Have you run Windows ME

I am running ME, and I must say, I am impressed.
Before I got this pc nearly 2 years ago, the last pc I had been on was an old ZX Spectrum in 1986 - technology has lept forward, and left me well and truely behind.
This pc is a P2 400Mhz, and underW98 (which it came with), you could wait all day just for it to fire up. I had a lovely start up logo, could sit an watch it for minuets and often did. With ME, hit the power button and BANG! I am there, loading taskbar programs and the systray. Everything is easier to find - ME has all the things that W98SE should have had but didn't. The virtual/swap area is fantastic - using nearly 2GB (I have 17Gb empty), so I dont have as many memory run outs. Problems include a file architecture that a lot of other programs dont like ( for example, WinZip 8.0 wont install - hangs the system)and some backup programs wont (my copy of ME dont have backup). I have a shut down problem at the moment (window write protection error), but I think that is due to a USB game controller software. For someone like me, self-taught (not that I know that much, but I know what I dont know, if you know what I mean)ME is a good system. It will not allow you to run 2os, unless you have two hard drives, and have themloaded on seperate drives, and switch them through BIOS (as I do), but hey, nor will 98 so I cant complain there.
I have a friend that is running W2000. He had a look at ME, and was impressed, and this bloke dont impress easily! (he is industry, and I am currently studying to be industry). Good system, well done microsoft, but hurry up and get the driver updates out - there is still a few things that willnot run on ME, but have no problems on 98.
7 out of 10 for getting it almost right,
10 out of 10 for trying.

I am not an in-industry person,just a wanna be. My system is a P2 400, it was brought off the shelf (not again from this manufacturer, but live and learn).It came with W98 on it, and I had enough time to make a brew, waiting for it to fire up.I loaded ME on, had some problems initaly, as I was trying to load it onto a different hard drive to 98( trying to get a dual OS)and it wouldnt have it until I went in to BIOS and had a play. Now, in the time it used to take for the system info to come up,BANG! ME is loaded and asking for my password! Programs run faster - it has better virtual and swap allocations than 98 (I have nearly 2Gb being used as virtual/swap)loading times are drastically reduced and the system suffers from less hangs in general. Closing programs can take longer - I assume its because of tne virtual size, but hey, if it loads fast? I comes with a better suit of consumer tools - the DVD player is right snazzy - although had me tearing my hair out for a while as I didnt know that ME had one. The help function actually is a help, its better constructed and easier to use (although you can still get lost in it).It has everything that W98SE should of had, but didnt. Its user friendly, but not without its problems.
It has a built in folder compressor which works like WinZip - but it wont compress individual files, and Winzip wont even install. There are a few programs and applications that willnot run on ME (OK, they are mainly games, but some utilities are included). Some one has put a lot of thought into it, and has done a reasonable job. I get less system hangs with ME than 98, which is a good thing. I used to have to restart the machine every couple of hours to advoid hangs. It does load a lot of background applications, and occupies a lot of space, but I am relativly happy with it.
I only wish that my ISP could get their act together - but hey, thats the British!

Windows ME is not a bad piece of software, it has good graphical and network improvements over Windows 98 but it is still to heavily bugged to contemplate using over a long period of time. Half the programms I use do not work properly on Windows MEeven though I have updated them all to the new versions.

Windows ME is not a bad piece of software, it has good graphical and network improvements over Windows 98 but it is still to heavily bugged to contemplate using over a long period of time. Half the programms I use do not work properly on Windows MEeven though I have updated them all to the new versions.

It's pretty fast (faster then 98) but I still find it user un-friendly. Why? Well if you don't know zip about windows there's a not a real guide just like in win95 to help you through it. On the other hand it has some good solutions for troubleshooting. Especially networking solutions.

Yes, I have got Windows Me. It is not bad nor it is good but average.
Although the Media Player is fun.

I ran windows ME and had never read about it not really supporting older legacy/DOS programs... It didn't support the necessary files= statement in the config.sys or wherever it now puts it.

