The big Windows XP Shutdown Guide

18 counter-strategies when your computer doesn't want what you want: "XP, shut down!" (Screenshot: Windows Tweaks)

The Windows shutdown - this is the best-known Windows XP problem, which has faithfully accompanied the operating system since its release.
When you click on "Shut down", nothing happens or your PC restarts? Does it even hang in the process? There are many causes that can lead to such a problem. In this "small" big shutdown guide, you're sure to find what you're looking for if your system is making a mess when shutting down.

In most cases, the built-in hardware is the culprit in this dilemma. However, incorrect Windows settings can also delay or even prevent the shutdown. If this occurs, the operating system usually freezes immediately, which you can tell by a stuck mouse pointer.

The following tips describe all possible types of shutdown problems and also provide the correct solution...

Windows Shutdown - Solution 1: The controversial Windows XP logoff screen

The new login and logout options have been completely redesigned compared to Windows 2000 and, like many new features, this function also has its teething problems.

Some computers go on strike because of the logout screen and therefore cannot be shut down. It is therefore worth trying the classic logon and logoff technique. And this is how it works:

1. Click in succession on Start > System control and look for the symbol User accounts from.

2. A new window will open before your eyes in which you can see the entry Change the type of user login select.

3. Click to remove the checkmark in front of Use welcome page and confirm the changes you have made with Adopt option.

After a restart, your computer should shut down correctly and properly if it was allergic to these settings. If you are connected to a network or are a DSL user, it may help to assign a password that must be entered when logging in. This makes it much easier for the DSL/network adapter to log out of the network than if no password is entered.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 2: Activate the secret shutdown switch

Like many settings and solutions to a problem, there is a secret setting in the Windows registry for the topic Help, Windows won't shut down. This gives Windows the explicit command to actually switch itself and the PC off after clicking Shut down. This is how you proceed:

1. Click in succession on Start and select the entry Execute. A command line appears immediately, inviting you to enter the command regedit followed by pressing Enter.

2. Navigate your way through the folder jungle now HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon and double-click on the value in the right half of the window PowerdownAfterShutdown.

3. In the window that appears, enter the value 1 and confirm with OK. As with all registry settings, you must now restart the computer and try shutting it down again. If it did not work again, you should not worry. The shutdown guide is still large...

Windows Shutdown - Solution 3: Owners of Soundblaster Live! sound cards

If you have purchased the thoroughly convincing Soundblaster Live cards, you may have noticed, in addition to the brilliant sound quality and the great range of functions, that your computer can no longer be switched off after installing the drivers. As soon as Windows attempts a shutdown, messages appear via the Devldr.exe, which prolongs the shutdown and ultimately leads to a complete hang-up.

To solve the problem, you need to install the latest Creative Labs Soundblaster driver from www.soundblaster.com. Unfortunately, updating does not have the desired effect. Even completely uninstalling the old driver and installing the new one will not solve the shutdown problem. You must completely reinstall Windows XP and install the latest drivers immediately after the first start.

Another option is to rename the Devldr.exe file, which is only possible in safe mode.

1. Therefore, press the F8 key immediately after starting the system and select Safe mode.

2. Now navigate immediately via the workstation to C:WINDOWSSYSTEM32 and click with the right mouse button on the file Devldr.exe. Now that you have Rename you can enter the new file name Devldrold.exe enroll.

3. Thanks to the renaming, it is no longer possible to access the extended functions of the LiveWare! but your PC will finally shut down when you want it to. If it did not work, you should rename the file as it was.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 4: Windows XP does not recognize your motherboard

Some motherboards such as the Asus P2BF or Gigayte GA6BXC- C are not recognized correctly by Windows XP for power management, which is directly related to shutdown.

Installing the latest BIOS version helps in most cases. BIOS versions and the correct instructions for problem-free installation can be found on the manufacturer's website.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 5: Graphics cards with the Kyro II chip

The drivers supplied by Hercules or PowerVR are not always the latest. The initial drivers caused serious problems when shutting down, which has been fixed with new versions.

Download the latest reference drivers from www.powervr.com.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 6: A USB problem

In recent years, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) has increasingly become the favorite of friends of easy installations. There are now dozens of components, such as mice, scanners and webcams, which can be connected to the PC via the USB port. Unfortunately, this also causes serious shutdown errors in rare cases. And this is how you proceed:

1. Click with the right mouse button on Workplace and select Properties. A new window pops up in which you can select the tab Hardware and here on Device Manager click.

