Known software issues for upgrading to Windows ME...

What software programs have known issues with Windows ME (Millennium Edition)?

This question was answered on September 9, 2000. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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According to the programs.txt file that is included with Windows ME, here are the known issues:

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CONTENTS

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MS-DOS-BASED AND WINDOWS-BASED PROGRAMS

NOTES ON SPECIFIC MS-DOS-BASED

AND WINDOWS-BASED PROGRAMS

THIRD-PARTY MEMORY MANAGERS

=======================================

MS-DOS-BASED AND WINDOWS-BASED PROGRAMS

=======================================

NOTE: All of the following references to software are to

versions available when Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

(Windows Me) shipped New versions may now be available

For updated information about any of the issues described

here, contact your software vendor.

Select-It v 1.1

------------------------------

Select-It v 1.1 was developed to run on Windows 3.1, Windows 95

and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 It is not recommended that you

use Select-It on Windows Me The product has been discontinued.

Norton Utilities

------------------------------

Windows Millennium was released after most current versions

of Norton Utilities were produced, and some compatibility

issues have arisen Please activate the LiveUpdate function

within Norton Utilities to check if an update is available.

My Holiday Mailing Labels v1.0

------------------------------

This particular version of MyMailList & Address Book was not

designed for use with Windows Me Users may experience minor

issues if they use this program on a computer running Windows Me

For more information, see the Technical Support section of the

MySoftware Web site:

http://www.mysoftware.com

Hurricane 98: McAfee Software

---------------

This application has known compatibility issues after being installed

on Windows Me Users will not be able to boot their computer after

the installation process has completed You can correct this behavior

by uninstalling the application After doing so, you should be able to reboot

normally

For more information, see the McAfee Software Web site

(or Call (972) 855-7044):

http://www.mcafee.com

Drive Image 3.0

---------------

This version of Drive Image may not work with Windows Me For

more information, see the PowerQuest Web site:

http://www.powerquest.com/windowsmillennium.html

Norton 2000

-----------

Norton 2000 was developed to run on Windows 95, Windows 98, and

Windows NT For more information, see the Symantec Web site:

http://service.symantec.com

Norton Your Eyes Only

---------------------

Norton Your Eyes Only was developed to run on Windows 95 and

Windows 98 For more information, see the Symantec Web site:

http://service.symantec.com

Juno v3.0.1092.2818

-------------------

This version of Juno may be incompatible with Windows Me To

download the latest version of Juno, which is compatible with

Windows Me, see the Juno Web site (or call 1-800-TRY-JUNO):

http://www.juno.com/upgrade

Control It 5.0 & Nvidia Display Card

------------------------------------

If you have an Nvidia card installed on your computer and you

are using ControliT 5.0, you may experience compatibility issues

When you try to initiate a Viewer mode session from host to

client computer, the host viewer may display a blank black

screen instead of the remote desktop

Netsonic v2.5

-------------

Netsonic 2.5 was not designed for Windows Me This program forces

a continuous restart loop, and the uninstaller does not function

properly You could experience these problems if you install

NetSonic 2.5 on a clean installation of Windows Me To uninstall

this program with SFP enabled, carry out the following steps:

1 In the Startup folder, delete the shortcut to Webmain.exe.

2 On the taskbar, right-click the Gator icon, and then click

Exit.

3 Restart your computer You can then uninstall without problems.

For information about versions of NetSonic that are designed to

work with Windows Me, see the NetSonic Web site:

http://www.web3000.com http://www.web3000.com/support (for technical support)

CuteFTP

-------

Every time a registered copy of CuteFTP is run, it verifies

that both your BIOS signature and Windows version haven't

changed This is in an effort to combat illegal distribution

of registered versions If you are upgrading you version of

Windows, you will need to re-enter your serial key to re-

register CuteFTP from the Help menu If you lost your serial

key, contact the company at [email protected].

