|
Hardware Damage 98® (6/26/98)
|
 
|
| | |
Meanwhile, Windows 98 arrived on Thursday to throngs of eager PC users-- who apparently lined up primarily for cheap giveaways and free food, as we've received reports from several CompUSA employees who cite low sales of Windows 98, despite a huge turnout for the unveiling. (CompUSA was selling limited numbers of computers for $98 as a promotional gimmick.) But we at AtAT aren't particularly interested in Windows 98's sales figures; we're much more entertained by the early reports of problems associated with the upgrade.
To Microsoft's credit, there haven't been any widespread serious problems we've heard of yet. The biggest stumbling block appears to be Windows 98's inability to recognize certain modems installed in certain laptops, which functioned properly in Windows 95 before the upgrade. A PC Week Online article quotes several people afflicted by the bug, including some who spent days getting things working again. Still, this strikes us an incredibly nondestructive bug for a Microsoft operating system release; we expected much more from Redmond, even though Windows 98 doesn't really add much architecturally, by any account.
That's why we're curious as to the veracity and scope of another bug reported on MacNN: apparently, certain systems can actually suffer hardware damage as a result of installing the Windows 98 upgrade. They refer to a tech note which warns users of Sager NP8200 and Wedge 466/DX2 computers not to install Windows 98 on those systems, or else "you will not be able to use your computer, even if you reinstall a previous version of Windows." Say what? That's pretty severe. We're not putting too much stock in those reports just yet, since we've never really heard of software damaging hardware (short of monitor damage from running things at an unsupported scan rate). But we have no doubt that if it's possible, Microsoft could find a way to do it-- they're that good.
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (809)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 6/26/98 episode: June 26, 1998: Apple continues to prepare its mystery guest backstage, and rumors claim that the shadowy "eMac" will eventually emerge wearing the full-fledged Mac OS instead of Allegro Lite. Meanwhile, Microsoft faces the possibility of either ponying up a lot of cash or changing the name of its web browser, and Windows 98 may somehow contain the ability to damage certain computer hardware...
Other scenes from that episode: 807: The Morphing of eMac (6/26/98) Faithful viewers already know that we at AtAT are huge fans of Apple's PowerBooks; in fact, AtAT is produced entirely on a Duo 280c when we're broadcasting from the road. Now, while we love our Duo, we've got to admit that it's getting a little long in the tooth... 808: Oh, The Humanity (6/26/98) Finally, a little high-profile coverage of an interesting case that's been dragging on for years now... How many of you were aware that Microsoft doesn't actually own the rights to the name "Internet Explorer?"...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
