On my main computer I have Windows2000 Pro for my business I use it for photoshop, web design and such. I also have a dual boot with Windows 98 for my games! I hate Windows 98! I can't upgrade to ME yet because my High-speed internet access manager isn't yet compatable!

I say YES get it! It's great! I installed it on my slower machine (Compaq 120Mhz) and it is great! NEVER CRASHES!!!! I can't wait to install it on my dual boot! I think it is still on special for 80 bucks CDN for the upgrade! ALl the years I have had Microsoft installed, Windows 2000 and Windows ME are the only ones I was willing to pay for! Just to show how good it is! I had a pirated versions of Win3.11, Win95, Win98, Win98SE and they allways caused me trouble! Win2K is SUPER! 8 Months without a crash!

------------------
+--Visit Cooltrucks.net--+

When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.

+--1997 XLT 4x4, Manual with a V6!--+

 

Windows Me BLOWS!!!!! Good thing I got a bootleg copy. I installed it on my home computer and it was downhill from there. Computer ran slower...much slower, crashed constantly, and couldnt get my satellite to work with it either. Im running Windows 95b. Byfar the fastest. Just need to upgrade it once in a while. I boot in 30 seconds after counting the RAM with a 333 homebuilt mutt. Never had one prob with 95. If you do install Me, just make sure you backup....youll thank me later, trust me

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1999 F150 4x4 XLT BLACK ORP 4.6 5 SPEED 3.55
LUND HOOD SHEILD
K&N
FLOWMASTER SERIES 40 SINGLE OUTLET
CAPTAIN CHAIRS
PIONEER 6815's(for now)
SUPERCHIP
AIRBOX MOD
WAAG BRUSH GUARD
SPIRALMAX
KENWOOD 9015
SUPERCHIP STICKERS
MTX THUNDERFORM
KICKER 240 AMP

 

First time I hear that? A back up is good advice! Maybe the bootleg you got was a bad copy? Windows ME on the old 120 works fine, I always had problems with 98 and 95, well 95 was okay but it was very Plug and Pray friendly

I think the worst of all time OS was MAC OS I'm using 9 at work and it is just as buggy as 8.5, I hate it! We payed a fortune for that G4 and it crashes often! I removed all the extensions like "speech" etc... and it still crashes often. I hope MacOS 10 will be as good as they say they are!

Oh and the G4 is NOT any faster than a PC at the same price! Trust me!!!

 

Jupiterak
Windows ME is the final updated version of Windows before the integrated Windows/NT platform I believe. ME has been very stable for me the last couple months and on my kids
I run a dual boot machine with Win2000 Pro and Win ME. Both are really stable on my system with no crashes. This computer is the "Server" for the other 4 machines(kids and laptop networked in my house acting as my main system and gateway/firewall to the internet via cable modem for the others. Only thing that wasn`t compatable with Win2000 pro was my all in one printer/fax/copier made by Xerox. I do software development and get free new copies of software when it comes out so I gave them a try. Win 98 Second Edition was good too but I experienced more crashes with these than the ME and 2000 pro installed now. With each new release the memory requirements seem to go up and up, as well as recommended processor speeds. I run a PIII 800 with 256 meg ram with no problems and sons is celeron 466 and daughters 450 both with 64meg ram and they run these operating systems just as well.I`ve had better luck with clean full installs versus the upgrades.Back your system up BEFORE trying any major change in your system

------------------
2000 F150 SC, XLT, Bright Red/Silver 4x2,Auto, 5.4, 3.55LS,CD, sliding rear window, Tow package,Captains chairs,Remote Entry, Ford Bedliner, molded splash guards,Stainless step bars and bed rails,Pretty much stock now but waiting for performance mods to include FIPK,,Superchip,Cat-back system, new wheels/tires and new audio.

 

That's true I've heard of this. An upgrade may have trouble!!!! I've read of this on many articles. I did a clean install on everything. Windows ME works fine on my 120 as I said. My mother uses that computer and she is known to do strange things and erase certain "nono" files... I love the "safe" feature on this OS. So far so good for us...