GW Micro Window-Eyes v3.1

-------------------------

This version of the product is not fully compatible with

Windows Me Because of changes to the operating system, the

program will still read displayed text, but you may receive

the error message "Could not create hook" when the program

initializes To make this program compatible with Windows Me,

it is recommended that you visit the manufacturers Web site

and download a patch for this application:

http://www.gwmicro.com

Error in Using Data Access from Microsoft

Office Standard for Windows Version 7.0

-----------------------------------------

If you install Microsoft Office Standard for Windows version

7.0 on a computer running Windows Me, a "Failure to load

expression service" error message appears when you use the

Access ODBC driver from Office programs such as Excel or

Word.

To correct this problem, obtain the free update of Microsoft

Office for Windows version 7.0b from Microsoft Product Support

If you are in the U.S., call the Microsoft Order Desk at

(800) 360-7561 to obtain a copy If you are outside the U.S.,

contact the Microsoft subsidiary in your area To locate your

subsidiary, call the Microsoft International Sales Information

Center at (425) 936-8661.

Installing Win32 SDK Debug Components

from the MSDN CD-ROM

-------------------------------------

The MSDN components might not work properly with some

Windows Me components If you install the SDK or DDK debug

components, reinstall Windows.

Microsoft MS-DOS Utilities

Running Under Windows Me

--------------------------

The MS-DOS utilities installed in the \Windows\Command

directory have been enhanced to work with Windows Me

Do not use the disk repair utilities that shipped with older

versions of MS-DOS Most of the other MS-DOS utilities that

worked with earlier versions of Windows should continue to

work with Windows Me.

The following MS-DOS utility files are deleted after you

upgrade from an earlier version of Windows:

Defrag.hlp

Mwundel.exe

Mwundel.hlp

Networks.txt

OS2.txt

Share.exe

Disk Utilities

--------------

Disk utilities that perform low-level disk functions, such

as defragmenters, disk-repair tools, and disk-compression

utilities, often do not function correctly on FAT32 drives

For information about an older disk-compression utility's

compatibility with Windows Me, contact the program vendor.

Multiple Display (Multi-Monitor) Issues

---------------------------------------

Some programs were not developed with the capabilities to

operate seamlessly in a multiple-display environment As a

result, these programs may not work properly when operating

with more than one active monitor For more information about

multiple-monitor issues, see the Display.txt file in

Windows Me.

Reinstalling Programs

---------------------

If you are upgrading to Windows Me and you install it in the

same folder as your previous version of Windows, you do not

need to reinstall your programs If you install Windows Me

in a new folder, you must reinstall all of your Windows-based

programs Copying from your old Windows folder to your new

Windows Me folder is not sufficient.

Anti-Virus Software

-------------------

Existing anti-virus programs running on Windows Me should be

able to detect viruses, but they may not always eliminate the

viruses they find It is recommended that you update your

anti-virus software to a version that is designed to run with

Windows Me For information about upgrades, contact your

anti-virus software vendor.

Disk-Compression Utilities

--------------------------

Windows Me is incompatible with Stacker 4.1 and earlier versions

You need to uninstall Stacker version 4.1 or earlier before

upgrading to Windows Me.

Universal Naming Convention (UNC)

Network Names and Existing Software

-----------------------------------

There are three ways to assign a network resource in Windows Me:

- Assign a network resource by using its UNC name UNC names are

in the format \\server\share Windows Me uses this method by

default.

- Assign a local name to the network resource For example,

assign one of your LPT ports to a network printer.

- Assign a drive letter to a remote disk drive This method was

the default in Windows 95 and is still supported in Windows Me.

==============================

NOTES ON SPECIFIC MS-DOS-BASED

AND WINDOWS-BASED PROGRAMS

==============================

Adaptec EZ-SCSI 3.1

-------------------

When this program runs with Windows Me, you may experience

the following product limitations:

- The SCSI Power Management device driver included with

Adaptec EZ-SCSI 3.1 is not compatible with Windows Me.

- The SCSI tape backup package does not support backing up

long file names.

For information about Adaptec software products designed

specifically for Windows Me, contact Adaptec directly at

(800) 959-7274 or (408) 945-8600.

Adobe PhotoShop 3.0.4

---------------------

If you have more than 2 GB of free space on your start-up drive,

PhotoShop may be unable to run You may be able to work around

this by setting a large maximum size for your swap file.

