide you through a very simple setting up procedure. Upon completion a ‘System Restore Point’ is created and using this point the system can restore your computer and all the settings to what they were up to and at that point, at your command. Also when executing a “System Restore”, the folder named ‘My Documents’ in Local Disk ‘C’ is not touched by the procedure and nor is Local Disk ‘D’.


I then activated all the pre-loaded software and adjusted the various settings to my requirements, loaded some additional software and set them up and once that I was satisfied that everything was working as I wanted it to, I set my own “System Restore” point.


So now I had the potential, should anything go wrong in loading some crappy software or a virus hit me, to restore my computer to the condition that it was in at the “System Restore” point that I had created. Or I could go back further to the original “System Restore” point or even to the “Factory Restore”. In short I am free from needing expensive help from ‘experts’ should my system let me down.


However no amount of “System Restore” will be of use if the hard drives dies completely so to get around that problem I will be making a complete back-up of my hard drive on RW CD’s.


One final point. In the bottom right hand corner of the screen there is a tiny yellow speaker icon. Double click this and you get a GUI for controlling the sound on your computer. For some strange reason the Line Input section has the ‘mute’ ticked which means that any sound coming from your hi fi etc. will not be heard, if a lead is connected between them that is. If you intend to sample sounds from your hi fi, records etc. then un-tick this.


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Me no for ''WINDOWS ME''
Feb 17, 2001 05:43 AM

I badly wanted to write a review about Windows ME. Actually to begin with, just one month back I bought a new HP Pavilion 6746 comp. It came loaded with windows me. I was like yeah , its cool and wot not as I had been using on my previous comp, Windows 98. My feelings of amazement soon turned to anguish as I found that it is has added only razzle-dazzle to the old windows 98 and is nowhere near in performance to it. Without being vague I will try n go point wise for a change.


In Favour




  1. It boots real fast and shutsdown real fast too.




  2. It has better autodetect options and amazed me with its capability.




  3. Easy to use home networking( Microsoft is all abt ease of use!)




  4. Newly added PC health feature, very helpful and informative.




  5. A new reminder feature of autoupdate.




  6. A new windows game added, namely, pinball.






That was all goodie goodie stuff , now the bad points:




  1. Its not stable.




  2. Furthermore, a clash between Nortan Antivirus and Windows ME can allow viruses to lurk in your system. Basically,, windows ME has a system restore directory, which is protected and keeps a snapshot of all ur machine's data and configuration, so that if your PC crashes then system restore can return it to its original state without much work. Now files in this are not even accessible by Norton Antivirus. So u could have a lot of infected files in this protected folder without even knowing about them.




  3. Removal of boot option to DOS mode.




  4. It was slower in performance than Windows 98.






Now just some days ago I read a review about this windows me in a magazine and it confirmed my belief, windows 98 was indeed giving better and faster performance than windows me in a series of simulated tests.


Neway, I have switched to windows 2000. It is a welcome relief but I wont suggest people to do it as for using windows 2000 ur pc shud have atleast 128 MB ram. If u have that then u can switch but as of now many softwares are not supported by windows 2000, as my CD burner software wasnt supported on it.


So, I think overall , if u need stability then stick with windows 98 or windows 2000. If stablity is not a concern then u can do wotever u want !!


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