Introducing Windows Millennium

Windows Me Is More Demanding

Microsoft says your PC needs at least a 150-MHz Pentium CPU to run Win Me--and the company means it. Try installing the OS on a slower machine, and you'll get a polite error message saying sorry, but you need a faster processor--and by the way, click OK to exit Setup. I overrode the 150-MHz limitation on my ancient Pentium-75 laptop (using the command setup /nm) just to see whether the OS would run at all. The installation dragged on for nearly two hours, but afterward Windows Me appeared to run just as well as Windows 98--which is to say, extremely slowly.

I couldn't do much with the computer anyway: Windows Me's default installation gobbled up 657MB of my laptop's undernourished 774MB drive. Though I probably could have gained some breathing room by disabling or uninstalling individual features, I chose to back out of Windows Me instead. Fortunately, the uninstall routine returned me to Windows 98 without mishap.

Even if your PC meets Microsoft's system requirements (which include 32MB of memory, 320MB of free disk space, and an Internet connection), you may want to think twice before upgrading. Most of the good stuff is available for downloading into a Win 9x environment. (See "Windows Me Too.") And jumping to Me entails forfeiting some compatibility, mainly with older DOS programs and drivers. A readme file on the installation CD-ROM notes that Adaptec's GoBack, NAI's PGP Desktop Security, and some antivirus utilities may prevent Win Me from installing: You'll have to disable them first.

Multimedia: Just Shoot Me

Over the years, Microsoft has done a pretty good job of supporting the PC's development into a multimedia playback device. Windows Me's new media tools look like the next logical step in that evolution--until you examine them more closely.

The Scanner and Camera Wizard lets you view your digital camera's pictures, copy them to the hard disk, look at the camera's internal properties (such as flash setting, battery status, and focus mode) and even snap a picture from the keyboard or mouse (something you might want to do in an office where the camera isn't near the PC). It also allows you to transfer image files directly from the camera to documents or e-mail. To work with the wizard, your scanner or camera must support Microsoft's newly minted Windows Image Acquisition programming interface. It probably already does: Microsoft's list of WIA-compatible devices includes many older camera models. Microsoft promises the list will include newer models in time for Windows Me's September ship date.

But don't run out and buy Windows Me just because you have a digital camera. Most of them come packaged with software that does everything the Scanner and Camera Wizard does and much more. In my tests with a Kodak DC290, for example, I found that the camera's included software lets you tweak every single feature--and a couple of settings are available through that software only. To my consternation, Windows Me automatically disabled Kodak's software to prevent conflicts with WIA.

Fortunately, the incompatibility doesn't extend to third-party tools that access your camera or scanner using the TWAIN interface. Because WIA supports TWAIN, I was able to import photos into Adobe Photoshop without trouble. But until your camera or scanner maker delivers a WIA-compatible version of its software, you probably shouldn't upgrade to Windows Me. In the long run, WIA will benefit PC owners by helping camera manufacturers connect their devices to Windows more easily, but WIA offers almost no additional capabilities to users of existing cameras.