Adobe PhotoShop 4.0

-------------------

When you use the Color Range feature on the Select menu, a page

fault results To obtain a patch for this problem, see the Adobe

(PhotoShop v 4.01) Web site at:

http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/photoshop

AH-64D Longbow (Jane's)

-----------------------

If you use the Microsoft Sidewinder Pro and switch resolution

from 640x480 to 320x240, the joystick will stop responding

To restore joystick input, press one of the arrow keys To

obtain a patch to correct this problem, see the vendor's

Web site at:

http://www.janes.ea.com

Ami Pro v3.01

-------------

To run the Ami Pro v3.01 tutorial correctly, you must set your

Windows Me taskbar to Auto Hide To do this, carry out the

following steps:

1 Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar And

Start Menu.

2 Select the Auto Hide check box.

Astound 2.x

-----------

If you experience printing problems, open the Properties dialog

box for your printer and turn off EMS spooling.

ATM fonts

---------

ATM fonts do not appear on the font list when certain printer

drivers for fax programs are set up as the default You might

have this problem with some versions of WinFax, FaxWorks, and

older Quick Link 2 versions A substitute TrueType font is used

instead.

AT&T Mail Access PLUS

---------------------

If you use AT&T Mail Access PLUS for MS-DOS or AT&T Mail Access

PLUS for Windows (earlier than version 2.7), upgrade to the

latest release of Access PLUS for Windows To order an Access

PLUS upgrade or to get more information about other AT&T

messaging products and services, call (800) 242-6005 and ask

for Department 95.

ClarisWorks for Windows 3.0 v1

------------------------------

To install ClarisWorks correctly, you must run the Setupcw

program on disk 2 The Setup program on disk 1 does not install

the program under Windows Me.

Conner Tape Backup

------------------

Because of enhancements to the Windows Me file system, which

supports long file names, the Conner tape backup program does

not work with Windows Me For information about an updated

version of this utility, contact Seagate at (405) 936-1630

or visit the Seagate Web site at:

http://www.seagate.com

Dogz (PFMagic)

--------------

PFMagic Dogz 1.0 to 1.09Q does not run on Windows Me Contact

the vendor about obtaining an updated version designed to run

with Windows Me.

Doom 95 (id Software)

---------------------

This game is known to malfunction with the S3 968 video card.

Director 4.04 (Macromedia)

--------------------------

This program will not start on a computer that has more than

2 gigabytes of free drive space To work around this problem,

either run the program on a hard disk that has less than 2

gigabytes of free disk space or upgrade to version 5 or later.

DragonDictate for Windows

-------------------------

For information about the availability of an upgrade that

may be compatible with Windows Me, call Dragon Systems at

(800) 825-5897 or (617) 965-5200

Faxworks v3.0

-------------

If your default printer name is extremely long, you may find

that the Call Center dialog box does not appear If this

happens, shorten the printer name or, if you are printing

to a network printer, capture the printer port

FaxWorks Version 3.00f.041

--------------------------

The Advanced AGC option (audio gain control) is designed to

adjust incoming call voice volume Do not use this option

with Windows Me Using this option creates a .tmp file in

your Temp folder The file gradually fills the disk and causes

a system lockup.

Gold Disk Astound v2.0

----------------------

If you experience problems with embedded OLE objects, contact

the manufacturer for an updated patch.

HiJaak Graphic Suite

--------------------

Some problems may occur when you run Smuggler.exe with

Windows Me To avoid problems:

- Use the screen capture utility for only short periods of

time.

- Periodically restart your computer to regain system

resources when you run Smuggler.exe for long periods

of time.

For information about obtaining a Windows Me version of

this program, in the U.S., call Inset Systems, Inc., at

(800) DR-INSET Outside the U.S., call (203) 740-2400.

IBM Client Access/400

---------------------

You need a patch to run this program with Windows Me For more

information, use the SNDPTFORD command through Electronic

Customer Support (ECS), and then ask for APAR II08704 Or you

can call (800) 274-0015, and then:

1 Press 1 for the support line, and then enter your customer

number

2 Press 1 for new call

3 Press 6 for PTF and ask for APAR II08704

Learn to Speak French (Hyperglot)

---------------------------------

Learn to Speak French 4.02 (Hyperglot) does not display

correctly in 256 colors if Active Desktop is enabled

Running the program with Active Desktop enabled results

in discoloration of dialog boxes Before running this

program, make sure you disable Active Desktop by

carrying out the following steps:

1 Right-click the desktop, and then point to Active

Desktop.

