WinMe question

[giovanni]

Hello,

I have a Winme CD full version that I want to install on another computer that has Win98SE, is there a way to install WinMe without having to reformat the HDD?

Thanks.

[Kento]

I'd recommend leaving Win98 on the drive. It's better than ME trust me. But if you really want to install it then a format would be the best way to do it.

[HAL9000]

I disagree, I have WinME on 2 of three machines at home plus my bench machine at work and will never go back to Win98. If you want to install and keep everything, boot from the CD with CD support (you can use a boot disk as well). When you get to a DOS prompt, switch to your Windows directory and either rename or delete the WIN.COM file. Switch to your CD drive and run setup. When prompted for an installation directory, it will be defaulted to C:\WINDOWS.000, rename to C:\WINDOWS. I have done this on the three machines that I run WinME on and they all run flawlessly.

[WJWheels]

Originally posted by Kento
I'd recommend leaving Win98 on the drive. It's better than ME trust me. But if you really want to install it then a format would be the best way to do it. I hear a lot of folks denigrating WinMe, but exactly what is it that they're finding fault with? I, like Hal, have it running on 2 machines here.. 1 brand new install on a raid-0 array, and one installed over the top of win98 MAINLY as a final resort to straighten out ills with that OS (it's the wifey's pc). I've also recommended others to get WinMe when they're having fatal probs with 98SE, and in EVERY instance they've solved their problems.

Really, just <b><i>EXACTLY</i></b> what have you found in WinMe that is inferior to Win9x? It's easy to say something is junk, which helps no-one.. explaining why it is junk may help someone.

my .02 - thanks,

[Mick K]

I have just dumped Windows ME and re-installed Win 98 as I was tired of not being able to hut down my computer. If you are using internet sharing under ME it will not let you shut down your computer because one of the other computers on your network might want to use the internet. If you shut down , it will just restart after about 20 seconds. There is no work around and Microsoft has nothng posted on their web site to suggest how to turn this feature off. The only way to shut down was to run the "Shut Down" from the Start Menu and once the lights on my DSL modem stopped blinking, turn the power off. Doing it this way resulted in Scan disk running about 1 in 3 shut downs instead of every one. I foound this very frustrating. The operating system is good for someone that does not want play with things to optimize the system. It does have some redeeming features but I still prefer Win 98.

[Kento]

It's easy to say something is junk, which helps no-one

Where in my reply did I say it was junk? Anyway in my opinion Win98 is better and that's purely based on my experience and the experience of other people I know who had both. And that's all i'm going to say on the subject. I'm not interested in getting into an argument over it. If it works well for you great but for so many others it doesn't.

[Hpro]

I don't lIKE WinMe because of it's size for what it can do.!
I don't like WinMe because it's a of MS-DOS Stripped Win98 Third Edition
I don't like WinMe because of all the JUNK which comes with it.(Movie maker etc)
I don't like WinMe becaus e it's a Resource eater.!
I don't like WinMe because it's Plug and Play function SUCKS and if it comes to EXOCTIC hardware it is DUMBER THAN DUMB (or the guys who developed it)

I use WinME on one machine because it does a better Job Writing CDR's than Win98Fe or Win98SE will do - but this is the only one machine and it will stay like that..

Windows98 first edition is running here fro 3YEARS without any NEW INSTALL - never ever crashes on a fully up used computer (out of 8 addon Slots 6 are used up..)Updated to IE6.0 OE 6.0 and all what comes with it runing Office2K on it and TV and what you may can think of - No problem - and it takes only 180 Mb of disk space instead a mere 480 where mostly is only CRAP - this meaning the 300Mb added Space use of WinMe.!

This for Mr.Toaster..

