WARNING: The APEX print previewer included with versions of A-Shell and ATE prior to 5.1.1143.2 may crash Windows when run under versions of W2000, W98, and ME that haven't had the GDIplus module added to it. (GDIplus is an enhanced graphics subsystem that was introduced in XP either SP1 or SP2, and was later made available for retrofit into earlier versions of Windows via Windows Update.) It turns out that a version of a control used within APEX relies on this module, and crashes unceremoniously if not present.

There are several ways to solve the problem:

1. Update the PC to XP SP2 or higher. (Although we try to resolve these kinds of backwards compatibility problems as we discover them, it is next to impossible to avoid introducing features that don't work on versions of Windows prior to XP, as even Microsoft has dropped support for those older versions. So this is really the preferred solution.)

2. Or, upgrade (using the full install package in update/repair mode) your A-Shell/Windows or ATE to 5.1.1143.2 or higher.

3. Or, just download and replace your existing version of the following DLL:

Print Preview Control DLL 2.0.0.1 (Right-click and use Save As to copy on top of the same file in your %MIAME%\bin directory.)

4. Or, install the GDIplus module (from Microsoft) on the affected vintage PCs.

Note that it is not clear to me whether this problem was introduced in 5.1.1137 when the DLL was upgraded from version 1.0 to 2.0, or whether it was there all along. But the point is somewhat moot, because you either have the problem or you don't, so it is likely to only be an issue when installing ATE or A-Shell, in which case, if you're using 5.1, you might as well be installing at least 5.1.1143.2 anyway.