2. Now search for all duplicate or even triple entries of USB Root Hub or VIA Ref 5...which can also be similar and delete the lowest entries in each case. Never delete the top one!

3. In rare cases, a USB device deactivates itself, but this is not a problem as it reinstalls itself immediately after a restart.

However, physically deactivating (i.e. unplugging) the USB devices is also often a solution that may help to skillfully eliminate any problems that occur:

Unplug all USB devices and restart your system - if the shutdown error has been eliminated, you know who the suspect on the system is.

Patrick Weiss informed me by e-mail that his Lexar USB Card Reader was causing problems and he found out this way. In the case of this card reader, the driver file was sausb.sys the criminal, who can immediately be stopped by a driver update from http://driver.lexarmedia.com and could be resolved. I would like to thank Mr. Weiss for the information.

Mr. S. Uhle reported the same problems with the USB scanner Umax Astra 4500, which could be made to work with the latest manufacturer drivers. I would also like to thank Mr. Uhle and call for similar cases to be reported - these will then be added to the page!

Windows Shutdown - Solution 7: The Advanced PowerManagement

When installing Windows XP, the setup makes a very important decision right at the start. It either installs the classic APM or the more modern ACPI. These two systems are techniques that Windows uses to shut down the computer or switch it to standby mode.

If it is determined during installation that your mainboard does not fully or not at all comply with the specified ACPI specifications, the older APM (Advanced Power Management) is preferred to ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface). However, this type not only causes sleep disturbances that prevent Windows from returning from standby mode, but also very often causes problems when shutting down. To avoid this, you must follow the steps below:

1. Click one after the other on Start > System control and then double-click on the symbol Energy options. A window appears in which you can select the APM open.

2. Now select the option Activate support for Advanced Power Management so that the check mark appears in front of it:

If the register APM is not present on your computer, the newer ACPI has been installed:

3. Now confirm by clicking on OK and restart Windows XP.

ATTENTION: If you activate APM, several errors may occur if your BIOS is not fully APM 1.2 compatible. I recommend doing a BIOS update first. Possible errors after activating APM on non-compatible computers:

- Windows may not be able to shut down or restart.

- Devices may stop working after waking up from standby mode and system stability leaves a lot to be desired.

- APM does not support dual processor systems.

If your system is APM 1.2 compatible, Windows will shut down properly again. I would like to thank Benedikt Geyer for this trick.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 8: Disable restart in case of Windows errors

Windows XP offers the option of restarting automatically in the event of errors. As errors can also occur during shutdown, but these would not prevent the shutdown, the PC simply restarts instead of switching off.

To deactivate this feature, proceed as follows:

1. In the control panel, double-click on System. Now switch to the tab Extended and click on the button Settings under Starting and restoring.

2. Remove the tick in front of Perform automatic restart and confirm them with Ok.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 9: Install Logitech mouse driver

If you own a Logitech mouse, its drivers may also be the cause of an incorrect shutdown. In this case, I recommend that you always download the latest drivers from www.logitech.de.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 10: The swap file during shutdown

In some cases, Windows XP deletes the entire contents of the Swap file. This could also be the cause of such problems. To deactivate this feature, you must proceed as follows:

1. Click one after the other on Start and Execute. Type in the command line that appears regedit in.

2. The contents of the Windows registry database appear. Navigate one after the other to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSet ControlSession ManagerMemory Management. You should now see the value ClearPageFileAtShutdown in the right-hand pane. Double-click on it and change the entered 1 into a 0 to. After confirming with Ok and a restart, you could be rid of your problem.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 11: Check BIOS settings of the network card

The Basic Input Output System is the basic program of the computer and is therefore largely responsible for performance, stability and problems. It may also have a hand in the famous shutdown problem. Some network cards have problems with the settings Wake on PCI Card and Wake On Lan.
You must therefore switch them off.

Follow the tips in point 17 to access the BIOS. Now go to Power Management and deactivate the two settings mentioned above, press ESC and save your settings with Save & Exit Setup. Please note that due to the US keyboard layout, you do not have to type Y but Z to confirm.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 12: General checklist

It is possible that your system is not frozen at all - even if it looks like it is when it shuts down. Just wait a maximum of 5 minutes and see what happens.