 

Thanks guys, you convinced me in buying "Me." I have Windows 98. I went to Sams Club today and noticed there was two types of "ME." One was a upgrade for $85.00 and the other was a promotional upgrade for $45.00. What is the promotional upgrade?

Blackened Ford,

I've bought a few bootleg copies of games and Adobe programs. I always experienced problems with "backup" CDR copies. So now I stay away from them.

 

I keep seeing Windows Me everywhere. Even the new computers are coming with "Me" and not Windows 98. What is it and is it worth the upgrade?

 

The promotional upgrade is supposed to be for those people that are upgrading from Windows 98 only. Maybe it lacks some of the files that would be needed for Microsoft operating systems prior to Windows 98 that Windows 98 already has. I do not have any experience with the promotional upgrade kit, so I am not sure what the exact details are or if you can get around any built in security that prevents it from being used with operating systems other than Windows 98, if it is possible. Also, keep in mind that your typical upgrade cds CAN be used for fresh installs. All you need to do is run a clean format on the hard drive, boot to a floppy that loads your cdrom drivers, change to your cdrom drive, and run the setup. During the setup, it will ask you for the location of the previous operating system. Eject the cd and insert your Windows 95, 98, whatever cd you have and browse to the location of the cab files. Once it is established that you have a previous operating system already (hence the UPGRADE label) it will instruct you to reinsert the upgrade cd and continue with the full installation. The main difference between the upgrade and full Windows 98 cds is that the full version is bootable while the upgrade is not. Windows ME full version is not bootable either for some reason. Windows ME does away with installing real mode drivers and the use of DOS, resulting in faster boot times and more stability when considering that there will be no conflicts between real mode and windows drivers. This may be the reason that it is not bootable, but I don’t know for sure. The main problem with running Window ME right now is that not all hardware has drivers available for ME yet. Not all previous Windows98 drivers are compatible, or so it seems. This is the same problem that was encountered with Win2K when it first came out. The main thing is to determine what the machine is primarily used for. If it is gaming and multimedia, you’ll want to stay with the Win95/98/ME product line for now, or go with NT/2K for business and mathematical
computing. OR, you could forget all of the above and run Linux.

 

Worked all weekend trying to get a new system up and running with everything that's in it, and having IRQ problems galore. Never had that before, always used ASUS boards and Windows 98 managed all the sharing of IRQ's, etc. very nicely.

This new machine is also ASUS-board (CUSL2), with the 815 chipset, and is not handling the sharing of the interrupts at all. Noticed in it's BIOS that it didn't have the option to select a "Plug & Play operating system", like all our other systems here do, and that may be the problem. Also using the additional USB ports attached to another USB header on the mainboard that are optional, think I'll pull them off & use an external hub to try and recover some IRQ's, right now only free IRQ is 12, with the Sound Blaster, PCI Modem, and the second parallel port all trying to co-exist at IRQ10, with no adjustments on any of those components to change IRQ. Going to Device Manager and attempting to change their "resource" setting is no-go as well, cannot change IRQ there either. System reports no forced hardware, but a lot of sharing of IRQ's in System Information.

The problem with "Plug & Play" expansion cards is that ther are no jumpers or software controls in their drivers to set them on other IRQ's, and that, coupled with the operating system not controlling them, has me locking up, and losing, in rotation, sound card, all the USB devices, then not printing, etc., all these symptoms very typical of IRQ conflicts in other words.

It's a P3-933 w/512 Mb. 133 RAM, Sound Blaster Live w/Live Drive, USB satellitte modem (DirectPC), extra parellel port, etc., any suggestions for controlling these IRQ's by chance?

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 10-30-2000).]

 

Typically, each PCI slot uses a certain IRQ. You can try moving the SB Live card to another slot and see if that helps.

Good Luck!

 

Mike,

Here's a suggestion that could help to fix your issue...don't put so much crap in your machine! Seriously, which OS are you using? You mentioned Windows 98 in your post, but didn't specify that you were still using that or if this was an issue that you have run into using ME. Also, are you really using all of that stuff? There may be better alternatives for using some of those peripherals than hooking them directly to the system.

