Frequently Windows Me will not shutdown correctly. A blinking cursor appears in the top left hand corner of the screen and nothing else happens. To properly shutdown the computer I must switch the power off at the power outlet. As a consequence of this improper shutdown, the next time the computer is started it goes through the ScanDisk process. Interestingly, the problem only occurs after using the internet (e.g. Internet Explorer or Outlook Express) and does not occur if not using the computer for the internet purposes, such as for word processing using Microsoft Word.

Shutdown problems are unfortunately quite common with Windows 95, 98, and Me. Usually the pool of potential causes is quite large, so we need to narrow down the problem. Firstly, always make sure you disconnect from your ISP before shutting down your computer. Assuming you are disconnecting, you should also try deleting the Temporary Internet Files folder in Internet Explorer. Open Internet Explorer and go to the ‘Tools’ menu > ‘Internet Options’. In the window that appears, click the ‘General’ tab then under ‘Temporary Internet Files’ click ‘Delete Files’¦’.

Should the problem continue, we need to check whether the problem is being caused by a program which is running in the background. After you have finished using your computer and you expect the problem to occur on shutdown (e.g. because you have been using the internet), close all visible open programs and even those which are running in the system tray (i.e. the area on the taskbar next to the clock). Once you have closed all programs you can see, press CTRL-ALT-DEL to show the Task Manager. Close all non-essential processes which are running in the background. For Windows Me, generally the only essential processes are ‘explorer’ and ’systray’, so you should be able to close all other processes except for those. Once this has been done, shutdown the computer to check whether the problem ceases. If the problem does not occur, it is now just a process of elimination to find the process which is causing the issue. For example: restart the computer, connect to the internet, once you are finished disconnect and close one application or background process, then shutdown to see if the problem persists. Where a lot of applications/background processes are running, this could take a while, so it may be worthwhile to close groups of processes to see if the problem persists, which may allow you to narrow down the problem faster. Just make sure you write down which applications/processes you close, so you can keep track!

Should closing all applications and background processes not fix the problem, have a look at the Microsoft Knowledge Base article on troubleshooting Windows Me shutdown issues: support.microsoft.com/kb/273746. This article goes into more technical depth about device drivers or hardware which could cause the issue to occur. If you intend on working through this article you should print a copy and work through the steps systematically.