My PC is running on a Gateway Intel Celeron 500 MHz processor. Since purchasing the PC last July I’ve had an intermittent fault when shutting down Windows 98. It happens after I have been on the internet or receiving/sending email’s. I usually have to depress the On/Off switch to shut down. I contacted Gateway about this problem and they sent me the ‘Second Edition Shutdown supplement for Windows: 239887up’ patch to rectify the problem, but it still recurs. Can you help please?

You will be glad to know that you are not the only person experiencing this problem. The Second Edition Shutdown supplement does help in some instances but can’t cure all cases especially if the problem is due to a conflict with a third-party piece of software or hardware. The problem can be due to conflicting hardware or conflicting software (including drivers); a problem with the fast shutdown feature of Windows; a damaged Windows shutdown sound file; Advanced Power Management problems or Virtual Device Driver problems. Due to the numerous issues and solutions, there is not enough room in this column to publish the procedures. Please see the article support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q202/6/33.asp in Microsoft Knowledge Base for a comprehensive rundown of all the issues and solutions.