black screen and then computer locks up

For the past couple of months now, I have had problems with my Windows Me computer.

For example... today I turned on my computer, let it load fully, clicked on the 'connect to server' icon (which, by the way is a new server that was added to my computer approximately when I started having all of these problems). While it was 'dialing', I hit the Start button on the lower left hand side of my computer and I got a black screen and my computer locked up. (I WAS thinking that it had something to do with Outlook Express, but as you can tell by my description, I did not load up OE this morning yet, nor was I anywhere NEAR the OE icon, so it's not that).

I had to shut off my computer. Restart it. Run scandisk. Restore my active desktop due to the 'improper shutdown'. And try again.

Could this be my 'connect to server' configuration? When I got the new server I let my computer configure it.

What do you think???

Thank you for any thoughts or input you can give me.

cornmeal2

 

why would you "dial" into your server. are you not on an ethernet connection?

 

I have a modem... that's all I meant by 'dial out'. After I click on my 'connect to server' icon it says "Dialing...". My screen turns black and it locks up at that point when there is anything else up and running on my computer.

My computer blacked out and locked up 3 times yesterday. (I started to document it.)

The first time, I clicked "Connect to server". WHile it was "dialing..." I hit the start button on the lower left, and I got the black screen and it locked up. [I had not opened Outlook Express yet.]

I have to shut off the computer (improperly)... restart the computer. Run scandisk. And then hit the "REstore ACtive Desktop button when my desktop comes up with a white background and a "the computer was not shut down properly" notice comes up.

I do NOT get an error message... just a black screen.

The SECOND tiem it happened was a couple of hours later while I was loading up 'spybots' and it said that I should check for updates via the web, so I hit the "connect to server" icon and the screen went black while it was "Dialing..." and the computer locked up AGAIN.

The THIRD time it happened yesterday was when I had Outlook Express up and running and hit "Connect to server" and while it was "Dialing..." it blacked out and locked up AGAIN.

All three times were different in what was running on the computer... but all of them happened while it said "Dialing..."

I don't seem to get the black screen and lock up if I have NOTHING AT ALL opened or running on the computer before trying to get online. [Like when I first start the machine and go directly to the server using the "Connect to server" icon and before I have pulled up Outlook Express.]

Any clues? ANy suggestions?

I only have a Window's ME recover disk and do not have a full install of Windows ME. (Where does one get that?!?!??!) SO I can't just reinstall Window's ME without destroying everything else on my computer.

PLEASE HELP.

Thank you.

cornmeal2