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| September 21, 2000 (updated Sept. 29, 2000) | |
| WIN 98 ME issues | |
| All versions | |
| Anthony J. Frates (Copyright 2000 Addsum Business Software, Inc.) | |
As of the initial date of this memo, we do not recommend that users either update to WIN 98 ME nor purchase new PC's on which ME is installed. Prudence would indicate that users wait at least several months before even considering ME (and a far better choice would likely be WIN 2000).
We know of no particular issues that will create problems when using Advanced Accounting and TAS with ME; however initial third party reports indicate the ME is unstable. A recent Consumer Reports article suggest that ME does not necessarily deliver on faster boot-up or performance. For business users then there appears to be no advantage to use ME.Only as of about September 12 did Microsoft start to publish knowledge base articles concerning ME and there are some issues of concern. We have one user so far who has had difficulty getting the Windows mode of Advanced Accounting 5.1 to work. We have several reports of the DOS mode functioning correctly however the classic file resource exhaust problem which normally is resolved by placing a FILES=150 in CONFIG.SYS under DOS/95/98 (CONFIG.NT in NT/2000) did not help running under 98 ME. It appears in fact that ME does not process CONFIG.SYS like its predecessors and that the following entry has to be placed in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI:
PerVMFiles=150
For further information on this topic, see http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q269/0/30.ASP?LN=EN-US&SD=gn&FR=0.
As of September 29, 2000, DBA Software (publisher of DBA, an accounting software package developed in the TAS language and using the Pervasive line of record manager products), reports the following:
The recent release of Windows ME which is now shipping on some new systems
from Compaq, Dell and Gateway (and undoubtably others) has prompted
questions whether DBA is supported on Windows ME. According to Microsoft,
Windows ME is recommended for home use while Windows 2000 workstation is
the recommended operating system for business use. For Microsoft's
position, see http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/upgrade/upgradewhich.asp.
We at DBA have not tested on Windows ME and, since it is recommended by
Microsoft as an operating system for home rather than business use, do not
intend to. If you call Dell, Gateway or Compaq and indicate you are
interested in a business application, they will direct you to Windows
2000, not Windows ME.
Nothing is ever written in stone, especially as it pertains to
software/hardware, but at this time there are no plans for DBA to support
Windows ME, an O/S specifically developed for home use. Windows 2000 Pro
is the recommended platform for business.
Source: Lynn Pantic, Product Manager, DBA Technical Support
Further issues as they become known will be added to this memo.
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