Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 57

Thursday, June 25, 1998 THE HARTFORD COURANT F3 Windows 98 Plus Doesn't Add Enough To Make It Worthwhile By PHILLIP ROBINSON San Jose Mercury News Windows 98 Plus is a $35 CD-ROM fall of extras for Windows 98. No, it's a marketing decision truly excitable Windows owners will part with more money if Microsoft latest operating system upgrade is divided into two, separately priced pieces. Or maybe it's both. The balance must have been delicate. Like, "What can we take out of the main disc that won't hurt too much but will make the second disc look like a good investment?" And then, "What else can we cadge out of other developers hoping people will see their stuff and pay to upgrade to the full version?" Like Microsoft's similar collection of options for Windows 95, 98 Plus contains both serious utilities as well as fun goodies.

Installing all of them takes about 180 megabytes of hard drive space. But if you don't have that much to spare, you can pick and choose which you want And finally there are the games. Spider Solitaire brings some new complexity to that Windows time-wasting classic. Lose Your Marbles is from Sega, and I couldn't figure out how it worked, but the graphics and sounds were cute. Microsoft Golf 1998 Lite has the Harbor Preserve course for your indoor, no-walking-at-all golfing pleasure.

Both Marbles and Golf are fun in themselves but make a point of pushing you to upgrade to the full shebang. Playing them isn't like watching a good movie, it's like watching the preview to a good movie. Paying for this stuff is like buying one of those swimsuit catalogs that passes itself off as a magazine. I don't like to be caught coming and going, paying for the right to view someone's ad. In short, I found Plus 98 too thin, a hodgepodge full of "ought to be in the operating system anyway" utilities, "just-the-basic-ability" utilities and "why not upgrade to the full program" teasers.

My advice: don't buy Plus 98 or you'll encourage this behavior. special effects, precision editing tools, projects and Web-site connections. Deluxe CD Player will play both music CDs in your PC's CD-ROM drive and music files downloaded from the Internet on to your hard disk. It even has a command to reach out through your Net connection to Web sites such as Tunes.com and Music Boulevard. You can also download information from those sites about your albums such as artist title and track names and view this data playing a disc.

Themes And Games Deeply into frivolous territory now, Plus 98 comes with more than a dozen desktop Themes to give you more variety in wallpaper, screen savers, cursors and sounds. These have names such as Architecture, Falling Leaves, Fashion, Horror Channel and Jazz. There are several cartoon themes including Cathy, Garfield, Doonesbury, FoxTrot and Peanuts. These include links to the cartoon creators' Web sites. many people will care.

I've never needed that particular job done. Plus also adds a File Cleaner to the Maintenance Wizard, so you can schedule regular deletion of temp and downloaded files from your hard drive. That I'm glad to see, because such files can quickly cram and jam the hard drive of anyone with a serious World Wide Web addiction for work or play. I've had to buy extra utility programs such as CleanSweep to do this job. Those programs have a lot more flexibility than the Maintenance Wizard, but it's good to see a little cleanup made standard, especially since it can be scheduled for regular duty.

For things you don't want to delete, but don't need right on hand, "archiving" is the ticket. Many people already depend on utility programs that can compress their nonessential information so it uses less disk space but is still available when needed. Similar compression utilities help in transmitting files through the Internet Once the files are smaller, they go through faster. The Compressed Folders feature in Plus 98 lets you create new folders that will automatically compress anything you put in them. You can also encrypt the contents with a password.

These compressed folders can be stored on any drive or sent through the Internet This matches the easiest compression and encryption I've seen. Again, it doesn't have the flexibility of most independent compression and encryption programs, but it's a great start Picturelt Express A little less serious, depending on how you use it is Picturelt Express, a "lite" version of Microsoft's photo editing program. Youli need 800 600 resolution and 16-bit color to do this program justice. Then you can cut and paste, crop and stretch, adjust the contrast and brightness and otherwise mess around with pictures from digital cameras, scanners or the Internet There are obvious pitches in the program to upgrade to the full Picturelt without telling you the price, for more I Help Function Much Is Your Computer Letting You Down? How about deal on a this incredible new computer. VirusScan Leading the serious category is VirusScan, an anti-virus utility from McAfee.

This is one of the best anti-virus tools, able to search memory, regular disk files, compressed files, Internet downloads and macros for noxious virus programs. The six months of free updates should keep it in top fighting form for a while. I just wish Microsoft would get around to making anti-virus fighters part of the basic Windows. We've needed that a lot longer than we've needed Internet access and on-screen TV, features now part of basic Windows. Another serious extra is improvements to the Maintenance Wizard.

That new feature of Windows 98 is supposed to keep your hard disk better organized and your computer running faster. If you add Plus, it will add a Start Menu Cleaner that can remove non-working menu items and empty 'folders from your Start Menu. A nice touch, but I'm not sure how Mike Elgan, editor of Windows magazine, called the redesigned help function "a huge benefit" to Windows 98 users. "Windows 95 help was probably the biggest problem with Windows. It's just completely useless unless you wanted something completely obvious," Elgan said.

"The Windows 98 help is completely different It's way faster, and it doesn't leave you at these dead ends. It gives you a place to go and find rich information." Users can also get assistance from the new Windows Update function. Windows Update, available from the Start button, allows users to connect to a Microsoft Web site that will (with permission) scan the user's hard drive and then automatically install any new software patches or drivers that are needed. "This way you know that your files are always up-to-the-minute," said Greg Perry, author of "Teach Yourself Windows 98 in 24 Hours" ($19.99, Sam's Publishing). The new file allocation system known as FAT32 will store data more efficiently and save hard-drive space.

