by Arie Slob

Dear Windows-Help.NET Subscriber, Computer makers have been reporting shortages of Intel Pentium III processors for the past few weeks, but Intel said it will ship "millions" of chips this quarter. Intel also confirmed that there is a shortage at present, due to stronger than expected demand. A fifth fabrication facility is scheduled to start producing the new Coppermine Pentium processors during the first calendar quarter of 2000, further increasing Intel's capacity. It is expected that the shortage of processors & chips will be eased by the second quarter of 2000. Microsoft backs off in messaging war with AOL This week Microsoft announced that the newly released version of MSN Messenger service will no longer be able to communicate with AOL IM. Microsoft said the decision was based on an AOL software bug that could pose a security risk for MSN users. There is also a preview [342KB] available of MSN Messenger Service version 2.0. The preview will run on English Language versions of Windows 9.x and Windows NT 4.0. More information on the Preview 2 can be found at the MSN Messenger Service Web site. Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 5.01 Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 5.01 and Internet Tools. You can download the new version from the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web site. This update will change your Internet Explorer version to 5.00.2919.6307 and Outlook Express to 5.00.2919.6600. According to Microsoft this release is designed primarily as a quality update for customers running Windows NT and those who will be running Windows 2000. This release has minimal feature enhancements over Internet Explorer 5.0. Outlook Express has a few more enhancements, one often requested feature is the ability to request return receipts. For more details, see this article. Do you want to share your thoughts on any article you read here? Head over to our Discussion forum, and let your opinion be heard! "I thought I'd tip you off to a piece of software that turns your RealAudio player into a real sound system. I'm sitting here clicking the on/off button to hear the difference between the signal and the iQ enhanced version and the difference is not like night and day -- it's like night and several days." -- R. Curtis, USA

How To Save Money At Computer Shows

Many hardware and software bargains to be had at computer shows, but the best and safest purchases will be the software.

More...

COMDEX - Hype or Help

COMDEX 99 held in Las Vegas, Nevada this year, is billed as the world's largest convention... further proof that "bigger" is not always "better"

More...

VisualRoute 4.1b for Windows 95/98/NT

VisualRoute is a visual traceroute program. Simply enter the address of an Internet server to retrieve the IP address and view the traceroute on a map of the world. VisualRoute processes IP hops in parallel instead of consecutively, producing faster results than most traceroute programs. Although VisualRoute is shareware, the 30 day trial is fully functional.

Shareware ($29.95)
Download [2.4MB]
Web site

Note: This program requires Microsoft's Java VM build 5.00.3167 or later (may be installed with MS Internet Explorer 5.0) or Sun's JRE (Java Runtime Environment) 1.1 or later.

Are You Ready for Y2K? Find Out with this Handy Guide

The way that your home PC will be affected by the year 2000 will depend not only on the equipment and software that you have, but on the way you use your PC and rely on it. Take MSN Computing Central's Year 2000 Challenge and find out how you and your home PC can prepare for January 1, 2000.

More...

Recommend this Newsletter to a Friend!

Ask your Windows 95 / 98 / NT questions here!

Subscribe to this Newsletter: