Well I am running 4.5.538.00 pro on a p3-450!! Previously I was using win98se with the same version, when I did a complete format & put on Win
2000 pro I did not have the stated problem(s) until a few days ago. I do not think it is a speed problem on shutdown as Win 2000 pro runs slightly slower on my machine than Win 98se did, but I upgraded to get a more stable version of Windows. I have tried the custom cookies & mobile code but I will try the backup of settings idea. I like zap pro for the same reasons & have used Steve Gibsons site to check for problems, got a clean bill of health as well. What was the last 4.5.xxx version since if I use that version it might help.