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©1997-2012, Active Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Please click
here
for full terms of use and restrictions or read our Light Tower
Privacy
Statement.
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Product:
Windows Millennium Edition
Company: Microsoft
Website: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsme
Estimated Street Price: Full Version: $209 - Upgrade Version: $109
Buy
Windows Me Now - Low Price
Review By: Byron Hinson &
Julien Jay
Introduction
A few months after the successful release
of Windows 2000 in full flare, Microsoft unveils the brand new consumer
focused edition of Windows, an evolution of Windows 98, named Windows
Millennium Edition. This new version is, according to Microsoft, the
ultimate evolution of the Windows 9x OS family and carries the build
number 4.90.3000. Indeed future Windows releases should be based on the NT
kernel.
The Millennium edition of Windows is
aimed to help PC home users to enter into the next millennium with a big
bang as Microsoft has focused its efforts to make Windows Me the
user-friendliest, easy-to-use and multimedia-rich operating system of all
the time. Windows Me has been developed and tested by Microsoft numerous
months to ensure its reliability but does it have what it takes to make
you want to pay out more money for a operating system that may well be too
similar to Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE. Read on for our comprehensive
review of this new operating system, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
(WinMe). Here is a list of most of the features that make up Windows Me
(Note that these features are written on the MS Press release, not our
write up):
Digital
Media:
-
Edit, catalog, and
e-mail your home movies
Windows Movie Maker makes it easy to transfer home movies to your
computer. You can edit audio and video sequences from analog and
digital cameras, VCRs, or the Web, then create home-video shorts that
you can e-mail to friends, relatives, and colleagues. You can also
store hours of video on your hard drive, instead of on the shelf.
-
Store, manipulate,
and organize pictures on your computer
Without any additional software, you can import a picture from a
digital camera or scanner onto your computer. And before you save
anything onto your hard drive, you'll be able to preview all your
photos and delete the ones you don't want.
-
Play your favorite
music and listen to the radio online
With one player, experience the most popular streaming and local audio
and video formats. You can organize and catalog your media, then
easily transfer your play lists to portable devices. If you tire of
your music collection, listen to any of the 3,000 Internet radio
stations worldwide. You'll also be able to revamp the look of your
Windows Media™ Player into everything from a shark's head to a
television.
-
Transfer pictures
onto your computer in two easy steps
Without any additional software, you can import a picture from a
digital camera onto your computer. And before you save anything onto
your hard drive, you'll be able to preview all your photos and delete
the ones you don't want.
-
Immerse yourself in
dynamic 3-D and surround-sound
DirectX® 7 intensifies the sights and sounds of all your games,
delivering the ultimate realism in ambient gaming. Microsoft® DirectX
makes Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and
displaying each element of any multimedia composition including
full-color graphics, video, 3-D animation, and surround sound.
Home
Experience
-
Learn everything
about your operating system, fast
Integrated with online support, the Help and Support system in Windows
Me is a comprehensive, Web-based resource that provides tutorials,
tours, answers, and solutions to common problems and questions. If you
get Windows Me preinstalled on your computer, your manufacturer may
also include system-specific support in the Help and Support area.
-
Your critical files
are always safe
The System File Protection feature in Windows Me prevents erroneous
system file deletion.
-
Return your computer
to its original settings
If you make a mistake with your settings and want to return your
computer to a time and day when everything operated perfectly, simply
activate System Restore. When you restart your computer, it will
operate as it did prior to any problems.
-
Install the latest
hardware, worry free
You'll appreciate no-error installation and the start-to-finish
guidance of the Windows Me wizards. When you install Windows Me, it
automatically loads all the Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 1394
software drivers. Then, when you install a new USB or IEEE 1394
device, Windows Me will find the appropriate driver and automatically
install it for you. Wizards guide you through the installations, and
Windows Me instantly configures most devices so you don't have to
restart your computer or tweak your settings.
-
Quickly find what you
need on every menu
The Smart Menus in Windows Me get to know how you work. They
prominently display the programs and applications you use most often,
and keep lesser-opened menu items out of site but readily available.
That saves you time you would otherwise have spent searching your
menu's contents.
-
Be assured that your
drivers will work with new hardware
For your protection, the Windows Me development team has worked with
industry partners to ensure that drivers—the software that makes
devices work with your computer—are designed and tested to work with
Windows Me. When you hook up a new piece of hardware, Windows Me runs
a driver check to make sure it is digitally signed and capable of
working on your computer.
The latest system updates are regularly delivered to your desktop
For your machine to work at peak efficiency with the latest hardware
and software, you'll want to update Windows Me from time to time.
Windows Me is designed to deliver critical updates directly to your
desktop from the Windows Update Web site. You'll receive the most
recent service packs, system files, device drivers, and new features
as often as you like.
Online
Experience
-
Browse the Internet
quickly and easily
Internet Explorer 5.5 provides the best support for Web browsing, with
powerful search capabilities, faster performance, and easier printing.
-
Communicate using
Web-integrated e-mail, messaging, and news
Outlook® Express lets you send and receive e-mail, access your
Hotmail® account, join newsgroups, view your online contacts, and
send instant messages—all from one convenient place on your desktop.
-
Send instant messages
MSN™ Messenger lets you know when your friends are connected to the
Internet, so you can exchange instant messages, chat in real time with
several friends at once, or hold a video conference using NetMeeting®
conferencing software.
-
Have online video
conversations
Using NetMeeting 3.1, you can participate in video conferences,
collaborate on files, and share information over the Internet or a
local network.
-
Play games on the
Internet
You'll find Internet-ready versions of popular, classic games like
backgammon, hearts, spades, and checkers. One click gives you instant
access to online opponents from around the world.
Home
Networking
-
Create a home network
The process of setting up your home network is simple when you use the
step-by-step instructions provided by the Home Networking wizard.
-
Share a single
Internet connection
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) lets you share a single Internet
connection among multiple computers in your home, even if they are
running Windows 95 or Windows 98.
-
Use multiple
networking technologies
Windows Me provides support for multiple types of home networking
technologies, including Ethernet, wireless, and homePNA, and lets you
view these networks through a single interface.
-
Share computing
resources throughout your home network
Windows Me automatically detects printers, folders, and other
resources on your home network, and allows you to easily share these
and other resources among the computers on your network.
-
Incorporate Universal
Plug and Play (UPnP) devices
Windows Me is the first operating system to implement UPnP networking
standards, making it simple to connect all kinds of high-tech
appliances, gadgets, wireless devices, and computers to your home
network.
-
Connect to the
Internet securely
The new TCP/IP stack in Windows Me provides improved stability and
security on the Internet.
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