In addition, there are, as with windows 98, Explorer 4.01 more layers of 'features' - hah!

so, after trying 2000 pro, millenium and '98 - all for goodly lengths of time - I've reinstalled my system using windows 95 RelB, explorer 5.5 - bypassing 4.01 and that active desktop/toolbar nonsense, office 2000 and .... to paraphrase tony the tiger - it's great !!!

just think - no more upgrades ......

I ran windows ME and had never read about it not really supporting older legacy/DOS programs... It didn't support the necessary files= statement in the config.sys or wherever it now puts it.

In addition, there are, as with windows 98 and Explorer 4.01 more layers of - 'features' - hah!

so, after trying 2000 pro, millenium and '98 - all for goodly lengths of time - I've reinstalled my system using windows 95 RelB, explorer 5.5 - bypassing 4.01 and that active desktop/toolbar nonsense, office 2000 and .... to paraphrase tony the tiger - it's great !!!

just think - no more upgrades ......

From what I have experienced running Windows Me is that it is the all around best OS for Newbies. Myself personaly I found the over abundance of wizards that you have to run before you can do such simple things as set up shares and such. I think I will be sticking with Windows 98 for now. Definatly not worthy of the money being that there really isn't that many new features but if your getting it with a new pc and like wizards it's the way to go...

I have Installed ME on 7 systems to date and the only thing I can say is it was not ready to be released yet seems that the systems that have the worst problems are the ATHLONS AND P3 OVER 400 ME has trashed every time I have tried to install on a large cpu system
leaving me to call a customer and explain why the system I have just built for him will not support the latest and cough cough greatest version of windows but like all things when it works it works great have had A overloaded cyrix 333 take to ME like it was a new stick of 128 with about the same increase in performance so beware be sure to back up and have your old defunct 98se ready to go back into service if anything goes wrong but if you are this far into looking at ME then you will prob upgrade no mater what anyone says just be carful,cross fingers buy whole rabbit ect ect ect and DO IT!

I am using the OEM version and If you like, to have Windows Protection write errors, display device not supported, scandisk to run each time you cold boot, (after a normal shutdown), So much junk running in the backgound, PC Health ( effects defrag and Scandisk ), Damn Video keeps popping up even after deleting it from Schedualed, Much of the software which runs fine under Windows 98SE, seems to have compabiable problems with ME, other software just won't work at all. Device drivers support forME not in existant, well at least I have not found a source, Mfg or elsewhere. Boot is slow, even tho I have ASUS P2B-LS with 256MB and 600 Intel CPU, Ultra fast Hard drives and Geforce 256 DDR 64mb video.
So in conclusion, before trying ME take an inventory of all hardware (device drivers) software (check with MFG's ) before you installing. OH....I use Kensington Mice and MouseWorks does not funtion with ME, but does work only as a Generic PS2 mouse. Of couse the list goes on on on...and on.
thanks for taking the time to read and have fun.

I am dual booting ME and WIN2K on an old ThinkPad 770 (P 266). I found it boot up faster and runs more reliable than 98. The problem I run into is plug & play hardware support. I have to manually load the video driver. Furtunately ME takes the videodriver. But when I try to do the same for the modem. No matter I do, it won't work. However, Win2k automatically detect and load both video and modem driver.

I, like a zillion other suckers out there, purchased a "retail" copy of Windows ME. Silly me, I thought that the latest and greatest OS would support the latest and greatest hardware.

It's the latest and greatest alright, Microsoft's latest and greatest attempt at getting the average consumer to BETA test it's software.

I ran windows millenium edition for about 2 days. I have a few machines that I use at work as test beds for software. I installed windows Millenium edition on one of them. Basically it crashed more often than windows 98se, and the only major difference was that it *wanted* to look like windows 2000 (but lacked in the important issues like the task manager, etc) and it had that system repair function. Windows 2000 is much more reliable, but still crashes once in a while. If you don't play games or need a stable operating system stick with NT 4. (But the no-games-under-winnt4 rumors I have read in this thread is false... the really good games like starcraft and diablo2 work fine.) I personally use windows 2000 professional on my network at home, and I am pleased with it.

