Quick overview:
One of the most well-known problems that has accompanied the operating system faithfully since its release is the shutdown problem. When you click on Shutdown, nothing happens or your PC restarts? Does it even hang? There are many causes that lead to such a problem. In this little shutdown guide, you're sure to find what you're looking for if your system makes 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...
Solution 1 - Disable the automatically loaded programs
Windows Me's autostart programs are also responsible for incorrect shutdowns. Some of them get caught up in errors and Windows is then no longer able to deactivate them and gets stuck during shutdown.
1. Click on Start > Run and type msconfig in the command line.
2. Switch to the Autostart tab and uncheck all options. If the shutdown (preceded by a restart) now works, you must gradually reactivate the options until the culprit has been tracked down.
I recommend reading the article Disabling hidden autostart programs for more information on this.
Solution option 2 - Disable hardware components
In some cases, devices and their drivers cause problems during shutdown because they cannot be deactivated properly by Windows. However, since you do not know which part of your PC's innards is responsible for this, you should deactivate them one by one. However, you only need to deactivate the parts that are not critical to the system: Modem, TV cards, network cards or video editing cards would be some examples.
1. Right-click on Workplace and select Properties from the context menu.
2. You will now find yourself in a new window in which you can switch to the device manager and double-click on the modem, for example, so that the properties window appears.
3. In this new window, select the entry Disable in this hardware profile and place a tick in front of it.
Now repeat this with all components that are not required for a short time. If, for example, the shutdown works after deactivating the sound card, I recommend going to the manufacturer's website and downloading the latest drivers.
Solution 4 - The sounds during shutdown
The sound that is played during shutdown also causes difficulties in some cases when Windows is shut down. This audio file would only need to have a minor defect and Windows would no longer play.
It is therefore highly recommended to deactivate this sound:
1. Click on Start/Settings one after the other and select Control Panel.
2. Double-click on Sounds and multimedia and scroll down under Events until the entry Exit Windows appears. Select it and click Name under None.
3. After confirming with OK, you should try directly to see if the shutdown finally works.
Solution option 5 - APM power management
Advanced Power Management is often deeply involved when it comes to shutdown problems. It personally ensures that the computer is switched off (as well as in standby mode). On some computers, switching off APM helps, while the problems disappear when APM is activated on other computers.
To activate or deactivate APM, you must go through the following:
1. Go to the Control Panel and double-click Energy Options.
2. Now switch to the APM tab and (de)activate Advanced Power Management there.
One reboot and your shutdown problem will hopefully have vanished into thin air.
Possible solution 6 - Settings for power management
However, it is not only the APM control mentioned above that could cause errors. The conventional power settings are also sometimes the simple triggers when the computer does not shut down automatically.
1. Click on Start/Settings and switch to the power options under Control Panel.
2. Now set standby mode, turn off hard disk and turn off monitor.
Possible solution 7 - Values in the Windows registry
The so-called registry also contains some values that prevent shutdown. To make these disappear, you must proceed as follows:
1. Click on Run in the Start menu and enter regedit there.
2. After the registry editor has started, navigate through the keys HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\ Shutdown\ExclusionList
3. You will now see some entries under ExclusionList in the right-hand pane, which you can delete immediately.
4. After a restart, a smooth shutdown should be guaranteed.
Solution 8 - Delete temporary files
For some inexplicable reason, the temporary files in the Windows directory also cause a lot of trouble when shutting down, which can lead to hangs or bad error messages. Possibly because Windows is still permanently accessing these files and thus preventing the shutdown, but this is only a guess.
1. Double-click Workplace and switch to C:\ > WINDOWS > TEMP.
2. Here you delete all files that you find.
Solution 9 - Switch off the internal PC speaker
Due to incompatibilities with the hardware, the PC speaker, which is built into the housing, also interferes with the correct shutdown of Windows in rare cases. It is therefore advisable to deactivate it...
1. Click on Start/Run and enter System.ini. The text editor appears with the content of this important system file.
2. Now search for the line wave=speaker.drv and delete it.
A restart should finally provide a remedy here too!
Solution 10 - Install the Windows Tweaks patch
We have found another way for you in the Windows registry to get rid of the shutdown problem once and for all. It is created for you in a convenient registry file.
1. Click here to download the patch.
2. Once it is on your hard disk, all you have to do is double-click on it and confirm. A restart will apply the changes to the system.
Solution 11 - Install the latest CAPI drivers
With the Windows ME CAPI drivers for ISDN cards, inconsistencies can 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.
Possible solution 12 - 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 steps 1 and 2 of possible solution 2 to open the device manager.
2. Double-click on USB root hub, Universal VIA controller (USB) (if available) and the entry for your keyboard and mouse. Now switch to Energy or Energy management and deactivate the option Allow computer to turn off 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 try 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 away the shutdown guide in frustration!
Possible solution 13 - 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 email:
1. Start the problem computer and press "Del", "F2" or another key (see your computer's documentation) to access the BIOS. Search here e.g. 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 setting them to Disabled or Off. You can usually do this 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 again.
NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION:This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already we have been "tweaking" Windows since 1998 and just won't stop!
