Windows ME may not be the issue here. Some BIOS's do that. But do see what's revealed by STARTER which I note in my note about Parasite removal programs.
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6132-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=1313&start=0 notes the five scanning tools and removal tools that are fairly safe. If one does encounter an issue, its always been damage done by the MALWARE. The most common issue being Layered Service Provider replacement which you can use LSPFIX (Hint: use http://www.google.com to find).
The thread has follow on discussions about new links if you don't want to use Google to find an item.
Bob
PS. All the tools are free.
This just started two days ago. When I turn on the computer, I get the first screen where it shows hard drive size, memory, etc. At the bottom of the screen, it says hit escape to continue. This never happened before two days ago. What is going on?

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