Windows XP takes forever to shut down

I'm running Windows XP Home. A few weeks ago it suddenly started to take a long time to shut down. It does not matter whether I use the task manager or just the regular Start menu choice. Or whether there are open applications or all applications have been closed. The computer goes through the normal shutdown process, but it just takes forever.

I've seen some posts on similar topics, but found nothing helpful. Any ideas will be appreciated.

 

Do you run any spyware/adaware programs? Have you made any system changes, like dumping the pagesys file on shutdown? Anything that may have happened like this?

 

Steve, I looked at the Microsoft report you referred to, and tried some of the things they had there, but no luck.

Dbmaster, I ran Ad-Aware and Spybot, and deleted a few cookies and the like, but they found nothing unusual. The problem still remains.

I cannot remember doing anything that might have caused a problem. One unusual thing happened just before the problem started. We went on vacation for 10 days, and the computer was left on. (The culprit has still not been identified.) Don't know if that would cause this.

I guess I could try going back to the Last Good Configuration, and see if that solves the problem.

 

The one thing that I stress in all of the security classes that I teach is to always shut down the PC if you are not using it, especially if you are directly connected to the internet. Always a risk...I also stress that PCs consume electricity and what can cause a fire is electricity. So be careful with this..sorry to sound like an old man but have been around too long and have seen too many things happen. I even had a mouse catch fire connected to a laptop...no one ever believes me when I tell them that but very true

So enough of my rant...my apologies

How old is your PC? When was the last time a defrag was ran? To be honest with you I am not a big fan of XP home because of the issues that seem to happen mysteriously and infact still in love with W2K.

Do you know what the background services do? Maybe if you can export these out what you have configured, we can look and see what is needed and what is not. Maybe a cut and paste to a message.

Sorry if these questions seem intermediate, but knowing all of the facts prior to jumping to any conclusion would be wrong and not useful to you.

So let us know

Good Luck

 

I am having the same problem as Daanii. In addition, I get a message box with the title: Ending program please wait. ....the programs that are "ending" are ctfmon.exe, connections tray, and explorer.exe.

I have tried every suggestion that I was able to find on this board and others:

1. Installed UPHClean
2. tried to diagnose which program in the task manager was causing the "hanging" and could not figure it out.
3. did not do any registry changing.
4. adjusted pagefile settings - don't know how to clean the pagefile.
5. "repaired" internet explorer
6. did not disable DNS client service
7. disabled NVIDIA driver helper service
8. tried to find suggestions from the errors on userenv page
9. always use ad-aware and spysweeper

What do you mean by dumping the pagesys file on shutdown?

Is there any answer to this problem ??

 

Try using Black Viper's configurations. It should speed things up.

http://dhost.info/kyeu/mirror/blackviper/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

 

Another thing that I found to hinder Windows shut down.

That is the stuff that is loading at startup. I believe Windows has to be shut it all down before Windows will complete its shutdown. And if one of things hangs up it will also hinder Windows shutdown.

I had one that did not want to shut down. I finally got it out of the startup group and problem was sloved.

Also one time I was on the Internet and did not get off. Windows gave me a hassle about shutting down.

BillyBob

 

Oddly enough, the problem solved itself. My computer now shuts down reasonably fast, at least as fast as it did before.

Wish I knew what the problem was, and what solved it. But it was nothing I did that solved it.

Thanks for the assistance.

 

Following up on Billy Bob's suggestion:

Check background programs running - use the references in this thread and shut down those that aren't needed on startup. Every non-essential startup also slows down shutdown.

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=39425

If you're a novice, I would leave the Services alone.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks for the additional tips. I was able to disable most of the suggestions re: services. And, unchecking the regional language option I think helped a lot. I tried to do that earlier, but somehow it didn't work.

However, the netdde.exe service ( for chat ) keeps popping up in the Task Manager even though I have it disabled.

Still "saving settings" is too slow.

What do you mean by dumping the pagesys file on shutdown?

Thanks for your additional help.

 

How did you disable it? Some apps refuse to stay disabled, as apparently this one does. In that case, use of a program like Mike lin's startup blocking progams have be used, or a program like autoruns http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html which is probably the most effective currently.

Regards - Charles

 

I disabled the netdde.exe service in services.msc. I am not sure the link you suggested will work for me.

What do you mean by dumping the pagesys file on shutdown?

 

Judy, if that's directed at me, I'm not aware of writing anything about the "pagesys file on shutdown ".

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=46409

Take a look at the "blurb" - if anything will be effective, autoruns is it.

Regards - Charles

 

pagesys file on shutdown

Charles,

I was just trying to ask the question of the people in the thread about the dumping pagesys file on shutdown --- it was dbmaster who mentioned it.

Don't know how to reply to 1 person in the thread since the reply button is only at the bottom of the thread.

Thanks for your help,

Judy

 

Hi Judy, that's all have to do or use the quote under the particular post

Regards - Charles

 

A new discovery about XP being slow at shutting down.

I had problems last evening. XP did not seem to want to shut down. Had not had the problem before.

During the search for a cause I found that one of the Kids had been on AIM/AOL and had not logged off. Once I took care of that XP shut right down.

STRANGE things these Windows are !!!

BillyBob

 

More hints re: faster shut down:

Disconnect connections tray before starting shut down.

Look in the task manager for major programs running in the back ground. Programs I use manually were in services.msc to start automatically. One is my back up program and the other an imaging program.

 

What do you mean by "dumping the pagesys file on shutdown? "