Frequently Asked Questions

Windows Millennium Edition

Q: What is Windows Millennium Edition?
A: Windows Millennium Edition is the latest release of the Windows 9* operating system. It is designed solely for the home user.

Q: What is the build number for the final version of Windows Me?
A: 3000.2

Q: When can I buy Windows Me?
A: You can buy Windows Me from September 14th. MSDN users will receive their copies on CD in July while new PC buyers can expect to see Windows Me on PC's late July.

Q: How much will Windows Me cost?
A: $209 for the full version, $109 for the upgrade.

Q: What will be new in Windows Millennium Edition?
A: Not a great deal is new in Windows "Millennium Edition" despite the hype that is sure to come out around its release date. Here are the basics from the Press Release Microsoft sent out.

• "Digital Media and Entertainment" Digital media is becoming increasingly popular, as illustrated by the exponential growth in areas like music on the Web and digital photography. The Consumer Windows Division will focus on enabling users to take advantage of all this new content, making it easy to access, play/view and store as well as providing an enhanced PC gaming experience.
  
  
• "Online Experience" Providing consumers a premier home online experience is a primary goal for the Consumer Windows Division. This means ensuring consumers can easily connect to the Web, locate desired content and determine which content is right for their family.
  
  
• "Home Networking" With more than 15 million households now owning two computers and the cost of new PCs continuing to fall, as well as the many intelligent hardware devices being created, networking at home is becoming a reality for more people. The Consumer Windows Division will work to simplify the process of connecting multiple computers in the home, enabling them to share information and an Internet connection, and provide the infrastructure for connecting different intelligent devices to the PC.
  
  
• "It Just Works" The Consumer Windows Division is committed to providing consumers with a solution that 'just works,' from the moment a user starts their PC and throughout their daily computing experience. This promise will be delivered upon by the advancement of the PC's self-healing functionality, in addition to providing a simpler set-up and a great out-of-the-box experience for new computer users.
  

There are a number of other new features such as the following:

• Universal Plug and Play: Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) defines an architectural framework for creating self-configuring, self-describing devices and services. It enables seamless connectivity and communication between Windows and intelligent appliances in the home, office and everywhere in between.

Q: When did testing begin on Windows Me?
A: Testing first began back in September 1999 when we first broke the story.

Q: What can we expect to see in Windows Millennium Edition that will make us upgrade from Windows 98?
A: The major plus points are a much faster booting time (30 seconds for some new users) and far great stability.

Q: If I am a games player, should I go for Windows 2000 or wait for Millennium Edition?
A: Defiantly wait for Windows Millennium Edition for the simple reason that it is designed for the consumer thus is more adept at games playing.

Q: Will my games run faster and smoother on Windows Me compared to Windows 98?
A: No, even though Windows Me ships with a newer version of DirectX 7, there is little speed increase in any game we have tried out, the main difference is stability across all fronts.

Q: I hear that MS-DOS has gone, how will I run some older programs like Scandisk etc?
A: MS-DOS isn't gone, its just harder to get too. Just create a Windows Start Up disk and you can easily get to MS-Dos. Programs like Scandisk no longer need to run in Dos if there is a bad shutdown, Microsoft has improved the program to run when Windows restarts.

Q: I have been told that I can no longer update my Bios due to the lack of MS-DOS in Windows Me, is this true?
A: No. Creating a boot disk to run a bios update is easily done. Read our tip for details on how to create one.

Q: Is the version of Internet Explorer 5.5 in Windows Me older than the final released to the public?
A: It seems so. Installing Windows Me over Internet Explorer 5.5 final keeps the newer version that you downloaded.

Q: Does Windows Millennium Edition support dual processors like Windows 2000 does?
A: No - Windows Me is still based on the Windows 9* core and the first consumer edition of Windows that will support Dual Processors will be Windows Whistler (Windows 2001)

Q: I have just purchased Windows Me - have any updates been released for it yet?
A: Yes! Many parts of Windows Me are already well out of date including Internet Explorer 5.5, Windows Media Player 7 and some security updates so pop along to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Q: Will you be doing a review of Windows Millennium Edition?
A: Yes we have just posted our review of Windows Me on our site.

Q: Where can I find more information?
A: Visit our Windows Me Section or Microsoft's Windows Me site. 

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Windows ME Newsgroups

New Users
microsoft.public.windowsme.new-user
Find discussions relating to users who are new to or unfamiliar with Windows Me.

General Discussion
microsoft.public.windowsme.general
The General Discussion group is for topics not covered in other groups. For the best results, post to the most appropriate group.

Display
microsoft.public.windowsme.display
The Display group is for discussions relating to monitors and screen displays, including video and photos.

Hardware
microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
The Hardware group is for discussing hardware (except for multimedia—see below) and driver support for Windows Me.

Internet
microsoft.public.windowsme.internet
The Internet group is for discussing connectivity and other Internet support in Windows Me.

Multimedia
microsoft.public.windowsme.multimedia
The Multimedia group is for discussing multimedia hardware and software on Windows Me.

Networking
microsoft.public.windowsme.networking
The Networking group is for discussing networking and Windows Me, including all Windows networking protocols.

Printing
microsoft.public.windowsme.printing
The Printing group is for discussing all printing issues except for Macintosh printing.

Setup
microsoft.public.windowsme.setup
The Setup group is for discussing setup and installation issues.

Software
microsoft.public.windowsme.software
The Software group is for discussing software compatibility issues.

Games
microsoft.public.windowsme.games
The Games group is for discussing playing and installing games on Windows Me.

Movie Maker
microsoft.public.windowsme.moviemaker
The Movie Maker group is for discussing Movie Maker hardware and software on Windows Me.

Systems Tools
microsoft.public.windowsme.systemtools
The Systems Tool group is for discussing configuring and using system tools on Windows Me.

Power Management
microsoft.public.windowsme.powermgmt
The Power Management group is for discussing the Hibernate and Standby functions in Windows Me.