Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archive

End of an Era, and Vista on the Horizon
 

By Cate Eales
Appeared May 11, 2006 on castanet.net

If you are still running Windows 98, Windows 98SE, or Windows Me, you need to know that this time it looks like Microsoft is really going to discontinue support for those products. Yes, they've made this announcement before. And it could turn out that they delay the inevitable again. But. It IS inevitable.

The Windows 98 Home Page states:

Effective July 11, 2006, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me (and their related components) will transition to a non-supported status. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide any incident support options or security updates. Microsoft is not offering a custom support agreement for these products.

You can read the complete announcement here.

Does this mean it's time for a new computer?

Many of my clients ask me that, especially those still running Windows 98/98SE.

My answer isn't always the same. Usually, it's time for a new computer when your present computer experiences a catastrophic failure (or, preferably, just BEFORE that!) or when you start not being able to run programs or do things you want to do because your computer or your operating system is holding you back.

But if you are using a flavour of Win 98 or Win Me on your primary computer now, I would have to say you should be looking for a new computer. More about that in a minute.

In the meantime, you might want to take advantage of the resources currently available to keep your 98/Me machine in good working order. Visit the Windows 98 Home Page and have a look at the links there. And sometime between now and the end of July, make sure to visit the Windows Update site and get your version up to date! Put it on your calendar or To Do List so you actually get it done!

Now, about that new computer. It turns out that Windows Vista is scheduled for release in January, 2007. That date has already slipped at least twice, so it's not set in stone. But that is the current schedule. That's important if you are looking for a new computer because Vista will eventually replace Windows XP, in the same way that XP replaced 98 and 98 replaced Windows 95. It's also important because all reports indicate that Vista will be capable of much more than XP, but will also require more powerful computer hardware in order to take full advantage of these capabilities.

So if you are thinking about buying a new computer, the first thing to think about is whether you are going to want a computer with the familiar XP operating system, or one with Vista. If you want a brand new computer with Vista already on it, you're going to have to wait until (at least…) January.

If you know you don't want Vista, then you need to buy between now and the time Vista is released. Your computer will have XP (Home or Professional) installed.

But what if you want a computer now that will be capable of running Vista when that becomes available? Great question! The problem is that Microsoft still hasn't released the final specs for Vista-capable hardware. There are "guidelines" and we will start to see that some new computers will have a "Vista-capable" sticker on them.

Be careful. There are five (!) versions of Vista. If you want everything turned on so as to enjoy all that Vista has to offer, you probably want "Ultimate." (I am not making this up. The five versions are described here.) If you want a more XP-like, less-than-full-featured version, "Basic" is probably the way to go. So when you see something that says "Vista-capable" you still need to know what version of Vista it's capable of running.

Microsoft has published some information about the hardware requirements for a PC running Vista. You can view that information here. If you are shopping for a "Vista-capable" PC, you should familiarize yourself with these guidelines. And here's another word of advice: Microsoft says Vista will run on 512 MB or RAM. I have not tested Vista, but people who have write that you should at least double that amount. Start with one GB of RAM and see how it goes.

A much discussed feature of Vista is its stunning graphics capabilities. As you shop for "Vista-capable" computers, keep in mind that anything more than the Basic version will probably require a graphics card (rather than "integrated video" which is built into the motherboard). I am going to make an educated guess here that the more memory you have on your graphics card (not the same as the other RAM), the better Vista will look and perform.

So you can now see that a Vista-capable PC, if capable of more than stripped-down Basic Vista, is going to require more and fancier hardware, and that's going to drive up the price. There is lots more information on Vista, including the official Vista Home Page.

Is it time for a new computer? That's up to you, but I hope I've given you some information you can use when making your decision.

Links:
Windows 98 Home Page http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/default.asp
End of support for Windows 98 and Windows Me http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx
Windows Update http://update.microsoft.com/
Windows Vista Versions http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/versions/default.mspx
Windows Vista Hardware Considerations http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/evaluate/hardware/vistahardware.mspx
Windows Vista Home Page http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/default.aspx
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Cate Eales has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible and fun for over 20 years. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric, and her dog, Sandy. Cate is a partner in Real Life Internet Solutions, helping individuals and small businesses with virus, spyware and malware eradication; personal computer training and management; digital image management; music transfer; and website design, hosting and management. Email Cate at cate@rlis.com with your comments, suggestions, or questions. To browse the column archives, visit the Real Life Internet Solutions website at www.rlis.com.