If you thought you left the Me generation back in the 1990's, think again. Microsoft is ushering in the latest "Me Age" with its release of the new Windows operating system—Millennium Edition(Me). This version of Windows boasts improved stability, a fast boot-up, enhanced home networking capability, and digital video and audio functionality. But don't start lining up at the store just yet. Although Windows Me was released to manufacturing in June, most users can't get Me until September 14, 2000. Fortunately, we received an advance copy of Me and we'll give you a look at what you'll need to install Me and how it feels to be behind the wheel.
System requirements
If you check out Microsoft's Windows Millennium Edition system requirements Web site you'll find a comprehensive list of equipment needed for a basic Windows Me installation. We've copied it here for your amusement:
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Pentium 150MHz processor or better |
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32MB of RAM or better |
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Minimum 295MB free hard-disk space |
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28.8 Kbs modem or faster with current Internet connection |
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CD-ROM drive |
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Sound card |
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Speakers or headphones |
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Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device |
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VGA or higher resolution monitor |
The system described above would only allow us to run Windows 95 reliably for word processing and some small spreadsheets. Processor speed aside, Windows 98 really works best with 128MB of memory (64MB more than Windows 95 found comfortable) and it's doubtful that Windows Me is going to go backwards from that amount. So, plan on having at least 128MB. However, don't be surprised if testing the actual release version of Me (when it's available) shows that the OS wants a little more power.
If you do go to Microsoft's Web site and click all of the options indicating what you may be using your computer for, you may find that Microsoft suggests at least a 300MHz CPU to run Me. That's nice, but we suggest raising that bar to 400MHz at the minimum. If you intend to take advantage of Me's Windows Movie Maker, double that speed. We installed Windows Me on a 700MHz Athlon system with a 16GB ATA/66 hard drive, and a TNT2 Ultra graphics card with 16MB.
If you're upgrading to Windows Me (rather than buying a system that has a pre-installed copy), you could run into some problems with programs you may already have installed on your computer. These include almost all anti-virus software and nearly any other application that stays resident (TSRs) and monitors the condition of your PC and its hard drive (GoBack, for example). Microsoft estimates that any such glitches will be resolved by the time Windows Me is rolled-out to the public. Your safest course of action is to disable any and all such software before you begin your upgrade using msconfig.exe. To do so:
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Go to the Start menu |
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Choose Run |
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Enter "msconfig" |
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Click OK. |
When you're done, don't just re-activate all of them. Instead, get the latest versions, those that are listed as being Windows Me compatible.
Preparing for the upgrade
Prepare for your Windows Me installation by disconnecting from the Internet and closing all programs that might be running. Next, do a virus scan of your PC. When it's done, disable the anti-virus software and any other TSRs you may have running. Then, do a hard disk scan, one that corrects any problems. Windows Me will perform one during the initial stage of the installation, however, it only locates problems, and it doesn't correct them. As a precaution, backup any files you absolutely can't afford to lose.
Next, make sure you have some available hard disk space to complete installation. Our upgrade required 583MB for Windows Me. We also opted to save the Windows 98 systems files in case we wanted to revert back. Those files required 114MB and the residual Windows 98 files left behind occupied another 121MB. To be safe, you should have about 1GB free to do this upgrade. You can remove the backup data later, once you're comfortable with Me.
Also, you can create a dual Windows Me/NT boot system. Create the Windows Me boot partition first and install Me—then create the NT boot partition and install NT. (Microsoft says that while there are dual boot utilities you can use to attempt an Me/9x dual boot system, they "strongly recommends against it" for reasons of stability.)
The wonderful Installation Wizard
Once you've taken care of the preliminaries, pop in the Windows Me disk and you'll be greeted by the auto-run menu. Take the time to browse the CD and read the "setuptip.txt" file. Then start the upgrade.
Although this is relatively the same visual interface Microsoft has used since Windows 95, there's just something nice about the Me Installation Wizard. It could be the color patterns; it could be that the product highlights scroll faster so you won't get bored during the 43 minute upgrade process. Whatever the reason, there was no build-up of hatred and loathing that has traditionally accompanied our re-loads and upgrades of the Windows 95/98 product.
The Wizard is about as automatic as things get. There are two planned re-boots during the process and if you can't motivate your hand to move the mouse to the "OK" button, the dialog box will time-out and re-boot automatically.
There are also two planned interruptions during the install. The first is if you elect to save your current Windows 95 or 98 system files. Windows Me supplies a default path for them but you can override that choice with one of your own. The second interruption is to create a Windows Me Recovery disk. Microsoft claims that this disk has more robust recovery features than those made by previous versions of Windows.
Note: You will be interrupted during the installation if you haven't removed TSRs or if Windows Me encounters a disk fault. You'll need to stop what you're doing, correct the problem, and begin again. Do all of that before you start the installation. It is less frustrating. Much less frustrating.
The only glitch we found was that Windows Me had disabled DMA access to both the hard disk and the DVD-ROM drive, thus slowing access for both devices. For DVD, you'll probably see some video stuttering (even with our 700MHz system). Additionally, hard disk performance can drop by 30 percent. After we re-enabled DMA access, things worked fine, and we've had no problems since. Microsoft's Rapid Response Team didn't reply to our inquiry so we're not sure whether this a glitch in Me or something specific to the system on which we installed it. If your computer uses DMA access (not all configurations do), just check it. To do so:
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Right-click on My Computer |
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Open the Device Manager |
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Click Disk Drives |
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Select the icon for your DMA drive |
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Next, click on the Properties button |
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Select the Settings tab and then |
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Select the DMA check box |
To complete the operation, close all open windows and restart your system.
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--More Help & How-To's will be coming soon. We will just have to wait until after September to see what we see happen. Will we see 'upgrade hell' with device drivers and software or will we finally see a killer operating system. As for so far, I like the operating system and I am actually impressed. Feel free to contact me for comments, just make the subject line 'Joonja's Realm'. |
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~Joonja, The Webmaster |
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Upgrading to Windows Millennium Edition
System requirements
Preparing for the upgrade
The wonderful Installation Wizard
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