When Microsoft announced a new operating system - Windows ME (Millennium Edition) - many technologists shuddered with horror.

Microsoft's track record for developing stable operating systems is not their greatest selling point.

A new operating system specially designed for the home user, the most vulnerable group of computer users, was seen by many as a disaster looking for somewhere to happen.

So what is Microsoft ME and why would anyone want it?

evolution took a close look at Windows ME and after extensive testing came to the conclusion that ME is really just a tweaked version of Windows 98 with very few useful additions.

There are even fewer reasons for a home user to upgrade.

Some industry pundits are actually calling Windows ME a downgrade because they believe it fails to deliver some of the functionality previously associated with Windows 98.

To be fair, Windows ME does offer some useful security features which should stop the more naive home user from deleting their critical system files.

Given the general level of computer literacy these days, this attribute was not on my list of all-time great operating system additions.

Three years ago, it might have been a different story!

I rather liked the way Windows ME handles automatic security updates and essential service updates.

This function is constantly running in the background and updates are delivered automatically via the internet.

At least, I liked it until I thought more about the implications for home users.

Automated services which run without the user knowing about them are fine if you have a fast corporate internet connection and your online time doesn't cost anything.

But it's potentially mega-expensive if you only have a super-slow dial-up account and pay for your own phone calls!

ME comes complete with a much vaunted 30-second Fast Boot function. This kicks the Windows ME system into life faster than ever before.

Unless, of course, any other software is foolishly installed on the computer.

Then the system boot sequence can take just as long as it ever did.

My all-time favourite gripe surrounds a feature called Smart Menus which automatically displays users' favourites while hiding the items not regularly accessed.

This wretched thing stole my favourites list, and reshuffled and resorted it, leaving me with just a handful of easily accessible web addresses. Bah!

Fortunately, those who buy a new machine with a factory installation of Windows ME are unlikely to experience too many difficulties.

The real problem lies with Windows ME upgrade disks which can spawn a host of driver and application errors.

Cheap operating system upgrade paths are renowned for causing application trouble and this latest offering is no exception.

Within a few weeks of release, Microsoft announced a mass of bug fixes to cope with the growing number of reported problems.

Having said all that, Windows ME is not all bad.

The most useful feature I found really worked well and enabled me to sort out a new hardware installation in minutes.

When new hardware is installed, Windows ME checks the accompanying driver to verify it is authentic, current and safe.

If the driver is found to be obsolete or incorrect, then ME goes to the internet, hunts for the correct driver and delivers it complete with the latest fixes, updates and enhancements directly to the user's desktop. Very useful!

Perhaps the very best thing Microsoft has done is to develop a way of restoring a crashed system and bringing it back to life.

The System Restore feature allows Windows ME users who encounter a problem to go back to a point in time where their system was working properly.

System Restore takes "snapshots" of its system configurations at regular intervals, determined either by the user or by default.

This means a user who experiences some difficulty can easily return to a point when the system was operating correctly.

Restore points are also created before every major change is made, like a software installation or a download that may be risky or make the PC unstable.

Should a problem occur, the user can choose a restore point set at a time or date before the change occurred.

Everything taken into consideration, Microsoft has produced an operating system that could work well for some users, especially those with little or no knowledge of computing.

More experienced users may find Windows ME slightly restricting.

Price: Upgrade disk £39.99 (special price); full copy £139.99
Contact: 0870 6010100
Feelgood factor: 7 out of 10