2 Clear the check mark beside Show Web Content.

Links LS 97 (Access)

--------------------

During Links LS 97 Setup, you are given the option to

Disable Task Scheduler If you elect to do so, the program

may minimize to the taskbar and can be closed only by pressing

CTRL ALT DEL and then clicking End Task for Links LS Do not

choose to disable task scheduler This does not occur with

Links LS 98.

Lotus Notes

-----------

To install Lotus Notes from a network computer, you need to

map a drive letter to the network computer To do this, carry

out the following steps:

1 Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and

then click Windows Explorer.

2 On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.

3 In the Path box, type the path to the network server, and

then click OK.

4 Click the drive you just mapped, and find the Lotus Notes

setup program.

5 Install Lotus Notes.

Lotus Notes Windows Client 3.2

------------------------------

If you are using the NetBIOS interface over IPX and the NetBEUI

protocol stacks, you must configure the port for NetBIOS using

the unit number that correctly corresponds to that protocol

The default number for the first NetBIOS protocol is initially

set to 0; then any additional NetBIOS interface starts at

port 7 through 1 NetBIOS will probably use 7 or 6 if NetBEUI

is using 0 To make changes, in the Lotus Notes Windows client,

click Tools, click Setup, and then click Ports

MaxSoft-Ocron

-------------

Business Card Reader 2.0, ColorFax, ImagePhoto, and Wordlinx 2.0

were written for Windows 3.1 and may not work correctly with

Windows Me For more information if you are calling from within

the U.S., call MaxSoft-Ocron, Inc., at (510) 445-8610 If you are

calling from outside the U.S., call the product support telephone

number that came with your copy of Perceive Personal OCR for Hand

Scanners

MCS Stereo Version 1.05

-----------------------

In the Windows Me operating system, you cannot switch between

standard and enhanced environments in MCS Stereo version 1.05

If you do, the mixer controls are disabled To enable them, close

the program, and then reopen it If you are in the U.S., contact

Animotion Development Corporation for information about obtaining

a version of this program for Windows Me In the U.S., call

(205) 591-5715 Outside the U.S., call the product support number

that came with your copy of MCS Stereo.

MechWarrior 2 MS-DOS 1.1 (Activision)

-------------------------------------

This game does not work correctly on Windows Me.

To correct this problem, download the Mech2v11.exe patch provided

by Activision from their Web site at:

http://www.activision.com/

Menuworks Total Security

------------------------

The security features of this product are incompatible with the

Windows Me file system We strongly recommend that you remove

this software before you install Windows Me.

MicroHelp Compression Plus 4.0

------------------------------

If you have problems installing Compression Plus on Windows Me,

carry out the following steps:

1 Open the System.ini file.

2 Add the word "progman" to the end of the SHELL= line For

example:

shell=explorer.exe progman

3 Restart your computer, and then reinstall MicroHelp

Compression.

4 Change your System.ini file back to its original setting.

Microsoft FORTRAN 5.1

---------------------

If you want to create QuickWin applications using Microsoft

FORTRAN 5.1 running on Windows Me, either delete or comment out

the following line in the Fl.def file:

APPOADER '___MSLANGLOAD'

After you remove this line, recompile any QuickWin programs that

were built with version 5.1.

Microsoft Office 97 Service Releases (patches)

----------------------------------------------

If Windows 95 and Office 97 are installed on your computer and

you then upgrade to Windows Me, the Office 97 Service Release 1

patch cannot be installed on your computer However, if you

install the Office 97 Service Release 1 patch before you

upgrade to Windows Me, the patch should work correctly

The Office 97 Service Release 2 patch has been released and

can be used on both Windows 95 and Windows 98 systems.