My first experience with Window ME was when I started as a beta tester back in February, 2000. Even in it's early beta days, I found ME to be preferable over 98. The beta program was fairly aggressive in trying to find and resolve as many bugs as possible. More stable than 98 (especially now that I am running a non-beta version), ME will still hang when pushed by power users.

To date, my favorite feature introduced is the System Restore. This allows you to take a snap-shot of your current system before you perform an upgrade (software or hardware). If the upgrade goes awry, you can roll the system back to your snap-shot. I have yet to have an unsuccessful restore, having purposely wiped out drivers, software packages, and even parts of the registry. I'm sure there are limits, but this is sure to please anyone wishing to undertake risky modifications to their machine.

I think ME is going to make a good OS, especially for the home user, but don't count on dedicated Linux and Mac users to rethink their platforms.

Windows Melliniu edition is probably the best OS which Microsoft has released till now. The best of Multimedia experience and Internet makes it the favorite OS of the world.

Everone should try to use it.

I've installed Windows ME on a P3/650 laptop. The installation was simple, it recongnized all of my hardware. The only difference that I seen with this OS is that you can expand your control panel, my docs and dialup networking at the start menu.You can also switch between your dialup settings (vpn,etc..). So far, what little changes that I see makes the OS user friendly. If you like games, this is the OS for you.

What's the problem with your cable modem? I installed ME with no problem at all. Are you using a NIC? Have you installed the NIC driver?
Overall ME is great for me. I don't know what is everybody complaining about.

If WinME upgrade was purchased at retail, Microsoft will give 90 days FREE support. They only charge for tech support after the 90 days (fom the date of the first call) has expired. Try it! Of course if this is a pirated version, well you only get what you pay for.

I had it installed on my system for around 6 hours before deciding I was wasting my time. Firstly the modem drivers were only working intermittently, while ME kept insinting that I also have a Standard 28,800 in my system!! Secondly - and I've heard others complain about this same thing - there is a bug in the desktop refresh API which sometimes means it can take 2-3 seconds for a window to minimise, maximise or resize. Not good Microsoft.

I'm going back to old faithful - dual boot between 98OS2 and NT4 Workstation. When MS have released a few service packs for ME and 2000 I may look again, but maybe not...

As with any OS, there will be the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. There will be those who like it and those who don't.
I remember all the negative hits ole' NT 4.0 took on the chin, like "can't play games on NT" or that it was not multimedia friendly. Nonsense! I have taken the time, a lot of time...to master NT and I will be the first to say that it is very ready to take you for a ride. You just have to learn its ways. Windows ME is the same, as is all the other Microsoft OS's.
My advice is that if you want to know how WinME will work for you, then try it.

In conclusion, I could bust up W2K all day and say that it sucks, but at the same time there is many things I like about it. I have the fortune of playing with it awhile before I have to deploy it on the large scale.

Isn't playing with a new system and seeing what its got, I mean c'mon thats where the fun is.

Enjoy...
BIAXIDENT

I am using ME on a new system that I built. I have (2) 9.1 SCSI2WU HD's, (1) 40x CD-Rom and (1) 8x4x32 CDRW, an AMD 800mhz K7 and 256meg of memory, running on a Gigabyte 7IX mobo. The only problem I am having is with the ACPI. I setup the monitor toturn off after 15 mins. but when I check it in the morning I see a blinking cursor in the upper right hand conner. the only other problem I am haveing is with a USB hub that I bought it is from Focus the model is FH-660 it is a six port hub that go's into the front of the case. No drivers and I have two friends that have the same one and it works fine.
I have to tell you though I love what MS has done with this OS I have not had a faster system and I have had some REALLY FAST SYSTEMS!!

