NWA-PCUG 08/2000 NewsLetter Article 18861 N. Hwy 112, Springdale, AR 72762-9303 Windows 98 Second Edition A Software Review by Herb Goldstein Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group,Inc. From 9/99 Sarasota PC Monitor, SPCUG Copyright 1999. Permission to reprint is granted to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, sent toSPCUG P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277- 1889, Attn: Editor. email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/ What may be the last hurrah for Windows 98 is here. With the millennium scheduled to bring some major changes in their operating systems, Microsoft has gathered all the service pack and upgrade nuances for Windows 98 into a revision entitled Second Edition. If you are still roaming around in high-button shoes and bow ties in Windows3.1, this is the version of Windows 98 to switch to now! If you are using Windows 95, it's time you switched to 98-a much all-around better and more feature- filled OS than Windows 95. If you are a Windows 98 user and haven't kept up on your updates, it's more than worth the twenty bucks for your upgrade CD to Second Edition. On the other hand, if you are pretty much up to date on Windows 98 and have no special unsatisfied needs, be aware that the changes are not monumental. Second Edition (SE) claims to open applications 36% faster, load Internet pages 25% faster, and shut down a PC 4-5 times quicker than Win 95. All around speed increase is a key factor in switching from Win 95. Current Win 98 users are already enjoying most of these advanages and will not perceive much of a change in these categories. In our original review of Win 98, we pointed out the many advantages in upgrading from earlier Windows versions, so there's not much sense repeating them here. They continue to apply even more so in 98 SE. In this report we shall restrict our remarks to current Win 98 users and whatever pros and cons exist in upgrading to 98 SE. One of SE's major changes is its installation of Internet Explorer 5 and Outlook Express 5, if in fact you have not already downloaded the product from one of numerous sources. Both are considerably improved products over their previous version. Explorer runs more efficiently, and Outlook Express has a raft of new and useful features. It is the easiest and fastest email client available. Other improvements include: o Faster dialup networking Internet connections, and automatic connections to online services. o Home networking to join several computers at your location to one Internet connection, one printer, scanner, modem, or other hardware devices. Networked machines have much to gain in 2nd Edition. o Upgraded hardware support, especially for USB and DVD devices. o Directx 5 provides improved multimedia and games experiences. o Full support for MMX enhancement of video and audio. o HTML based help and Wizard functions. o Multiple monitor support. o Enhanced WebTV compatibility. o Supports computers with ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) for energy conservation. o Support for fire-wire IEEE 1394 connected devices (if you can find one). o Enhanced Net Meeting and conferencing. o The latest drivers for all your peripherals. o A variety of bug-fixes. o An improved version of the Windows Media Player Installing SE is a piece of cake. Just ctrl-alt-del everything you have running in memory except Explorer and Systray before starting -- especially any antivirus software! Put your SE CD in your CD-ROM drive, and the rest is automatic. SE installs all by itself, effortlessly and with no help from you, right on top of your current Win 98 installation. When you are finished, your computer will look and feel like it did before, and the changes will be obvious only when you call on one of the above-mentioned improved features. Murphy's law may or may not come into play with you. Remember, no two computers are really alike. What's in your registry and what software is on your drive has much to say about how uneventful your aftermath may be. I discovered several vexing abnormalities after upgrading from Windows 98. Most serious of these is the alternate disappearance, for no explainable reason, of my Outlook Express mail program in Internet Explorer 5 and dialup networking. When I reinstalled one, the other would magically disappear. Not to be left out, my Windows Solitaire also disappeared on its own every now and then and required reinstallation. I subsequently tracked the solitaire problem down to an intermittent incompatibility between solitaire and PC-Cillin, albeit one that was not evident prior to installing 2nd Edition. The other incompatibilities leave me perplexed. They disappeared completely when I switched to a new computer with an OEM version of 2nd Edition. As for the solitaire problem, if you are a PC- Cillin user and come across it, just deactivate PC-Cillin when you want to play solitaire. What's to be gained from all this is that you may need to weigh things before upgrading from Windows 98. You may come out smelling like a rose, or you may not. None of these glitches occurred in the original Windows 98, so I have to attribute them to the installation of Second Edition. In all fairness, I know of others using Second Edition that have not experienced these problems. Although there's more than something for every Win 98 user in SE, if you have been diligent in downloading your Windows updates and service pack #1, you probably have most of what's new already. If you want to play it safe, what the heck -- it's only $19.95 for the upgrade. Go for it. On the other hand, if you are using Win 95 or earlier, by all means get Win 98 SE! The changes are monumental. For Win 95 or 3.1 users, the upgrade is $89. New computers today will usually come with SE already installed. Microsoft, 800-426-9400. The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,300+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program. See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.