I am one of three known people in North America to have a Windows ME Machine that ran properly. :p
Whenever anyone I know buys a "packaged" computer (like a Dell, HP, Compaq, eMachines, etc) the very first thing I tell them to do with it is get a copy of Windows ... not an upgrade ... not the copy that came with their computer, but an honest to God OEM disk and wipe the machine, reformat the drive and do a clean install from scratch. Believe me, it will be worth the extra cost.
All that crap that the major computer manufacturers put on their pre-loaded systems cut their power by at least 25%, and on some machines by 50%
AOL is spyware that sucks up CPU cycles even if you don't use it, same with MSN, same with the various "Support" software (like Dell's support software) same with MSN Messenger, same with RealJukebox, same with most of the junk software computers come preloaded with.
Downside is when you wipe it, you lose the manufacturer's software support ... upside is you're significantly less likely to need it.