Michael J. Sykes wrote:

I decided to first follow the procedure in the Microsoft page you
referenced (deleting the _RESTORE folder as you subsequently
suggested).

Mike,

I'm not sure how you did this as the _RESTORE folder cannot be deleted
from Win Me without hacking so I assume you mean the renamed folder
OLDREST. Incidentally the procedure at 280369 is virtually the same as
the instructions I posted - just a little more long winded.

This has resulted in the apparent restoration of my
System Restore. Thank you! Is there still a need to mess with my
WININIT.INI file?

If you have a wininit.ini file present after rebooting then you have
problems and it is essential to establish why this is occurring.

I also accessed the Windows update website which found one critical
update for me to install. I know that I got those error messages
after installing the last couple of updates, however. Do I need to
do something else to ensure my security upgrades are up to date?

You've almost certainly got loads of patches to reinstall. See my earlier
post about running Belarc Adviser.

When I rebooted after installing the new update, I saw no error
messages. However it appears my shutdown and start-up problems were
NOT solved by setting an exit sound for my computer (see my message
above). I would welcome your suggestions.

Let's try to walk before progressing to running. Let's get system restore
working correctly and your PC fully patches and then we can consider other
problems. Since you feel that system restore is working now I would
strongly recommend the following quick test:

a) Create a shortcut on your desktop to a file.
b) Create a manual checkpoint
Could you create a checkpoint?
c) Delete the shortcut
d) Restore your PC to the checkpoint you created.
Was the shortcut restored? Did you see any error messages?
e) Reboot your PC
Was the checkpoint retained?

Regarding the Symantec programs, I noticed Microsoft says the Norton
System Works 2000 is not compatible with Win-ME; it specifically
mentions the Norton Live Update feature causing problems. I have the
2001 version of Norton System Works; I have uninstalled the NAV
program and disabled the live update (but still have the utilities).
Do you think I'm safe or should I purge my computer of all Symantec
programs?

At the risk of repeating myself NO Symantec applications can be safely
used with Win Me, especially so if you wish to use your PC and not end up
with loads of problems. To my mind you have already demonstrated the
truth of this. vbg
--
Mike Maltby