Bill Gates left Harvard before he could graduate, but his latest concoction--Microsoft Windows 98--is about to find its way into students' lives.

The new operating system will leave its mark, but the transition will "not be as radical" as the one several years ago, when most college computers were upgraded from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95, said Director of Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services Franklin M. Steen.

Student computers will make up the bulk of those upgrading to Windows 98, Steen said.

Unlike Windows 95, Steen said the system will not be installed in the Science Center or residential computer labs.

Instead, the University is working to install Windows NT 4.0 in these labs before the fall semester, Steen said. The following year, Steen said he hopes to upgrade again to Windows NT 5.0.

Windows NT 4.0 looks nearly identical to Windows 95, but it has a few perks that make it more dependable, Steen said.

In addition to preventing students from deleting software, a Windows NT system makes bypassing the network login impossible and makes crashes less likely, Steen said.

"Many users will not be able to tell the difference so the public machines will look and feel just like personal machines--only they will be more secure and reliable," Steen said.

There will still be some snags among students who are changing to Windows 98, Steen said. "It's a new release and every new release has some problems," he said.

Windows 98 is not a complete overhaul, but it does have features that distinguish it from earlier versions.

According to an article in PC Magazine Online, "The core architecture of Windows 98 is relatively unchanged from Windows 95."

The operating system runs faster, is more integrated with the Internet and has more self-management tools, according to a news release from Microsoft on its Web page.

Steen said the multimedia features will not only improve computer game technology but may be of use in the classroom.

Professors teaching art, engineering or mathematics sometimes use computers in their demonstrations, he said.

Professor of Mathematics Peter B. Kronheimer, who specializes in geometry and topology, said computers are sometimes a useful teaching tool. However, he said he was skeptical about the impact of Windows 98.