 

Some new information has come to light over the Kursk
disaster. For those away from the news last summer, the
Kursk was the submarine that blew up and sank in the
Arctic Ocean killing all 118 on board. The Russians
tried to blame the incident on a collision with an
unidentified object.

However, sonar tapes which recorded the blasts (a small
one at first, then a much larger one two minutes later)
cast doubt on these claims. A whistle-blower within
the Russian military has leaked that the crew of the
Kursk was testing a new type of torpedo when the
accident occurred. It seemed very likely that the test
didn't go quite as planned. While rescue efforts to
save the survivors of the Kursk failed, salvage crews
were able to recover a 'Black Box' from the submarine
which contained detailed accounts of the events leading
up to the explosion. As luck would have it, we got a
copy of one of those tapes.

It turns out that the submarine crew was trying to load
Microsoft Windows ME on their fire control computer. Their
intent was to replace the aging CP/M operating system
with the flashier Windows OS. Apparently, the Russians
didn't know about the legendary install process for
Windows. The log tapes make this painfully obvious:

Captain: Is the new fire control Windows ME installed
yet, Comrade?
Seaman: Almost, Sir. We just need to finish filling
out the registration card.
Captain: Excellent. Soon we will be able to point and
click our enemies into oblivion.
[Evil laughter in background.]
Seaman: Comrade Captain! It is booting! Look, it says
"Preparing to run Windows for the first time".
[Long pause.]
Seaman: Arrgh! Sir, it wants me to reboot again. That
makes the 27th time.
Captain: Hmmm. This is not encouraging. Go ahead and
reboot again.
Seaman: Aye, Sir.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: Captain, it is up again. It says it found new
hardware... A CD-ROM drive, it needs drivers.
Captain: Where are the drivers?
Seaman: On the CD-ROM.
Captain: You are joking, right?
Seaman: No, Sir.
Captain: Reboot the damn thing again. I am starting
not to like this Windows.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: Sir! It is back! It says it found the Gorby2000
Torpedo and is looking for the device drivers.
Do we have a driver disk?
Captain: I do not think so.
Seaman: I will tell it to use the default drivers.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: Crap. It wants to reboot again.
Captain: How many times are we going to reboot today?
This is taking forever. Our hull is going to
rust out before this works.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: Sir! It is up, and this time it is not asking
for anything!
Captain: Really? No device drivers? No registration
cards? No user profiles?
Seaman: No Sir. I think it is ready.
Captain: Good work, comrade. Now click on the fire
control icon, and let us see how this works.
Seaman: Clicking now, Sir.
[Another long pause.]
Captain: Why does the fire control screen have a dancing
paper clip on it?
Seaman: I have no idea Sir.
Captain: Hmmm, well try clicking on the menu.
Seaman: Aye, Sir. Let us see... Open E-mail, Spam a
friend, Mail a Virus, Fire a Torpedo.
Captain: We'll spam a friend later. Let us fire a torpedo.
Seaman: Aye Sir.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: It is asking us to load the torpedo and to click
when ready.
Captain: Torpedo room, load a torpedo in tube number 1!
Intercom: This is the Torpedo room. Torpedo is loaded, Sir.
Captain: Click on the continue button.
Seaman: Aye, Sir.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: It is asking for a target, Sir.
Captain: Hmmm, target the Rainbow Warrior.
Seaman: Aye Sir. Damn! It says the torpedo is low on ink.
Captain: Click ignore. We will get some ink when we return
to base.
Seaman: Aye, Sir. We are ready to fire.
Captain: Very good. You may fire when ready, Comrade.
Seaman: Firing torpedo, Sir.
[Another really long pause.]
Captain: Well?
Seaman: I am trying, Sir. Nothing is happening. Wait a
minute...
[A loud explosion is heard in the background,
followed by screaming on the Intercom.]
Captain: WTF was that?!?!?
Seaman: Captain! A new screen has appeared! Outlook
Express Fire Control has performed an illegal
operation and will be shut down!
Captain: Click 'OK' to continue.
Seaman: Oh my God! The paper clip has died! What
should I do?
Captain: Shut it down! Shut it down!
Seaman: It is not responding Sir!
Captain: Try 'CTRL-ALT-DELETE'!
Seaman: Aye, Sir. ...We are in luck! The task manager
is still operating! I am instructing the task
manager to shut down Outlook Fire Control.
[Another long pause.]
Seaman: The task manager says that Outlook Fire Control
is not responding.
Captain: @#$%^! Tell it to 'end task'!
Seaman: Nothing is happening, Sir!
Captain: Try 'CTRL-ALT-DELETE' again!
Seaman: Aye, Sir!
[sounds of frantic pecking on keyboard.]
Seaman: Oooh! What a pretty blue screen!
Captain: Holy @#$%^!! NOT the BLUE SCREEN OF DEAT/
[KABLAM! A really big explosion. More screaming,
and the sound of rushing water.]
-------------------------------------------------------

