Preparation key to successful Win95 upgrade
Sept.
7, 1997
By JIM BROOKS
If you're still using Microsoft Windows 3.1, you're probably going
to be innudated this fall with reminders of the opportunity to upgrade
to Windows95.
While Win95 set sales records on its release in August 1995, millions
of users continue to use older versions of Windows.
Microsoft is actively discouraging computer makers from selling
older Windows versions on new computers. Microsoft's official support
for older versions ended this summer.
Upgrading to Win95 is something you can do yourself, with a little
planning.
Most of the Win95 upgrades I've seen at retail stores are on CD-ROM.
If you don't have a CD-ROM, you'll need to search for the upgrade
on diskettes.
One of the big disappointments of the Win95 upgrade package is
the documentation. Calling it sparse is being generous. If you chose
to upgrade, first purchase a quality book about Win95. There are
a plethora of titles available; look for one with good details on
installing the operating system.
If you have Internet access, Microsoft has a fantastic amount of
online help available on their Web site at www.microsoft.com. Especially
helpful is the Knowledge Base section, a completely searchable database
of commonly reported problems.
Each problem listed in Knowlege Base has the step-by-step instructions
for each solution.
In my upgrade to Win95, I had a minor conflict between my audio
card driver and the video driver that was automatically installed
when I performed the upgrade. The Knowledge Base had the answer,
which was simply to change one of the drivers (which I did while
reading it directly from their Web site).
While Windows95's desktop is a departure from the older versions
of Windows, it is still easy to use and learn -- an in my case,
the operating system operates a good deal faster and more reliably
than Windows 3.1x.
IE4.0.Speaking of Microsoft, the company's new World Wide
Web browser is scheduled for release on Sept. 30.
Internet Explorer 4.0 will feature "push" technology,
which allows users to receive Web-based content by subscribing to
it, rather than going out and looking for it.
Preview versions have been available for months, and Microsoft's
final version is the product of thousands of hours of testing.
IE 4.0 will be incorporated into Microsoft's next-generation Windows98
operating system, due late this year or early next year.
DVD NEWS.The digital video disc (DVD) format isn't new to
the computing world, but there may be reason for you to delay investing
in a new DVD player.
Sony and five other companies announced this week a new standard
for large-capacity rewritable DVD players.
The new DVD format, called Phase-Change Rewritables, is not compatible
with the current standard for the existing DVD-RAM rewritable drives
that are just hitting the market in force this fall.
The new format allows a storage capacity of up to 3 gigabytes on
a single disc. The DVD-RAM format allows for up to 2.6 gigabytes
of storage.
The new format won't be marketed until sometime next year. If you're
going to buy one, it may pay to wait to see which format reigns
supreme.
MAC ATTACK. Under the direction of company co-founder Steve
Jobs, Apple Computer last week moved to curtail Macintosh clone-makers'
intrusion on its ever-shrinking share of the computer market.
Apple is paying $100 million to acquire Mac cloner Power Computing
Corp. Apple executives also announced the company wouldn't be licensing
the new Mac operating system, OS8, and other new technology to cloners.
The move isn't unexpected, given Jobs' statements about the licensing
agreement in the past.
Apple management had believed the clone-makers' Mac-compatible
products would expand Mac marketshare. Instead, the market share
shrunk, and sales of Mac clones were cutting into Apple's sales.
BACK ONLINE. The Social Security Administration announced
this week it will re-open its revamped Web site in January, 1998.
The site originally went online in March but closed in April after
published reports said the site lacked security.
Originally, Web surfers could see Social Security account data
with only a Social Security number, mother's maiden name, state
and date of birth.
The account data included wage histories as well as projected benefits.
The new site will eliminate year-by-year wage histories. Those will
be available only mail.
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