The latest Office 97 Service Release patches can be found at:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/downloadDetails/sr2off97detail.htm

Microtek ScanWizard 2.0b7

-------------------------

If you have problems installing this program, carry out the

following steps:

1 Add the following line to the [Compatibility] section of your

Win.ini file:

DSHELL=0x00400000

2 Restart your computer, and then reinstall Microtek ScanWizard.

3 Remove the DSHELL line from your Win.ini file.

Midisoft Studio 4, Midisoft Recording Session 4,

MIDI Kit 1.0

------------------------------------------------

If you experience problems running these Midisoft titles, see the

vendor's Web page at:

http://www.midisoft.com/html/tech_support/faq/faq-st~1.htm

From this site, you can contact their technical support for an

updated Studio.exe file.

Norton Backup

-------------

Windows Me requires new settings for this program Before you

run Norton Backup, delete the Nbackup.pif file located in the

Norton Backup directory.

Norton Disk Doctor 2.0 and 3.0 (Symantec)

-----------------------------------------

If you have Norton Utilities 2.0 or 3.0 installed before

upgrading to Windows Me, Norton Disk Doctor will not run after

an incorrect shutdown To enable Norton Disk Doctor to run

after an incorrect shutdown, either reinstall the program or

carry out the following steps:

1 Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then

click MS-DOS Prompt.

2 From the \Windows prompt, type CD COMMAND and then press ENTER.

3 Type COPY NDD.EXE SCANDISK.ALT and then press ENTER.

4 Type EXIT to return to Windows Your Norton Disk Doctor will

now run correctly after improper shutdowns.

Norton Navigator (Symantec)

---------------------------

Norton Navigator places shortcuts to its programs on the Start

menu However, on a clean install of Windows Me, Norton's Start

menu shortcuts do not have any file associations and do not

launch any programs.

To fix this problem, manually edit these shortcuts and point them

to the corresponding *.cpl file in your \Windows\System folder.

Office Accelerator

------------------

Because there is no Print Manager, Office Accelerator does not

use the Office Accelerator menus Instead, to configure your

printers, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.

Paint Shop Pro v2.0

-------------------

You cannot use this program to draw capture areas inside 32-bit

programs, because 16-bit programs do not see mouse movements

over 32-bit programs All other mouse capture methods still work;

the program continues to work with 16-bit programs We recommend

that you upgrade to the latest version of this program.

PC-cillin Version 2.0 (Trend Micro, Inc.)

-----------------------------------------

Trend Micro PC-cillin will not uninstall correctly after loading

In addition, Microsoft WordPad and Microsoft Paint are disabled

after PC-cillin is installed To correct this problem, reinstall

Microsoft WordPad and Microsoft Paint

PCTools Versions 7 Through 9

----------------------------

Shortcuts are not created during installation of PCTOOLS

versions 7 through 9 on Windows Me To create shortcuts after

installation, carry out the following steps:

1 Click Start, and then click Run.

2 Type CPSDOS.GRP, and then press ENTER.

PCTools are added to your Programs folder For the shortcuts

to work, you must add the PCTools folder to the path in your

Autoexec.bat file.

Because of changes to the Windows 98 file system, these disk

utilities do not work correctly with long file names For

information about purchasing disk utilities that are designed

for Windows Me, contact Symantec.

Personal Oracle 7.1 for Windows 3.1

-----------------------------------

This program cannot be installed on a computer running Windows

ME because it requires a Win32s.dll that is no longer used For

information about obtaining an updated version for Windows Me,

call Oracle Corporation at (650) 506-7000, or contact your local

Oracle office.

QuarkXPress 3.3

---------------

You might experience the following problems:

- Out-of-memory error Upgrading to QuarkXPress 3.32 should

solve the problem You can download a patch from their

Web site:

http://www.quark.com

- QuarkXPress 3.3/3.31x library windows may fail to display

control box and menu items, making it impossible to resize

or close library files This problem will be corrected in

the next version of QuarkXPress.

- The QuarkXPress installer may stop at 99% complete when

QuarkXPress is installed on some Windows 98 computers To

complete the installation process correctly, click Continue.

