Windows Me: It does WORK!
Written: Jul 04 '00 (Updated Jul 04 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Multimedia Rich, Simple to Use.
Cons: Not as stable as Windows 2000.
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| vsuri's Full Review: Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Media Only) ... |
Microsoft Windows Me is the latest and the last version of Windows following the Win 9x Kernel. Microsoft has given WinMe the face of Windows 2000 and the simplicity of Windows 98. WinMe is the most user-friendly, easiest and multimedia rich OS from the Microsoft stable. Microsoft has went to great lengths to make the multimedia components workable and pleasing to eye.
The new Operating System from the Microsoft stable claims to have shortened the boot up and shut down time. However, I didn't see much of a difference between the boot up time of Windows 98 SE and Win Me.
WinMe includes the best Windows tour ever, that starts the first time the user starts the computer. It gives the user an idea of the capability of the operating system.
WinMe hides most of the options of Control Panel so as to make the configuration less confusing. Only the most used options such as "Display", "Internet Options" etc. now find a place. However, the power users need not despair, since with one click of mouse they can see all the options of Control Panel.
WinMe makes computing safer, it does not let the core system files to be either deleted or replaced by the user or other software applications. A welcome addition of WinMe is the "System Restore" feature. This feature lets the user restore the computer to a time when the computer worked properly. This feature comes in handy after a failed installation or when some tweaking with the registry goes wrong.
WinMe contains many new device drivers that should make installation of new devices easy. Most of the hardware I have (such as the Modem, Zip drive, Printer) were detected and installed automatically. It incorporates uPnP i.e., Universal Plug and Play Support for high tech devices such as wireless gadgets.
WinMe makes download of patches and updates an automatic process, through the AutoUpdate feature. Whenever the computer connects to the Internet, all patches and updates are downloaded and installed. I found it sort of neat, much better than WindowsUpdate which did not work most of the time.
WinMe offers the most integrated Internet Experience ever. A new version of Internet Explorer, IE 5.5 is included with the OS. The only new major feature in Internet Explorer is the addition of Print Preview. Netscape Communicator had this long ago and Microsoft has finally caught up with it. Other Internet tools include new versions of MSN Messenger, Outlook Express, NetMeeting and four Internet enabled games. You will be able to play against opponents from around the world.
WinMe makes home networking a piece of cake. No longer is the phrase "Consult the manual of that device for installing.." being used in the help. A step by step guide and a wizard makes home networking and Internet Connection Sharing extremely easy.
The Help feature has been completely revamped. The Help feature lets you ask in natural English language and makes getting help from Microsoft Technical Support an easy affair.
WinMe makes transfer of home movies to your computer a piece of cake. WinMe proclaims itself as the being the best OS to manage digital media. Windows Movie Maker makes it easy to transfer video from digital video, VCR and the web to your hard disk. Windows Movie Maker lets you edit your movie sequences, add stills and background music.
Windows Media Player 7 is Microsoft's response to Quicktime Player from Apple and RealPlayer from RealNetworks. Its completely integrated into WinMe. Windows Media Player supports new skins and therefore offers a fair competition. However, it is not able to play RealAudio files and RealPlayer would still be a necessity for every Internet Surfer. It is also very slow.
I found WinMe to be generally stable and reliable. However, I still find Windows 2000 to be the best bet for the power user. A home user should stick to Windows Millennium Edition as its the easiest and most multimedia rich OS around. (Excuse me for saying this, I know MacOS and BeOS may be better, but I'm talking about OS from the Microsoft Stable right now!)
WinMe requires at least Pentium 150 Mhz or equivalent and 32 MB RAM. However, in my view you would be better off with at least a Pentium II 350 MHz and a minimum of 64 MB RAM. Microsoft estimates that WinMe Full Retail version would cost US$ 209 and the Upgrade would cost US$ 109, when it releases on September 14, 2000.
I would love to hear from you about this Review and the OS. Please write a comment to let me know your views.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vsuri
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Member: Varun Suri
Location: New Delhi, India
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 12 members
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