1. It is important that you have closed all programs before shutting them down. Programs that start automatically, such as MSN Messenger, can also cause such problems. Click here for the tip to deactivate all Windows-internal programs that run hidden.

2. If you are in possession of an Nvidia graphics card, the service Nvidia Driver Helper service trigger this snail's pace. Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. A new window will open. Scroll down until the line Nvidia Driver Helper service appears, click on it with the right mouse button and select Properties. Under Startup type, change the setting to Disabled. Restart your computer.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 13: Install the latest CAPI drivers

With the Windows XP CAPI drivers for ISDN cards, inconsistencies may also occur in rare cases during shutdown. If you are using a Fritz! card, I advise you to update your software, which you can do from the manufacturer's homepage. I received this tip from a user for whom this was the cause.

AVM download page

Windows Shutdown - Solution 14: The possible solutions of the forum

I have also addressed the problem in the forum and have put the best solution suggestions in a post, which you can find here

To the Windows-Tweaks Forum article

Windows Shutdown - Solution 15: Is your keyboard/mouse connected via USB?

If you have connected your keyboard to the USB port, this could get in the way of the shutdown. In the case of a Logitech keyboard, help was provided by Logitech support in the forum as follows:

1. Proceed as in step 1 of possible solution 6 in order to Device Manager to open.

2. Double-click on USB root hub, Universal VIA controller (USB) (if these are available) and the entry for your keyboard and mouse. Now switch to Energy options resp. Energy management and deactivate the option Allow the computer to switch off the device to save energy and restart your computer.

After a restart, these shutdown problems may be solved. If not, in the case of a Logitech keyboard, you can fix it with driver version 2.13 of the iTouch software (Download this as well as the patch and its instructions). The current version 2.15 is unfortunately faulty! The same applies to many driver versions: The latest version is not always the best. So check for problems on the Internet before you click the shutdown guide away in frustration!

Windows Shutdown - Solution 16: Bluescreens/STOP messages during shutdown

Should your computer causes a blue screen or a STOP error message during shutdown, the entire contents of the working memory are written to the hard disk each time the computer is shut down. Professionals can create such memory images with the Debugging tools analyze, whereby the input of the STOP message on Google (click on the link for an example) can help to find the cause. The Microsoft Knowledge Base (Try both the German and the US version) should also be an important point of contact.

You must check the following settings to ensure that Windows does not restart during a blue screen shutdown or that the DMP file receives a complete memory image for analysis:

1. Click in succession on Start > System control and select the symbol System from.

2. Get the register now Extended forward and click in the Starting and restoring on Settings.

3. Now set under Save debug information from None (if this was set) to Complete memory image and confirm with OK.

Still mark Perform automatic restartto keep the message visible and confirm.

Note for Windows tweaks users: The tip to deactivate the memory image was described in the system tuning section as a speed-up. In this article there is therefore a mistake in my thinking, because it was about shutdown tuning or speeding up the shutdown process. A memory image prolongs this shutdown, but ultimately leads to a restart or a STOP error (BSOD) - in no case a correct shutdown. That's why I deleted this article by mistake and rewrote it for this shutdown guide! I hereby apologize for this mistake!

Windows Shutdown - Solution 17: Mouse/keyboard wake-up function

Windows tweaks reader Grizzly was also plagued by the famous shutdown problem: all peripheral devices on the computer switch off but the main components remain active. He shared the solution with us by e-mail:

1. Start the problem computer and press "Removal", "F2" or another key (see your computer's documentation) to access the BIOS. Search here, for example, under Power Management for entries called "Keyboard Function Power up" and "Mouse Function Power up". Note: The names of these entries vary from BIOS to BIOS.

2. Deactivate these entries by clicking on Disabled or Off to adjust the settings. This is usually done using the Enter key or the Page Up and Page Down keys.

After saving the settings (Save & Exit Setup), Windows should now shut down properly.

Windows Shutdown - Solution 18: Switch off DSL modem

Renate B. sent us another possible solution to the shutdown problem by email. Her computer restarted when she clicked on Shutdown. She switched off the DSL modem while Windows was still running, tried the shutdown and was surprised when this solved the problem. If you are also bothered by the shutdown problem, switching off the DSL modem shortly beforehand could work wonders.