System damage control

Windows ME includes several new tools designed to keep *you* from screwing up your own world. The first, System File Protection, safeguards the sanctity of your Windows install, by actively protecting key ".dll" and ".vxd" files that the OS relies on to function correctly. A misinformed Install utility should no longer be able to overwrite core Windows OS files with versions of it's own, that may cause instability or crashes. 

System Restore is another recovery tool in Windows ME, that constantly keeps track of your Windows OS "state" and can rollback and restore your system to a last-known-working state, should something go awry with a new software package or hardware driver update. 

Automatic Update is now standard in Windows ME. Automatic Update will periodically connect to the Windows Update  website and check for new, critical OS components, and update them for you automatically. 

There is a downside to all this protection (isn't there always?). All three of these components combined eat a rather healthy dose of both system resources, and hard drive space. Here, the automatic update wizard would wake up at seemingly random times, and interfere with my internet gaming performance. As I am used to doing my own updating, and am generally a good hand at NOT screwing my system up intentionally, I turned all of these features off to save space and resources. 

For the average Joe however, these three tools do a decent job at keeping you out of trouble. I install OS's and tweak PC's both as a hobby, and as a living. If you're not the "nuts and bolts" type of Windows user, these tools could save you a lot of grief. 

Next page: Interface changes

[Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4] [Page 5] [Home]

Talk about it at The Tech Zone Forums