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AMD users go through roof at $35 fix for K6-2 crash

Microsoft does not want people to use Win95 no more

Users have reacted in disbelief and fury that they will have to pay $35 for a software patch which will fix problems they have with K6-2 processors.

AMD is not making the patch, which fixes a problem in the Win95 operating environment, available on its Web site. The reason for that is because of commercial considerations, a company representative confirmed today.

But the issue has prompted harsh criticism of both AMD and Microsoft. One reader said: "If I was AMD, I'd be posting this on my site, minimally with a direct link to where you can download it from Microsoft's site. AMD is useless in this matter. "Microsoft doesn't want them to put up a Win95 patch because it wants everyone to use Win98 instead and a patch that makes it work could possibly influence people to buy AMD systems with Win95 instead of Win98."

Two months ago, The Register revealed that IBM was still supplying systems running Windows 95 because end users either did not want to use Win98 or were considering upgrading straight to Windows NT.

Another wrote: "The reason you can't find the patch on Microsoft's site is because they want you to pay $35 for the patch. This is outrageous because it is a limitation of their software algorithm caused by the fact that the K6 is too fast."

A senior source at AMD said: "I can't understand why there's a commercial issue here for Microsoft. We try to give whatever treatment is possible for our end users." However, two independent Web sites have thumbed their noses at both Microsoft and AMD and posted the patch on their sites.

The first is at altx86 and the other is at pairnet. Microsoft declined to comment on the story at press time. ®

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