On Sun, 28 Jan 2001 00:01:53 -0500, you wrote:

>Date:    Sat, 27 Jan 2001 22:48:44 +0200
>From:    Mwelwa Mofya <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Windows ME error after error..Why?

Though it is sold as an upgrade. It has several problems.

It has new bugs and its imperfectly understood as yet.

And many hardware devices still don't have proper drivers as yet.

As millions of people now have your and other problems these will
gradually understood and solved. Give a new Operating System A YEAR
before you expect improved stability.

The advantages of this particular upgrade (Win98SE > WinMe) are mostly
minor and unimportant.

Upgrading an existing Operating system rather than a clean install on
a blank hard drive OFTEN leaves a system in a state neither here nor
there. 

It could be that you have some hardware that does not have a
compatible driver. Windows ME does NOT come with proper drivers for
all existing devices. Look up the manufacturer's website for EVERY
card and component.

If that doesn't resolve the problem. back up your personal data,
reformat the drive and install WinMe fresh. Be sure to have updated
drivers for all your cards and hardware from the above mentioned
research.

Reinstall ALL your software. Check for compatibility and new versions
first.

OR ....

Just forget WinME and reinstall reliable and well known Win98SE on the
blank reformatted drive. Then get the updates from the Windows Update
website.

On your system (or any system!) you won't be missing much!

>I have an AMD K6-450 system with 128mb RAM and a 10gb hard drive. I just
>installed Windows ME on my computer (as an upgrade from Windows 98se.

Such a system is hardly obsolete except  maybe for some high speed
action games. You can use it for many more years. Many people with an
experience like yours needlessly buy a new computer system.

Take this opportunity to inventory,  find out, EXACTLY what hardware
you have.  If it is made from good or better quality components it is
probably good for Win98SE, and probably for Windows 2000 or Linux and
for just about every practical or internet application.

Whatever you paid in money and time for this "easy upgrade"  you have
learned a brutal lesson.

I don't doubt its possible to get WinMe to work and stable but it
might well not be easy.

The problems may be one, several or all of the below.

1. The state after the "upgrade install (over your existing Win98Se"
may have left parts and settings of  Win98 leaving you with a confused
mixture of the two in some respects almost impossible to troubleshoot
without a clean install.

2. Some of your specific hardware may need drivers or have
compatibility issues solutions NOT included with the Microsoft WinMe
Released disk.

3. Some of your software applications might be incompatible with WinMe
or need an upgrade, patch or new version.

> I have
>not been able to run anything smoothly after the installation. Every program
>I try to run gives me an error message saying "ProgramName(eg. msoffice) has
>created an error in Kernal 32 and will now close. If problem persists,
>please restart your computer." I have tried restarting my computer but I
>still get the same error. I tries reinstalling Windows ME but the error is
>still there. What could be the problem and what can I do about it? I did not
>have any of theses problems when using windows 98se. Please help...Thanks in
>advance

>Mwelwa

Since WinMe problems are very much on people's minds now perhaps one
of us who fight these problems every day will have some lucky advice
that might work to fix it. IF you are MUCH more specific about the
hardware and software you have.  However your unknown system after the
Install of WinMe over Win98 is in an unknown state and it could be any
one of a thousand things or more probably several things. 

Have you tried a clean install on a reformatted hard drive? And then
Reinstall all your software one by one? Surely like many you hope for
an easier way. I think the odds of an easy way out are against you.

Mark Paulson

Silicon Valley, California.

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