Quickbooks 2.0

--------------

If you experience problems running Quickbooks 2.0 with Windows

ME, add the following entry to the [Compatibility] section of

your Win.ini file:

QBW=0x08000000

Quickbooks 3.0

--------------

Before you minimize Quickbooks, be sure to register the product

If you have already minimized it and are experiencing problems

running Quickbooks 3.0, delete the Qbw.ini file in your

Quickbooks folder

Quicken

-------

If you configured Quicken to use a printer other than the

system default printer or to use custom fonts, you may lose

these settings after you upgrade to Windows Me After you

install Windows Me, you can use Quicken to restore these

settings.

Savage: The Ultimate Quest for Survival (Viridis)

-------------------------------------------------

This game might stop responding during Setup It occasionally

displays a double cursor, and it doesn't work properly with the

S3 Trio64 video card To solve these problems, restart your

computer If the problems persist, the vendor recommends that

you install the 16-bit version of this game

Splice 2.0

----------

You may encounter a General Protection Fault if you try to create

an optimal palette with some video files This problem has been

fixed by Asymetrix in the most recent version (now called Digital

Video Producer) A free upgrade is available from Asymetrix for

all registered Splice users For more information, contact

Asymetrix Technical Support at (425) 637-1600.

Stacker 4.1 (Stac)

------------------

Windows Me does not run on a Stacker compressed hard drive If

you currently have Stacker 4.1 installed on your computer,

uninstall Stacker before you upgrade to Windows Me.

SuperPrint

----------

SuperPrint 2.0 (which includes SuperQue) does not work with

Windows Me For more information about SuperQue 95, call

(800) 366-7494.

Talk-To Plus

------------

For information about a compatible Windows Me upgrade, call

Dragon Systems at (800) 825-5897 or (617) 965-5200.

Timeline

--------

You may have problems running existing macros with Timeline

Timeline tries to use Window handles that it has already freed

and may cause an error For information about program updates,

contact the vendor.

Triple Play 98 (EA Sports)

--------------------------

The autorun feature on the Triple Play 98 CD-ROM might cause a

general protection fault Use the Setup.exe on the CD-ROM, or

for further information, visit the Electronic Arts Web site at:

http://www.easports.com

Typestry 2.0

------------

If you experience problems running Typestry 2.0, obtain a patch

from Pixar, Inc Call the product support number that came with

your software You may also have problems using Typestry to print

to a PostScript printer under Windows Me The workaround is to

use a non-PostScript or UniDrive printer.

Ultima VI/Wing Commander CD-ROM

-------------------------------

Because Windows Me does not support the JOIN command, you need

to run the Ultima VI/Wing Commander CD-ROM from your hard drive

The procedure for doing this is outlined below and in the

documentation for this CD-ROM game Copy all programs to your

hard drive, and then run Install.exe to configure the program

You need approximately 13 MB of space for Wing Commander and

5 MB of space for Ultima VI.

To copy all files for either Wing Commander or Ultima VI:

1 Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then

click Windows Explorer.

2 Click your CD-ROM drive.

3 Click the icon for the folder you want to copy, and then drag

it to your hard-disk icon.

4 To configure the proper video and sound options, run the

install program from your hard drive.

Where in the USA Is Carmen San Diego? (Broderbund)

--------------------------------------------------

This program is unable to initialize graphics when run on Windows

ME in 16-bit color mode This program runs correctly using 256

colors.

WinShield Version 1.0.1 (Kent Marsh)

------------------------------------

If you have WinShield version 1.0.1 installed on your computer,

do the following before you upgrade to Windows Me:

1 Remove WinShield by using the Setup program found on the

installation disks.

2 When the uninstall is finished, upgrade to Windows Me.

IMPORTANT: To avoid deleting all devices in Device Manager,

install Windows Me immediately after you uninstall WinShield

Do not restart your computer, run the Add New Hardware wizard,

or try to use Device Manager before the Windows Me installation

is complete This is not an issue with WinShield version 1.5.

===========================

THIRD-PARTY MEMORY MANAGERS

===========================

Some third party memory managers do not work properly with

Windows Me If you experience problems with these applications

please contact the application manufacturer for an update or more

information Memory managers known to have some problems

in previous operating systems which might still be have problems:

- 386MAX 7.0

- BlueMAX 7.0

- QEMM 7.01 - 8.01

About the author

Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on September 9, 2000

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