The tape ends at this point.
During the week long rescue effort, divers reported
hearing tapping in the form of Morse code coming from
survivors inside the damaged sub. The rescuers couldn't
understand why a group of men would spend the last of
their strength tapping out "windows sucks" in Morse code.
Additional tapes recovered yesterday of the last moments
of the Kursk may offer some insight into this.

 

Well I work on computers all day (computer programmer) and so I'm full of opinions in this area. First off, if you already have a PC running Win98, I would not recommend you upgrade, it's not worth the trouble, time, and cost. The one exception is if you're having problems with Win98, then you may consider buying WinME. If you do upgrade your Win98 to ME, I highly recommend you do a fresh install (i.e. format the drive and start from the beginning). If you're buying a brand new PC, by all means get WinME.

eph1fifty, what type of copy of WinME do you have? The reason I ask is because the Gold Release of WinME does not install on a machine with a CPU of less than 150mhz.


------------------
1999 Lariat SuperCab Flareside, Amazon Green with Silver trim, 5.4L, 4x2, 4 wheel disc/ABS, 3.55 limited slip, towing package, fog lamps, sliding rear window, captains chairs, keyless entry with alarm, spray-on bed liner, bug guard, and K&N. http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~bfriesen/truck.html

 

Hi JScott & Preyhunter,

Actually, this new machine has less in it than the current machine it's replacing, which has no IRQ conflicts. My current machine has both SCSI & IDE hard drives, 2 CD-ROMS, 3 video cards, 3 modems(2 on a Diamond double modem card and 1 external), 3 monitors, a couple of ISA slots in addition to PCI & AGP slots, etc., etc. Decked out for the motherload and then some. This new one has only 1 video card in it driving 1 monitor, 1 modem, etc.

Still using WIndows 98 SE for the OS.

Basically, the SB Live is using not 1 but *2* IRQ's, the greedy little so & so. It takes one just for SB16 emulation!

I'm going to go back and disable COM2 since I don't need it, and then yank everything out, and put one thing it at a time, and see if I can play around like that to make everything work, though something is going to have to go most likely, as 16 interrupts is it in a DOS machine, you just don't get anymore.

I'll probably have to go to a USB modem, that'll free up one IRQ, disabling COM2 gets me another, and we'll see what that does along with yanking things out and replacing them one at a time.

So far, not a single one of the cards installed will change their IRQ's by going into Device Manager/Resources and unclicking on the "automatic" setting check box, and then attemping to change the assignment, grrr.....

I basically made the **assumption** (yeah, I know )that because I didn't have any issues in the current machine that I wouldn't in the new machine, so I didn't bother to install one thing at a time and re-boot and tinker with the IRQ's, and that is what has to be done to get it up and running without the cyclic cascading failures.

I have it on good authority that God hates computers; I've known it for decades.

Thanks for the help, guys, I think I just have to slog thru this... (sigh)

------------------
Mike Troyer
Performance Products, Inc.
National Distributor of Superchips
(540) 862-9515
Email: mtroyer@compuserve.com
Performance Products F150Online Superchip ordering system: F150Online Superchip Ordering System
First National F-150 Online Rally Event Organizer

[This message has been edited by Superchips_Distributor (edited 10-31-2000).]

 

Whew! The only bit of that I understood was Y2K 7700's