But tinkering with your copy of Windows Me can improve its performance on your system and remove some of its annoying habits.

The catch is that you have to really know what you're doing. A good place to start is David A. Karp's ``Windows Me Annoyances'' (O'Reilly & Associates, $29.95).

Karp understands Windows' anatomy and attitude, and he writes in clear, clean, amusing English. If you want a feel for the book, first check out the author's Web site, http://www.annoyances.org.

From that site, we learn that one of ``The Top 11 Entries in Bill Gates' Diary'' is ``Invited entire tech-support department to play golf. Brought Melissa to complete the foursome.''

The book opens with an overview of Windows and basic Windows Explorer skills. It also addresses the mysteries of the Windows Registry, tinkering techniques, maximizing performance and troubleshooting.

That's rounded out with good expositions on networking, Web integration, scripting, automation and basic DOS commands.

One of the most useful sections of the 451-page paperback is an alphabetical listing of all Windows Me setting procedures for those of us who don't memorize the often complicated click sequences.

While Karp offers some basic advice suitable for those new to computing, he delves into areas that will be of interest mostly to experienced users. Probably the best way to read the book is by chapter, according to whatever Windows quirk you want explained.

Rest assured that just about the time you get your Windows Me installation to behave itself, you'll have to begin the journey all over again with Windows XP, which is scheduled to roll down the Microsoft mountain by year's end.

On the Net:

The Web site for the publisher of ``Windows Me Annoyances'' is http://www.oreilly.com.