|
|
|
| October 15 - October 22 |
|
 by Alessandro CancianThe launch of the latest Microsoft Operation System went almost unobserved. No memorable party, no multimillionaire advertising campaign: ladies and gentlemen, here comes Windows ME (Millennium Edition). A low-key launch, especially in comparison to its predecessors (Win 95 and 98), but in line with the new strategy of the Redmond-based company, which is increasingly committed to the Internet world with Microsot.Net. Win ME will probably be the OS youll find preinstalled on your next PC, but is it worth the pain to update your old system? Actually, Win ME offers some improvements, both technical and practical. Unfortunately, however, every time a system is updated we find ourselves coping with new problems, not always trivial. This was no exception for me. My test of the new OS was carried out on a one-year-old Compaq Presario, an ideal machine for the consumer market targeted by the Microsoft product. Personally, I was never too enthusiastic about installation updates; I always prefer formatting the disk and proceeding with a full installation from scratch, trying to avoid any kind of conflict. So I did this time, after backing-up my data. The whole procedure took almost an hour, due also to the partitioning of the disk via DOS, an operation still very much taboo for the average user. Thirty minutes were needed for installing Win ME on the disk, which went smoothly. The first positive surprise was the time needed for starting up; 20 seconds, and the PC was ready for configuration, a noteworthy improvement on past performances. But the first troubles were not far away. They came with video configuration: while resolution could reach 800x600 in a 15 monitor, the number of available colours could not pass 16 (4 bits), way less than the over 32,000 (16 bits) previously available. To this moment Ive been unable to solve the problem, but from some tech support conversations I had, new as yet unavailable drivers are needed. Of course, the effect on the screen is rather unpleasant, especially when one is browsing the Internet, manipulating images, or playing Quake. Win ME offers some pleasant novelties, such as the possibility of repairing possible problems due for instance to the installation of new software, thanks to the ability to restore your computer to a previous working state. The integration of Windows Media Player, now at its version 7 in the OS represents another step forward in the strategy that began with the integration of Explorer. Microsoft appears launched in the digital era, and in Win ME it does so by proposing Movie Maker, an easy-to-use software for creating or modifying movies shot with a Digital Camcorder (minimum configuration required in this case includes a 400 MHz processor and 64 Mb RAM). From certain standpoints, Movie Maker could be seen as a duplicate of iMovie, launched last year by Apple and bundled with the iMac. Plug & Play via USB ports worked perfectly, and both my digital camera and my Zip Drive were up and running in no time. In terms of stability theres still some small problem, considering that the famous blue screen appeared several times, forcing me to restart the machine. Windows ME is no revolution for the Microsoft world, but something more than another service pack. The cost for the upgrade version for users of Win95, 98 or 98SE is $109 (US), while the complete version goes up to $209 (US). So, is it worthwhile? Well, if youre satisfied with how your PC is working, I wouldnt advise you to upgrade to the new OS with the possibility that you will have troubles like mine. The cost is a trifle high for the novelties introduced, some of which can even be downloaded for free, such as Windows Media Player or Explorer 5.5. For those who intend to do it anyway, my advice is to check whether ones computer requires software updates and whether these are available. For further information please visit Connectix web site at www.microsoft.com |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Up-front / Mainstreet / Focus / Opinion / Italy / Movies / Music / Theatre / Culture / Fashion / Travel / Food / Computers / Sports |
 |
