However, it does have one really great new feature called System Restore. This allows you to take a "snapshot" of the operating system anytime you want, then restore back to that snapshot at a later date. This is very helpful in case you install a new software package, then find that your system becomes unstable. Sometimes, just removing the installed product does not restore your system to a good working state. You simply click a few buttons and your system is restored back to the last "snapshot". We were skeptical, so we tested it. First we took a snapshot, then deleted all the DLLs in the Windows directory, then deleted the Windows Media Player. Sure enough, the Windows Media Player would no longer work. So we used the System Restore and selected to restore to the snapshot we took, and the system was back to normal within 3 minutes. It really works!
Some of the new bells and whistles are in the area of digital media enhancements. It comes with the new Windows Media Player version 7, which does a great job of playing and cataloging your digital music and MIDI music. Of course, this version of Media Player can also be downloaded free for Windows 98 users. Unfortunately, it will not work on Windows 95.
Another new program that's fun to play with is the Windows Movie Maker. It is used to record, edit, and organize your digital movies, sound files, photos, and other digital media. It has cut, copy and paste so you can place several clips together into a single movie, then send it to someone via email. The recipient could then view the movie using Windows Media Player.
Windows Me also has lots of new wizards, like the one used to set up networking. It even set up a floppy disk for me to take to my Windows 95 machine, to make it talk to my Windows Me machine. There are also some cool on-line games, like Internet Backgammon and Internet Checkers. For more info on Windows Me, go to www.microsoft.com/windowsme.
The October meeting will be about using MIDI at home, both on the PC and on the keyboard. The November meeting will be about using video cameras for teleconferencing. Come join the fun at the Harmon Foundation, 2901 S. Harvard, on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM.
For more information on the Tulsa Computer Society click here