Running ME on a network and using ICS (Internet Connection Sharing). On boot I get an error Inetsw95 caused error in SSPIFIKT.DLL, Inetsw95 closed. This seems to prevent proper communication of Windows 95 clients trying to access server for access to the Internet. Any ideas.

I've ran WinMe RC1 and RC2 and had minimal issues (drivers). But when I Preinstalled the retail version, I was amazed. Startup and shutdown were outstanding. I'm looking forward to working with WinMe for a long while. For someone like me who builds personal computer as a business, it really saves on time for me. I can say I'm impressed with this version.

Just deployed it on a new system. Initial setup was fast and flawless. Moved the calendar and time to the front of the install, which I liked. Set the new machine into an existing network and it immediately setup all shares on the net including printers. The bootup time was drastically faster than 98. I'm impressed.

I have windows ME and it works great. For those of you who have installed ME and had problems with software, drivers, etc...Well...a person would have to be pretty foolish to install a new operating system without checking with the suppliers of your software, drivers etc... to make sure that they will run on the operating system that you are upgrading to. Don't blame Microsoft for problems with your ancient drivers and hunk-of-junk pieced together PC's.

I have tried installing ME on 3 different systems. I have only been able to get it installed on one of the three. The other 2 systems get hung up when trying to validate the Noga Tech NT1003.sys driver. I have downloaded the upgrade to this driver from the specified web location to no avail. One the one system I did get it on it seems to work pretty good. A friend of mine that installed it reported that his system would lock up if he listened to a music cd then tried surfing the web.

Installation was okay, except that it kept getting a Windows Protection Fault. Once I removed my Webcam drivers, It worked beautifully. Much faster than 98se, but I'll wait until the 1st patch release before I give an opinion or recommend it to someone.

I ran Windows Me for a few days and had noticed a few changes in the Disk Format feature. MS has removed the system file copying and out it with the Start Disk Option. BAD MOVE. If you are working on a laptop with Floppy or CD ROM, and your computercrashes, you are out of luck if you want to format the hard drive with system files. This option is gone. My CD copy of Windows Me was not bootable. How are you going to the Start Disk create option if your computer is dead. Better hang on to the old DOS boot disks with CD ROm support.
The Win98 Drivers, some of them, are not compatible with Me. The OS runs better than Win98 but can confuse new users and old Win98 Users. One thing that I found bad was the first time start screen with the video of Me. You can not close it. My experience with Me has been unpleasent for now.

I fine that most of the fetures are better then windows 98 or 95. I love the system restore with it. I also like the disabled fetures. It is easier to make a computer operate and better for the home user.

I install and uninstall Windows ME twice. The support for the program, at least for the moment, before the release is $30.00.
I install ME over 98second ed., and the problems start when I try run my MSN (ISP). I call MSN support and after changing network settings, dial up settings, etc... we could'nt get it to work. Then they pass the bull to Windows ME technical support. The problem is that I don't want to paid.
Why if MSN is working fine under Win98, doesn't want to work with Windows ME?? (The broswer can't open any page).
And I don't like the solution of fdisk and start from 0.
PS. I have alot of complains of customer who have Windows Me and can't open a web page like me.

I just bought a p3/800 with winME included, so far my normal shutdown/hard crash ratio is pretty much 1:1. Not bad considering it's windows, but what bothers me is that most of the crashes happened when i wasn't even trying to do anything unusuallystressful on the system. Generally when i get a pc or change the os/gui i try all kinds of different combinations of operations to get it to blow up on me so i can see what it can handle and what it can't, and after a couple weeks of having to re-install fairly regularly i get to a point where i feel comfortable using the system and get a feel for it's boudaries. With winME on this newer machine(my previous was a p2/233) i find it somewhat more difficult to force a crash, but i've also had the system freeze solid while doing such mundane things as playing a cd or writing a document, with nothing else running that isn't standard background operation. The system does get to a usable desktop much faster than the machines running win98 i'veseen, but still not as fast as win95b(i can't believe i almost called it "good ole win95", but compared to 98...) So far it seems to me that if you are comparing it to win98 you'll like it, but compared to 95b you'll hate it.

how can you say that windows rules? the only reason we use it is cuz we have no choice. plus, if you knew better, 2000 benchmarks considerably higher than winme.

