HIGH TECH CORNER: WINDOWS ME VERSUS WIN2000

Yes, Microsoft is ready to release another version of Windows on Sept. 19. I have been running this production version for a good while, and all I can say is WOW. This version is what Windows 98 should have been in the first place. I have been hard-pressed to make this version crash using all kinds of non-mainstream applications. Take a long sigh of relief if you were considering upgrading from Win98 to Windows 2000, as this can be a painful process.

Windows ME is the OS to run if you are not maintaining a business on it. This is not to say that Windows ME should not be used in business, but only to state that this is a CLIENT operating system and not a SERVER OS. Windows 2000 is the best server around for ease of maintenance and flexibility. Windows 2000 is much more hardware specific in its requirements than Windows ME. I have found that most drivers used under Win98 fully operate under WinME. This is not the case for Win2000, as the drivers have to be fully 32-bit compliant and Win2000 specific.

As a matter of fact, I found that WinME has more drivers included for not only mainstream hardware but also the oddball stuff. To give Win2000 credit where it is deserved is to say that it is a true 32-bit OS that is bulletproof. I have had my current Win2000 server up and running for months without a single reboot. This is something that no Win98 user can say. But WinME is not simply a massive bug fix to all the problems that WIN98 had but is also a great feature enhancement system as well. WinME is Microsoft's answer to all those IMAC adds.

WinME now includes an application called the Windows Movie Maker. You can transfer movies to your Windows Computer, edit them and then send them as Clips by E-mail to your friends or post them on your Web page. You can add music, narration or create a still image from your videotape. If you are creating a business presentation, you can take still images and mix in some music to create a visual slide show presentation.

If you are considering a home network because you have more than one PC, then WinME sharing of hardware resources as well as Internet access is the way to go. With WinME there is no real need for a server in your home as the pear-to-pear resources are the best to date. If you want the latest in browser and media-playing capabilities then there is no rival to this OS. Yes, you can download the new Media Player 7 and IE 5.5 to update your Win98 OS, but they will not work on Win95 or earlier. And they are more integrated into this OS than simply being an add on application to Win98.

I don't know anyone who hasn't at some time tried to do a shut down on Win98 and found himself waiting at the screen that said "shutting down windows," but it never happens. WinME fixes and improves on this at the same time. This is the fastest shutdown I have seen and I have yet to have a single time that it has not completed the task.

But if reliability and multimedia enhancements are not enough, then maybe the new games will close the deal for you. There are now several Internet ready games that allow you to play friends across the Net. These include backgammon, checkers, hearts, reversi and spades. I just wish they had included bridge. Oh well, maybe next release.

If you have any comments or questions please contact me at rich@digitallabs.com.

Rich Comeau is a electronics scientist and owner of Digital Labs of Cape Girardeau.