I will not jump in here and tell you that ME is not worth the time or effort in a biz setting except to mention that the total cost of owning the machines includes future repair, support and loss of productivity due to "slower or outdated" technology. Along with the realization that the OS on the machines that you currently have is either no longer supported by MS or on it's way.
ME will soon be in the same boat from a support standpoint. Dec 2004 to be exact. See Link:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];LifeWin
What I will jump in to say is that you will just be prolonging the inevitable problems that you currently have. I know it is difficult sometimes for folks who are always watching the bottom line to realize that some sort of on-going BUDGETED pc replacement policy is a great way to manage their in house PC and support costs. Yes I realize that with new hardware comes some associated cost (OS, office apps etc.) but the key here is to NOT think of the purchase as a one-time thing, but an on-going REOCCURRING expense.
I would run from the idea of a new OS on the machines that you have. My bet is that you will find that there aren't even drivers for the hardware available for some of them.
I would start looking at some new equipment, be they "white boxes" or refurbished equipment from national providers that come with standardized parts and support contracts!
I would also draw the line at either win2k or xp (NOT XP HOME) as the minimum.
My guess is that you have been riding the machines that are currently in-house for many years beyond their expected useful life-span, either intentionally or not, and many in-house practices around your office will benefit from new hardware and new work processes afforded by networking etc.
If you are interested in discussing how to move the boss to a new way of thinking, I would gladly be willing to discuss this off-list. Please just contact me at the email address I'm using. I have pretty extensive experience with understanding and communicating the real cost of hardware to folks. I was in the business of supporting many small businesses for years and may be able to help you find, research and help the boss think through the decisions that you are faced with.
Geof
At 08:40 AM 7/15/2003 -0400, you wrote:
My boss is considering upgrading some of the employees workstations to Windows ME and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions about the product that they would like to share.
The computers are Compaq Deskpros (or similar Compaqs), 64 MB RAM, Pent III, 2GB HD, 56K Modem, MS Office Standard Edition. Basic stuff. Some have been upgraded to 128 MB and/or 6 GB HD, but only as service depended on it. They will be upgrading from W95.
The computers are not networked within the offices, they connect to our corporate office via dial-up but will need to have stronger connections in the very near future. He is looking at either cable modems, DSL or Satellite, depending on what is available in each area. Our terminals are in very remote locations across the US.
Any thoughts on the upgrade process, product reliability, security issues, etc. would be appreciated. Feel free to contact me off-list as this is very OT!
Thank you, Amy Cozine [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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