I’m seriously annoyed. I downloaded and installed the new Windows
updates like a good little boy, and they crashed my home computer.
This happened once before. My home machine was upgraded from Windows
ME, not too long after XP was released, and some of the upgrades don’t
play nice with the remnants of the DOS system inherited from 9xx.
It’s not a big deal - everything was backed up. All I need to do is
re-install Windows XP and I’ll have a fresh new system to play with.

It brings up a point, though. (You’ve probably seen this before, but
it bears repeating.) Your Windows ME or XP machine is equipped with an
application called “System Restore.” Earlier versions of Windows
don’t have it. Before you do anything major to your computer
- Windows updates, program installations, etc. - you need to create
a “System Restore Point.” This two-minute chore will, in most cases,
allow you to roll your system back to what it was like before whatever
you’re about to do. Go to Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools,
and click on System Restore. Follow the simple directions.

Why? Sometimes installations or upgrades don’t go well, as noted
above. Sometimes “uninstalls” aren’t complete. Sometimes there are
unwanted visitors piggybacking on stuff we download from the Web. In
such cases, after the necessary housekeeping, you’ll probably be able
to do a “rollback” and go on as if nothing had happened. It didn’t
help me this time, but it has in the past. I’m always downloading
and playing with new things, and problems sometimes arise. System
Restore isn’t a cure-all - and it’s definitely no substitute
for regular backups of your valuable files - but it can be a big
help.