I also run Red Hat 7 which is fantastic with the only lack that it doesn't support many of my programs and that there are not enough Appliction out there to work with.
I also Run the only real TRUE REAL TIME OPERATING SYSTEM - QNX and it's Fantastic how it takes of - The sound is alos better than any Micorsoft Windows can do it - but also it lacks of Programs - but still I use it to go online to see some screenshots of it click ..Here (http://www.thedebug.com/qnxos.html)

If you want to go really BY Microsoft then go Win2K or go WinXP with some minor modifiacation of XP you will have a superstable OS - even it's microsoft.!

But to answer the question of the first guy here - yes do as HAL9000 told you,this works

[WJWheels]

No problem, just your comment, "it's better, trust me!" kinda struck me wrong. That seems quite a bit stronger than just an opion. An opinion is just that and everyone is entitled to theirs. The pc that I spend 90% of my time on... it's duel-boot win2k and win98 lite. Mostly I use win2k and I use the 98 to experiment with any and all programs I get my hands on. My other winMe raid pc is also my main cd-writer. As Hpro said, it does a great job with that. Other than that it is primarily 70 gigs of storage and there to experiment with if I have a customer with a winMe problem. I have found nothing wrong with the OS however, and it crashes no more than any other win9X. Any well installed, well maintained system is going to run satisfactorily.

In my opinion, of all the windoze operating systems, win2k/nt is in first place. All others are tied for distant second.

[Jenni]

I upgraded to ME lately, and I like it. It has never crashed, but then again, my 98SE didn't crash either. The only problem I had with it was MB related--my Aopen AX63 refused to shut down under Win98 (this problem was stricly a MB problem, it shut down fine with a Celeron running at 66Mhz, but refused to shut down with a P3 running at 100MHz!). When I upgraded to ME, it refused to shut down OR restart, got lovely blue screens both ways, lol. I changed MB's, and now all is well.

[fredwest]

Hi,
Yeah, I must say that ME is more quirky then 98SE. I'm running it on this PC and 98SE on my other (a HP Vectra BTW).

I've said this before, but I've ME on this PC because 98SE simply refused to run on this PC. I could get it (98SE) to load from a fresh install alright but when it came to installing device drivers it would blue screen as each driver loaded. If I tried an upgrade install 98SE (over 95B) would do fine until it came to the point 'Setting up your hardware'. Then it would give me a BSOD. I'd reboot and end up back at setting up hardware and it would give me a BSOD again.....so I'd reboot and I go back to setting.........and so on and so forth, around in circles.

I went for ME to give it a go and I'm very happy with it. It will occasionally BSOD on shutdown and I have to power off. Other than that it's quite nice. Plug and Play is streets ahead of 98SE. I have all the 'web' stuff disabled as I hate it and it looks just like good ol 95B :D.

It was suggested to me that maybe 98SE wouldn't load because my PC is o/ced. Perhaps, but I installed ME with the PC o/ced and it never gave out..!? I tried installing 98SE on this PC with just video and one stick of various brand 64Mb RAM but it wouldn't do it! I don't know why. This isn't a PC Chips mobo. This is an Intel 440BX board all the way with no on-board anything. The RAM is 256Mb of DELL GX1 RAM (2 X 128). 95B loved it, ME loves it, why not 98SE? The drives are a pair of Fugitsus. All the gear in this PC is quite good quality yet 98SE wasn't going to play ball.

If 98SE works for you then keep using it. However I would suggest that you try ME. With tweaking you can stop / disable a lot of the bells and whistles and just have it run 'normally' IYKWIM :D.

I'm also running Netscape 6.1 which is terrific BTW! Not that quite bad Netscape 6.0 or 6.01.

Another thing I have noticed is that it's best to leave ME sort it's own memory out. Using a third party memory cleaner (like memcleaner (http://wwwperso.hol.fr/~alca06/) can send ME into BSOD mode on occasion and for no apparent reason.

I love NT and if I could get my hands on W2K Pro (without buying it :) ) I'd try it out too.

Well that's my slant on the whole 98SE Vs ME arguement. I guess it kind of 'suck it and see' unless, like me, there's nothing else to try.


Regards,

Declan (aka fredwest :) )