Windows Me Upgrade Recommendations

*** Archived Page - Windows Me is no longer supported by Cornell or Microsoft ***

Microsoft Windows Me (Windows Millennium Edition) the follow-on product to Windows 98, was released to hardware manufacturers in July 2000, and will be available for retail purchase in September 2000. Windows Me is a further refinement to Windows 98 with many software corrections and additional tools to help each user maintain a more stable system, plus additional minor changes to the user interface. Windows Me is Microsoft's first purely consumer-oriented version of Windows, and according to Microsoft it will be the final Windows release based on the code used in the Win9x operating systems.

Millennium is intended for new PCs rather than the upgrade market (see note below regarding legacy ISA device detection). Microsoft is focusing on four main areas of improvement over previous releases of Windows: PC health, digital media, home networking, and online experience.

Below are the Microsoft minimum system configurations for running Windows Me, along with what CIT believes is a more realistic configuration.

Microsoft's Minimum System	Cornell's Recommended Minimum System
150 MHz Pentium-class (enforced) 32 MB RAM 300 MB to 512 MB free disk space CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive VGA video card/monitor mouse	150 MHz Pentium-class (enforced) 64 MB RAM 600 MB free disk space CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive VGA (800 x 600) 256 colors or better mouse

Microsoft's minimum system requirements are very optimistic. CIT believes that your performance will be less than optimal if you attempt to run Windows Me along with any Bear Access clients on the minimum Microsoft recommended system. For that reason, CIT is recommending that users stay with the minimum configuration as outlined in CIT's Desktop Computer System Recommendations guide, which is updated each year. Cornell staff should always consult their local network administrator before making any upgrade or other system change.

Who Should or Shouldn't Upgrade:

Although the ultimate decision on whether or not to upgrade lies with you and your network administrator, here are a few things to consider:

• If you are running Windows 95:

There have been three versions of Windows 95 shipped since the first release in August 1995. If your system meets Cornell's recommended minimum above, you then have the option of updating to Windows Me. However, this would mean that your system is at least two years old, and you may wish to stay with your existing configuration until your computer can also be upgraded.

• If you are running Windows 98:

There have been two releases of Windows 98 since it was first released in August 1998. It is very likely that your system meets Cornell's recommended minimums above, so you can update to Windows Me. However, since your system is less than two years old and is probably fairly stable, there may be no compelling reason to upgrade to Windows Me at this time.

What's New and Why You Might Want to Upgrade:

• The user interface contains elements from Windows 98 and Windows 2000. One of the most noticeable new features automatically hides seldom used Start Menu items making it quicker to find recently used applications.
  
  
• Windows Me continues to improve the reliability and stability of the Windows 9x architecture. Like Windows 2000, if certain critical Windows files are deleted or altered by third party applications, Windows Me will automatically reinstall them without warning messages (this could also be considered a disadvantage).
  
  
• The System Restore Tool to roll back hardware and software changes to a previous point in time (similar to GoBack, the commercially available tool from Wild File Inc [now Adaptec]).
  
  
• USB support, which has matured since the early days of Windows 95 is very good, and will be useful for newer desktops with USB ports.
  
  
• Improvements to multimedia capabilities with the release of Windows Media Player Version 7. Also Internet Explorer 5.5 will be bundled with the final release of Windows Me in September.
  
  
• For those interested in playing games, Microsoft claims that games will run faster due to the inclusion of the latest DirectX drivers.
  
  
• On newer systems, the boot process will be much faster because Windows Me will not automatically check for new devices on every reboot, instead it will load the pre-configured drivers.

Advantages and Disadvantages to upgrading:

Pros:

Windows Me includes:

• The patches and security fixes that have been made since Windows 95/98 were deployed; they are part of the base product;
• Support for the latest hardware being shipped by vendors;
• Newer drivers for existing hardware;
• Several tools and utilities to assist in maintaining the system, including an automatic update download facility for system updates in the background and prompting for installation of the updates after they have been downloaded;
• Improvements in the networking capabilities (including better dialup support) and the automatic installation of TCP/IP if an Ethernet card or dialup adapter is installed.
• The FAT32 file system feature from Windows 98 allows more efficient use of large hard drives and if you install Windows 2000 Professional you may run a dual-boot system as Windows 2000 supports FAT32.
• Additional Wizards for making changes to the system configuration.

Cons:

• Windows Me occupies a much larger footprint on your hard drive. Windows 95/98 could easily fit on a disk with less than 250 MB free, but Windows Me uses considerably more space; as much as, 500-600 MB depending on which components you want to install.
• The amount of memory necessary to run the operating system has also substantially increased. Whereas Windows 95/98 could have run on a machine with less than 32 MB of RAM, Windows Me needs at least 32 MB and preferably, 64 MB to run the same applications.
• Although Windows Me seems to run faster than Windows 9x, the minimum of a Pentium 150 MHz machine is enforced when you attempt to install Windows Me.
• The Novell (IPX/SPX) networking protocol is no longer included. You will need to download and install the Novell client yourself.
• We have also noticed that some older hardware is no longer automatically detected. This was especially evident with older non-plug and play ISA cards (such as network and video cards). If your system still contains legacy ISA cards you may need to manually add new hardware after the installation process is completed.
• Microsoft has once again stated that this will be the last release of Windows based on the code used in the Win9x operating systems.
• With Windows Me, users no longer have the option of running MS DOS. Users still have access to the DOS command prompt environment, but it is not possible to boot into DOS without a WinMe emergency startup disk.

Vendor and Pricing Information

• Microsoft Select Pricing for Windows Me (Departmental Purchases only) unconfirmed

  Part #	Product Description	Price
  M108328	Windows Me Version Upgrade License	$38.00
  M109243	Windows Me Upgrade Media (CD-ROM)	$14.45
  M109289	Windows Me Upgrade Documentation (MS)	$11.55

  
  (You can find complete and up-to-date prices on the Software Acquisition pricing web page.)
  

• Technology Connection prices for Windows Me (Individual purchases) unconfirmed

  Part #	Product Description	Price
  5816642	Windows Me Version Full License	$209
  5816633	Windows Me Upgrade Media (CD-ROM)	$ 109

  
  

• At this time, none of the manufacturers with special pricing to Cornell departments are shipping new machines with Windows Me installed by default. These vendors are still shipping machines with Windows 98SE.
  
  
• If you plan on upgrading an older machine to Windows Me, it's a good idea to check your hardware vendor's web site to see if there are any precautions you should follow before upgrading.

Summary:

If you have a Windows 9x system that is performing satisfactorily and meeting your needs, assuming you have applied all the security patches recommended for Windows 9x, there is no compelling reason to upgrade to Windows Me.

If you are upgrading your computer for some other reason, or buying a new one that meets the minimum requirements mentioned above, then you may want the extras that Windows Me has to offer.

Cornell staff should always consult their local network administrator before making any upgrade or other system change.

Last updated: March 21, 2001