Working Out The Bugs -- Win95 Has Its Problems, But Most Are Easy To Solve

Thanks for bugging us.

After Windows 95 shipped more than a month ago, the Personal Technology section asked readers to send in their bugs. Back came dozens of assorted Win95 problems, including some that still have the folks in Redmond scratching their heads.

Our conclusion: Windows 95 may have more bugs than a day-care center in flu season, but most are of the 24-hour variety. Peak frustrations came during and immediately after installation of Windows 95.

Most users eventually solved them with a phone call - or two or three, some costing $35 apiece - to Microsoft or a hardware or software vendor. Now that they have had the opportunity to use Windows 95 awhile, none are considering switching back to a previous version.

Consider the case of John Bozinny, a system operator for a Seattle BBS. Bozinny got a cryptic "Msgsrv32" error message after installing Windows 95. He called the 900 number for Microsoft Support, paying $35 for the privilege.

"The tech spent a long time with me but could not cure the problem," reported Bozinny.

In subsequent conversations with Microsoft Support, Bozinny narrowed the problem to Adobe Type Manager version 2.5 fonts. He reinstalled his Windows 3.11/DOS 6 configuration, upgraded Adobe Type Manager to version 3.1, and reinstalled Win95.

"Everything seems to run fine now," reported Bozinny, who refers to the experience as "character-building." "I am happy with Win95."

As operating-system upgrades go, Windows 95 has emerged from its first four weeks in better shape than many expected. In comparison with its prime competitors, Win95 has proven trickier than the Macintosh's System 7 upgrade (not surprisingly, since Apple also makes the subject computers), but smoother than IBM's OS/2 Warp. OS/2's downfall came in not supplying drivers for less-familiar peripherals (sound cards, CD-ROM drives, printers and so on) - a peril Microsoft largely avoided in Win95.

"In the context of what Windows 95 is, and what it is trying to do, I think it's actually doing pretty well," said Fred Langa, editorial director of Windows magazine. "Nobody's ever tried to upgrade 80 million computers dating back several years."

Win95's initial surge of complaints is tapering off. Wait times have diminished at Microsoft Product Support as common bugs - Microsoft prefers the term "issues" - get identified. Although Microsoft does not release sales figures, estimates are that Win95 is selling at the rate of 50,000 copies a day.

Initial customer-satisfaction surveys by Microsoft have shown "well over 90 percent" are happy with Win95 and would purchase it again, said Russ Stockdale, group manager for Windows 95. Support calls per unit sold are running less than Microsoft anticipated: "If you call Product Support today, chances are you get a clear line," he said.

Microsoft product manager Rob Bennett does have a few words to the wise on upgrading. Before taking the plunge, he said, users should check with their hardware vendor and software manufacturers for potential incompatibilities. A little research up front will pay big dividends during the upgrade process, he said.

Sumas-based BugNet and major online services (see adjoining box) carry lists of identified problems and known fixes. The safest policy is to wait for Windows 95 versions of potentially glitchy software to be released.

BugNet has been deluged with bug reports, said founder Bruce Brown. "We've seen an increase from July through September of 300 to 400 percent," he said. Many of the snafus relate to applications - written for earlier versions of Windows - that have problems with Windows 95's ability to use long file names. Versions of software more than two or three years old are far likelier to encounter problems as well.

Brown has confirmed more than 500 Windows 95 bugs. His list is bigger even than Microsoft's, he said. A little more than 10 percent involve general protection faults (GPFs), he said, referring to bugs that crash or otherwise disable the system. Those counts are comparable to problems with previous versions of Windows, including Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups, he said.

"Gamers," particularly those with DOS games, "are suffering far more than the bean counters," Brown said. Many must shut down Win95 completely and reboot into DOS mode, using a different CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT configuration.

Adobe Type Manager users also are having fits, partly because Microsoft and Adobe "are steering their ships in different directions," Brown said. "Both have the desire to be in control of the same aspects of underlying technology" involving Windows display and fonts.

BugNet includes a list of most-common bugs, an online segment and a Report-A-Bug form where users can list their glitch. Brown said he tries to get back to users, but even working around the clock seven days a week "the slosh is up to the gunnels." He is putting together a definitive list for a forthcoming book, "The Windows 95 Bug Collection."

Besides hardware and software compatibility, Win95 problems include what Microsoft's Bennett characterizes as "new user issues." Many home-computer users with machines purchased during last year's holiday-buying boom have never upgraded a computer before.

"A lot of it is a combination of pilot error and not understanding (Win95) Explorer," Bennett said.

All that said, some aspects of the Win95 upgrade have proven more problematic than others. Here are thumbnail rundowns of representative glitches from the BugWatch:

-- Security holes: Scott Smith, a Seattle network consultant, found that a user could get past the password prompt on a Win95 computer simply by typing the Windows key (on a keyboard equipped with one) or the CTRL and ESC keys simultaneously (on any keyboard).

The key sequence pops up the Task Manager box, giving an unauthorized user potential free rein to applications and files in the computer.