Other helpful features include a system file checker to restore missing or corrupted files and a maintenance wizard to schedule routine disk maintenance. Device Support Microsoft has added support for DVD and USB devices in Windows 98. DVD drives are designed to improve upon the CD-ROM drives that are now standard equipment in most PCs. DVDs can hold more than 10 times the amount of data that CDs can and possibly much more. Full-length movies and outside video games are already being developed for the DVD format.

When DVD drives become standard equipment Windows 98 will be ready with built-in support The same goes for USB, or Universal Serial Bus devices. These hardware peripherals typically scanners, monitors, digital cameras and similar devices plug directly into the USB jack on the PC. Windows 98 instantly recognizes $740VW 200 MHz Multimedia Computer 2.2 GB Hard Drive 32 MB EDO Ram (upgrade to 256) 24 Speed CD-Rom 33.6 Fax Modem with Speaker Phone 16 Bit 3-D Sound Powered Stereo Speakers 14" .28 Color Monitor Windows 95 Loaded with Software Three Year Warranty Including: Computer Inch Color Monitor Monitor Not OR Included Free Color Inkjet Printer Designed and built for future upgradeability Free ongoing Support tl For this and other incredible deals shop 2995 Berlin Turnpike, Newington in the Dick's and Ames Plaza 860-665-0711 iiiuiuna No Payments No Interest Improved when a USB device has been plugged in and automatically installs the appropriate device drivers to run it System Requirements One of the first questions potential buyers of Windows 98 must face is whether their PCshave enough power to handle the software. Microsoft says a minimum of a 486-class microprocessor and at least 12 megabytes of RAM are needed. But such minimum requirements are notoriously low.

Some who have tested the new operating system say that if your PC can run Windows 95 now, it can run Windows 98 just as well or better. Others recommended it only for Pentium-class PCs with at least 32 megabytes of RAM. Should You Upgrade? Ultimately only you can make that decision. But there are some factors to consider in making up your mind. One is how much you use the Internet.

"As Internet usage went up among our family testers, satisfaction with Windows 98 went up," said Panepinto, the FamilyPC editor. Another is how your existing system is running. If it crashes regularly, Windows 98, which is generally regarded as more stable than Windows 95, might provide some relief Still another is how long you expect to keep your current system. Starting this week, most new PCs will come with Windows 98 already loaded on them. So if you're planning to upgrade your computer in a year or so, you might want to save your money for that instead of shelling out the cash for Windows 98 right now.

Rathbone, the author of "Windows 98 for Dummies," likened the decision to buying a new car. "If you're satisfied with the car you've got if it's still running fine, if it's not crashing on you or breaking down a lot, then you probably don't need to buy a new one," he said. "But if your car is breaking down or not getting you there, then maybe it's time to get a new one." SI IS 1 buyers Welcome to Dell Refurbished, where you can purchase refurbished Dell desktops, notebooks, workstations and servers from anywhere in the U.S.A. DELL OPTIPLEX ADVANTAGE: Three-year compatibility guarantee! Internet and e-mail capable. Comprehensive online troubleshooting.

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CALL NOW. SUPPLIES LIMITED. Mon-Fri 7am-9pm CDT Sat Sun 10am-6pmCDT 1 Continued from Page Fl Diane Koers, author of "Windows 98 Fast Easy" ($16.99, Prima Publications), believes the new approach will be a hit among consumers. "I think that people will particularly like the interface with Internet Explorer," she said. "It's made it easier for them to use the product" Still it's not for everyone.

So Microsoft has given users the option to switch off the Web-like functions of Windows 98 and run it in "classic mode" that is, just like Windows 95. Then there's the question of whether it will be for anyone. The government's antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft over Windows 98 goes to trial in the fall Active Desktop, Channel Bar They used to say that the browser is the desktop. But with Windows 98's "active desktop" feature, the desktop becomes the browser. Active Desktop allows users to create little windows on their desktops where data from the Internet can be constantly displayed and updated.

Examples include news headlines, stock quotes and sports scores although many more are sure to follow. In essence, this is a new version of the much-discussed "push technology" that allows publishers and advertisers to "push" information to users over the Internet rather than simply waiting for them to visit Web sites. A related feature are "channels" that deliver Internet content directly to the user whenever a Web site is updated. Subscribing to a particular channel allows the user to receive the latest information posted to that site without having to constantly revisit "There was a lot of talk about push technology a while ago," said Joe Panepinto, editor of FamilyPC magazine. 'This integrates the push technology right into the operating system" WebTV Eye-catching is the word for the way Microsoft has woven WebTV software into Windows 98.

Users have to buy and install a separate TV tuner card (about $80 to $120) and hook that card to a cable TV link or an antenna to make it work. But once it's set up properly, the software lets the PC display conventional TV programs in either full-screen mode or in small windows. Andy Rathbone, author of "Windows 98 for Dummies" ($19.99, IDG Books) and about 30 other "Dummies" titles, said he tried the WebTV feature when his new cable modem was installed. "It was fun watching CNN in a little corner of the screen," he said. "Then again, it's tempting to watch 'Green Acres' and forget about the work you're supposed to be doing." Upgraded Help, Maintenance Windows 98 features a redesigned help function to better assist users in answering questions or troubleshooting problems.

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