Memory is the most crucial ingredient to a successful upgrade. If your PC is more than two years old, forget about Windows Me. Surprisingly, name-brand computers may have more problems. However, many of those PCs include custom hardware drivers and bundled utilities that were designed to work with a specific Windows version. If you have a name-brand PC, check with the system manufacturer for any upgrade instructions before attempting to set up Windows Me.
System utilities can cause more trouble than they're worth.
The most common cause of Windows crashes and performance problems is a conflict between the operating system and a running program. After you've successfully completed the upgrade, you can add them back. A clean install can be more difficult than an upgrade. Experienced Windows users may fall into the tempting trap of reformatting their hard drive and installing Windows Me from scratch. Paradoxically, that strategy might cause more problems than it prevents.