BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JULY 31, 2000 ISSUE
TECHNOLOGY & YOU Windows Me: Not Worth the Trouble Microsoft's latest OS for consumers doesn't justify the hassle of installation When Microsoft Corp. unveiled Windows 2000 a few months ago, it threw a huge party featuring Carlos Santana. Don't look for rock stars this summer when Microsoft releases its latest operating system aimed at consumers, Windows Millennium Edition. Windows Me, as Microsoft likes to call it, offers some improvements on Windows 98 and will be welcome when installed on new computers. But I suspect that most folks will not consider it worth the cost--about $90--or the trouble of upgrading. Windows Me is a product that was never supposed to happen. Windows 98 was intended as the last operating system release built on the 20-year-old foundation of MS-DOS. By now, we were supposed to be running our home computers on a version of Windows NT (since renamed Windows 2000) simplified for consumers. But many months of delays pushed the consumer project far into the future, so Microsoft went for one more facelift. The company talks vaguely of releasing Windows 2000 for consumers, code-named Whistler, next year, but few in the industry expect to see it before 2002. Windows Me will be available in stores on Sept. 14 and will probably begin showing up on new computers in August. The biggest change in Windows Me is something few people will notice. Microsoft has eliminated a feature called ''real mode'' that was needed for compatibility with some old games and hardware accessories. The benefit is faster boot-ups and fewer crashes. MIRACLE ELIXIR? There are other nice touches. Networking--for home networks, cable modems, or other always-on Internet connections--is both easier to set up and more robust. Ditto dial-up connections. A new system protects key program files from deletion or overwriting and can automatically repair damaged Windows components. It's difficult to simulate the sort of real-world mishaps that trigger this feature, but it appears to work better than the disastrous version included in Windows 98. Only time will tell whether the new version cures Windows sclerosis, the odd disease that causes the performance of Windows 98 computers to degrade over time. A couple of other features will only benefit new computers that come with Windows Me preloaded. On machines with the right hardware configuration, suspend and resume functions, which work poorly with Windows 98, should be much more reliable. And Microsoft has eliminated the need for computer buyers to enter a long and difficult ''certificate of authenticity'' code the first time they turn their machines on (though you still have to enter the code when upgrading). MUSICALLY INCLINED. It's clear, however, that much of the energy behind Me went into the applications that are included. The new version of Windows Media Player is an all-purpose multimedia tool: It can play audio or video from the Web, and it can download music from the Web or digitize it from CDs and then play it on the PC or copy it to a handheld player. It also introduces a music format called WMA that offers better quality in less storage space than MP3. But if these features sound appealing, you can download the new media players for free. And the WMA format will be supported by other players, including RealPlayer and MusicMatch. Microsoft has also bundled in a simple video editor called Windows Movie Editor. Taking full advantage, however, will require a digital camcorder and a computer equipped with an IEEE 1394 (also known as FireWire and iLink) port. While these ports are standard on Macs, only a handful of Windows computers--most Sony models and some from Compaq Computer and Hewlett-Packard--come with them. And Me comes with a new browser, Internet Explorer 5.5, but it appears to be little more than a minor tweaking of the current version 5.0. An assortment of applications that are available separately doesn't offer much justification for the pain of installing an operating-system upgrade. If you are unhappy with Windows 98, I recommend an upgrade to Windows 2000, provided you can deal with its hardware and software restrictions (Technology & You, June 5). Otherwise, you're better off waiting until you buy a new computer--or until Whistler comes out, even if you have to wait two more years. BY STEPHEN H. WILDSTROM Questions? Comments? E-mail tech&you@businessweek.com or fax (202) 383-2125 Want to express your own views on a tech&you column or other technology topic? Join the Technology & You online forum. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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