"I was shocked," Smith said. "This is as easy as it gets" (to break into a system).

Smith tried to find a bug fix from Microsoft and was passed around to several support personnel before finding one who suggested simply renaming the TASKMAN.EXE file. Task Manager is not a program supported by Windows 95 and should not even be included, Smith was told.

-- Old Windows software: Despite Microsoft's pledge of backward compatibility in Win95 with previous software, Dan Kinney, a Boeing engineer, found that his Excel and Word for Windows applications would not run under Windows 95. Kinney uses Excel version 2.10 and Word version 1.1 - both, of course, made by Microsoft.

"Microsoft told me that they cannot be made to work with Windows 95," Kinney said of the applications. He also discovered that the versions are too old to qualify for discount upgrades of the two programs. Instead he will have to replace the old versions with altogether new programs.

Bennett acknowledged that Microsoft chose WinWord 2x and Excel 3x versions as the cutoffs for Win 95 backward compatibility. Although the company would prefer that users like Kinney buy Microsoft Office 95 applications, Kinney can take advantage of upgrade discounts by simply upgrading to current Windows 3.1 versions of his applications.

-- H-P Printers: Problems with Hewlett-Packard printers, including color InkJet and late model LaserJet models, were reported by several users. Most relate to printer drivers required by Windows 95. Several users reported decreased performance under Win95 from Win 3.1.

"I think it's deplorable and a little sad that Microsoft, H-P and 80,000 beta testers didn't think it was important to test with the latest whiz-bang printer by a major manufacturer," wrote one user in e-mail.

-- Fax/modem support: User Dan Eaton encountered an incompatibility between Win95 and his Intel SatisFaxion 200 fax/modem. The fax side works but the modem does not.

"A 10-minute wait for technical support yielded an arrogant response that even though the (modem) is listed in the manual hardware setup portion, Microsoft has no plans to support the modem. I was told to contact the manufacturer to see what they were going to do about it," Eaton wrote in e-mail. Other users reported fax/modem glitches with Win95.

The problem is that much of the software written for fax/modems is "proprietary," or specific to a certain configuration, Bennett said. The popularity of "all-in-one" home computers offering built-in fax/modems and software tailored to the computer has aggravated the situation.

"This is a case where users definitely need to contact the (fax/modem or computer) vendor before making the upgrade," Bennett said.

-- QEMM: Microsoft requires removal of Quarterdeck's popular QEMM memory manager to ensure proper installation of Windows 95. Several users complained, however, that notification was not given until halfway through installation of Win95, forcing installation to abort. One found this an "annoying glitch" and felt documentation should warn users ahead of time, and instruct users on how to remove the program correctly.

-- Tape backup: Dave Entenman, Seattle production manager for a Kent printer manufacturer, found his Conner tape backup was incompatible with Windows 95. Conner informed him that an upgraded version would be available at the end of this month for $59.

"I've since learned that most, if not all, tape backup programs will not work with Win95 due to the long file-name structure," Entenman said. He plans to "bite the bullet" and purchase an upgrade.

Backup impales Win95 upgraders on the horns of a dilemma. Windows 3.1 backup software may not work under Win95. But a backup program recognizing Win95 assumes the upgrade already is in place.

Microsoft's own backup software for Win 3.1 and DOS 6.X is not recognized by Windows 95. Bennett advised upgraders to back up under Win 3.1 and DOS 6.X, do the Win 95 upgrade and then, if they need to back up files, go into the OTHER/OLDMSDOS/MSBACKUP directory on the Win95 CD-ROM and run the backup software from there to restore their files.

"From then on, they can use the Win 95 backup system fine" for succeeding backups, Bennett said.

-- Lotus and WordPerfect: Carmen Flack of Puyallup found Windows 95 froze when she ran WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3. Microsoft Support told her to reinstall WordPerfect and replace a .vxd file with one from the Windows 95 CD-ROM. "Never discovered what the problem was," she said, "but I'm happy with Win95 now." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Where to find help

Here are some resources for people preparing to install Windows 95, or those experiencing problems with it. Before making a request for assistance, make sure you have detailed information about your system (equipment brand, model and configuration, and software version numbers).

Automated fast tips are available by calling (800) 936-4200. If you're calling Microsoft Support (see your documentation for the correct number), the company suggests the following:

-- Determine whether your problem involves a networked computer.

-- Have your product ID number handy.

-- Be at your computer.

-- Be prepared to describe and re-create your problem.

-- Note exact wording of an error message.

-- For Priority Support, have your account number or credit card ready.

-- Have paper and pen handy to record the solution.

To gain access to help online via the Internet, you can use http://www.microsoft.com, ftp.microsoft.com or gopher.microsoft .com.

CompuServe: go microsoft.

Prodigy: Connect to the World Wide Web and use above http address.

America Online: Connect to the World Wide Web.

Microsoft Network: In the "Go To Service" dialog box, type

PSSWINDOWS95.

GEnie: Type MICROSOFT and then KNOWLEDGE BASE.

BugNet: http://www.bugnet.com/bugnet