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Author Topic: Problem with shutting down: stalls  (Read 2724 times)

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Drd

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    Problem with shutting down: stalls
    « on: April 06, 2010, 10:35:20 PM »
    Hello: I use Windows XP power pack 2. For the past week or so I've been having a problem where when I want to shut down or go to the "stand by" I do this: click start, then click on the red circle"Turn off computer" then the hourglass figure appears (meaning wait) and I wait and wait but nothing happens. Eventually the computer goes into screen saver mode and the poor computer can never shut down.  When I want to shut down, I have to push the power button on the computer box itself, which I'm sure is bad for computers.
       Even if, for example, I download a program or something and get the message "you have to restart for this to take effect" the computer can't seem to restart itself.
      I've been over on the malware boards but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong there. I did look up this problem in the archives and there was some talk of maybe there being programs that take longer than the computer to shut down, but I try shutting everything else down and sometimes still it doesn't work. Plus, the whole thing is that I want to be able to keep the files I'm using and some of the sites up and going while I put the computer on stand by. I used to be able to do this but can't any more.
     I'd appreciate any help you can give
    Thanks

    Dr. D.

    Azzaboi



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    Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
    « Reply #1 on: April 07, 2010, 03:19:49 AM »
    It will probably be an issue under your background services, check run > services.msc. Drivers like Nvidia Service Helper, etc, sometimes can hang on some systems and need to be removed, fixed, updated or re-installed.

    Seems like your already tried it, but close off the background programs on your task manager before shutting down to see if one of them is the issue.

    Disable power management, it's can screw up with some motherboards, your BIOS may have one setting and stupid windows has another causing a lock up (duel sleep mode they don't wake from). Go to the Control Panel, click on “Performance and Maintenance,” and choose Power Options.  Set them to 'Always On' for testing. Also disable any screen savers, these can cause issues with hanging programs too. Simply switching the screen off and Windows + L to lock if you wish.

    Power settings on some devices have been known to fail on the shutdown. Software or the driver tell the device to shutdown first and waits, but it never completes the task. If you have a printer, scanner, or ipod attached, etc, you might want to disconnect it for testing.

    Next time you need to force shutdown, just click Start-->Run and type "shutdown -f -s -t 0" (without the quotes - the last character is a zero) and hit Enter. Your PC will shutdown immediately. It's a bit safer than the power button.

    To speed up the 'waiting time' for your shutdown:
    Start Regedit.
    Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control.
    Click on the "Control" Folder.
    Select "WaitToKillServiceTimeout"
    Right click on it and select Modify.
    Set it to a value lower than 2000, say 1000 as a test.
    You should give it at least some time to save work.

    Highly recommend you get Service Pack 3 for WinXP, it's much more stable, secure, faster and might also fix your windows files causing the shutdown issue.

    Microsoft Troubleshooting:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308029/en-us
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    Drd

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      Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
      « Reply #2 on: April 07, 2010, 03:32:53 AM »
      Hello Azzaboi: That's a lot of information for a newbie like me. I guess I'll try them one by one, starting with the Service 3 pack. I'll let you know what works, just for the record.

      Thanks!

      Dr. D.

      Drd

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        Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
        « Reply #3 on: April 09, 2010, 12:01:46 PM »
        I checked the run services.msc and got a list of things but I really don't know what to do with that list. How can I tell from that what the problem is?

        Dr.D.

        Azzaboi



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        Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
        « Reply #4 on: April 09, 2010, 12:25:38 PM »
        Have you tried Service Pack 3 with no luck?

        For the services, I would leave them as a last option, specially if you are unsure what is what. It is powerful to reduce the OS footprint and speed up the system without any unneccessary background services that you don't use and can be used to kill off unwanted/unstable services added by other applications as well (which might be the problem). However, you can also kill off the entire OS or a component you need if not careful.

        BlackViper might help clear some of it up: http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm
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        Drd

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          Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
          « Reply #5 on: April 09, 2010, 12:45:51 PM »
          Right now I'm going through the Service pack 3 process. Microsoft keeps sending me from site to site and various Pre-uploads, version validation, etc.  So we're not there yet, but I'm working on it!

          Thanks

          I'll keep you posted.

          Dr.D.

          Drd

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            Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
            « Reply #6 on: April 09, 2010, 01:28:25 PM »
            Microsoft says that I dont have a valid copy of Windows. Now I can't see how to download the Service Pack 3. Any suggestions?

            Thank you

            Dr D

            Azzaboi



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            Re: Problem with shutting down: stalls
            « Reply #7 on: April 09, 2010, 05:44:04 PM »
            Either get a valid copy of windows, heh, or use a student key if you must...

            Download the service pack 3 from here -
            Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers:
            http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=5b33b5a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4

            That way you have a full copy and can burn to disc, etc, for backup purposes and use again when needed. It might still validate your windows.
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