AMI announces XP Compatible, CDM-compliant AMIDiag 2.0 for Windows.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2002

Editorial Summary

-- AMIDiag(R) 2.0 for Windows features XP compatibility and is

based on the Common Diagnostic Model (CDM) standard

-- Other features include better test coverage, enhanced look and feel,
improved information gathering via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

-- The Beta2 version can be downloaded from AMI website

American Megatrends Inc. (AMI), the leading developer of computing and storage solutions, announces the version 2.0 of AMIDiag(R) for Windows diagnostic software.

AMIDiag(R) 2.0 for Windows benefits from AMI's many years of experience in PC diagnostics accumulated with AMIDiag for DOS, one of the most comprehensive and successful diagnostic software packages on the market. AMIDiag for Windows fully operates under Windows; it is not a shell running a DOS application underneath.

AMIDiag 2.0 for Windows introduces important changes in the product architecture providing OEMs and system administrators the features they need:

-- Windows XP compatibility: XP is added to the list of supported

operating systems, 95/98/ME/NT/2000;

CDM compliance: communications between the diagnostic engine and the single test objects are realized according the Common Diagnostics Model (CDM), an application of the Common Information Model scheme jointly developed by the Distributed Management Task Force organization, promoting management standards for desktop, network, enterprise and Internet environments. OEM customers can develop their own customized application without the need of a Software Development Kit, or can integrate third party CDM compliant modules.

-- Increased WMI integration: AMIDiag provides tests to the

Windows Management Instrumentation system software layer and,

in turn, gathers much more information about the system and

its components than in previous versions

-- AMIDiag is based on Microsoft's Object based ActiveX

architecture - One of the benefits is the ability of OEMs to

insert single AMIDiag test objects into their own programs and

have them running without further intervention.

"In the 2.0 version we enhance our system information gathering by including a tremendous amount of information available through Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)," explains Paul Rhea, AMIDiag for Windows project leader at AMI.

AMIDiag 2.0 for Windows features increased test coverage in several areas: Memory, Audio, Video, Modem, Network, Hard Disk and Floppy Disk. Control over tests has been improved with Test Timeouts and Halt-on-Error.

Further major enhancements include a detailed activity log, an improved console, the ability to run batch executions, Multilanguage capability, the possibility to utilize Windows Scheduler to schedule diagnostics and scripting execution via Microsoft Script Hosting.

The Beta2 version of AMIDiag 2.0 for Windows can be downloaded now from AMI website at the following address: http://www.ami.com/betatest/.

AMIDiag 2.0 for Windows is scheduled to be available at the end of February for OEMs.

AMIDiag Suite 2.0, including the CDM based diagnostic software, will be available to retail customers through AMI website and AMI resellers in the second half of March.

About AMI

Founded in 1985, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) has dedicated its resources to providing OEMs, resellers and systems integrators with leading edge computer technologies. Privately held, AMI is best known for its BIOS, but it also supplies state-of-the-art hardware, software and utilities to over 55 percent of today's high-tech manufacturers. AMI offers high-density motherboards, disk subsystems and innovative storage solutions and is a voting member of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA). Headquartered in Atlanta, AMI has locations in the U.S. and throughout the world including Chennai, Munich, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo to better serve its customers.

For more information on AMI products and services, call 1-800-U-BUY-AMI or visit www.ami.com.

Statement of Liability: (c) 2001 American Megatrends Inc. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. Products mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. All rights reserved. No warranties are made, either express or implied, with regard to the contents of this work, its merchantability or fitness for a particular use. This publication contains proprietary information, which is protected by copyright. American Megatrends reserves the right to update, change and/or modify this product at anytime.