Last month Microsoft came out with its most recent version of its
consumer Windows operating system titled Windows Millennium Edition, or
WindowsME for short. How cute. Let’s just hope the operating
system (OS) is better than the name they’ve labeled it with!
Let’s face it, when it comes to Microsoft Windows, be it 95, 98, or
98 second edition updates, computers always have a nasty tendency to
just stop working. Sure, you’ve loaded everything right and you’ve
downloaded and installed all of the latest drivers — yet another hassle
deserving its own computer scam award — and the computer flashes to a
blue screen sending all of your unsaved work to that place otherwise
reserved for that lonely lost sock in the dryer. Just how is this new
operating system going to screw up your already buggy Windows system?
Hoping to find that initial installation bug I found with all of the
other incarnations of the Windows OS, I preordered my copy of the
Windows ME special upgrade (which updates Windows 98 or second edition
to ME) to set about some serious home-computing tests. Not the type of
testing you always read about with references to benchmarks and all of
that other useless mumbo jumbo. Real user style testing … like does it
work or not? How about with two programs running at the same time? Or
four? How about with a favorite game? Or does this Windows actually see
other computers on my home network?
Waiting a few days for the operating system to become available and
then shipped to my home, I earnestly set about backing up my system.
Making sure I had all of my files ready to restore to my hard drive,
just in case the installation went awry, I was ready.
When I pulled the CD from its box I was taken by the stylish 3D
holograms that covered the disc. Sure I’ve seen holograms before, but
this was actually pretty! Quickly, I reminded myself that this was a
Microsoft product and slapped it into my CD drive without giving the
disc another glance.
What proceeded next absolutely astounded me. I had the easiest and
“cleanest” installation of any Microsoft product to date. It had
to be a fluke! Microsoft couldn’t have gotten it right this time, could
they?
Upon completion of the installation of Windows ME, I was met with a
self-tooting video that I half watched — I was too eager to start
messing around with the controls! And upon completion of the video
that’s exactly what I did.
First off, I opened a bunch of programs. Macromedia Fireworks,
CorelDraw, Internet Exploder (oops! I mean “Explorer”) and Outlook
Express. I simultaneously checked my mail, saved a graphic, rendered a
fill, and surfed the Web. And nothing … no blue screen error or system
lock-up. It simply did everything I asked of it.
I had to find the bug. I mean, it couldn’t be that far off. I could
feel it lurking in the depths of my computer ready to pounce when I had
some critical file open, so again I set off to find it.
I loaded one of the most visually stunning, 3D intensive games that I
have in my collection, Homeworld, by Sierra. A fantastic space based
strategy game that begs to have a good computer to run it and more
importantly a good operating system to control everything.
Again I was met with disappointment. The game ran beautifully.
Probably better than I have ever seen it!
OK, one last shot. I went ahead with the networking wizard to see if
this Windows OS could see my other two computers on my home network.
After running through some of the questions I was asked to install a
diskette in my floppy drive so that ME could setup my other computers
with the network settings it was providing. Best yet, it wouldn’t matter
if they were running Windows 95 or 98. Which was a bonus since all three
of my computers run the different operating systems.
Once I installed the settings from the diskette that ME made for me
on my other two systems, I had a complete working home network.
I couldn’t be more amazed. They actually did do it. They made a great
operating system.
Not only is it the best consumer Microsoft OS so far, its ease of use and its
troubleshooting tips and system restoration make this Windows operating
system my OS of choice.
I even recommended it to my mom. But then again, I told her to get the Mac G4 Cube, too.
Ron Lee is a webmaster at WorldNetDaily.