I have been running ME for about 4 weeks now, I loaded a machine with everything I could think of, NIC,modem,sound card,parallel card, scsi card,video card, ME found all the drivers. Please note could not get ATI Rage Fury VC working. SB Live only works when DOS drivers not installed

Faster - Nope, I had to double my memory (now 64 meg) to get the same performance as Win98 2nd edition.
Powerful - Only had it 2 weeks - unknown.

Sincerely i would not recommend to change from W98 to WinME, it's still unsupported by many manufacturers, there's a lot of equipment out there that is still unrecognized by ME. i've installed it on my machine (Dual PIII 600, 512Mb Ram, 68Gb HD)it recognized most of the equipment but it got buggy with the sound card and Graphics cards, i've went to the specific sites of each one of them to see if there was any knowm problem and nothing was reported, later i've find out that i was not the only one with that kind of problems. in my point of view, it's just an bad upgrade from w98(fully supported), it was delivered to the public before it was supported by most of the manufacturers. but in my honest opinion i'm still faithfull to my Linux... inormaly use Win just to play some games or just to work with J++/VisualC++/VBasic.

Out of curiosity, I loaded Me onto a spare system I had ind then loaded "Ecar", which is a program to simulate a virus to check antivirus software... once a restore point has been established on your Me system, your antivirus software cannot touch it in the restore archives. I have found though, that restore archives are only temperary... they will remove themselves through time. After a while this archived virus will disappear. If anyone finds a better way to get at it and remove the archive manually, please share with the rest of us.
Merry Christmas
Wayne

Sooo... I load Windows ME, load, say, my DVD player that worked fine in W98, and 15 min into the movie I get a Windows Protection Error and I have to re-boot. THAT is more stable??? I will agree they focused less on compatability.

I have WinME on 2 networked systems at home. The good point: Seamless Internet Connection Sharing - just follow an easy wizard and go.

Bad point: After installing ME I was unable to use DirectX for any games. The systems would hang. Big Red Switch time! To fix this on system "A" I needed to update the ATI Rage Pro drivers. On system "B" I had to install the reference drivers for the Monster I card.

Additionally, I plug in my Win2K laptop to this net and it connects with no setup at all, but that's probably a function of W2K rather than ME.

I have had win Me on my pc and I have a hp scanjet3400C, well the box on the scanner said it was compitable with Me but it's not and so I had to do a clean format and install win 98, because the scanner would not work at all, even with the hp patches...

I bought an IBM Ispirati for the family to use late last fall. It shipped with ME. It runs fine, as long as we do not load anything else on it.

Even something simple, which I would expect should run, like a game from Microsoft themselves (namely: Age of Empires). It either hangs the computer, or completely crashes it. I have identified the cause, being a conflict with the Microsoft supplied sound driver. The "solution" according to both IBM and MS is: don't run that game.

No, I do not recommend WinME for any system. As an upgrade you WILL run into driver incompatibilities. As an OEM solution, you can NOT be confident that you can stray from the OEM config (including simple APPS).

With the impending release of XP, it ain't too likely that all the missing drivers for ME will ever show up.

Other than the fact of missing drivers, therefore a lot of hardware and software shags bad, so you can't really use the PC the way YOU would like (Whatever happened to: Where do YOU want go today? It really was: Where are going to be TAKEN today?). Well, other than all of that, Win ME is fine. Too bad we have to use it the way Redmond says we should.

...but when I started in systems, Microsoft had just gone into business.

They are definitely not, and never been, the "hand that feeds me".

Surely you're not saying "if not for Microsoft there would be no computer industry"? If you are, then please go back to school and learn about REAL systems (I am not talking about the multi-media company).

I just can't remember what it is called.