Common Windows XP Shutdown problem

[Guest]

Everytime I shut down my Windows XP machine now; my computer hangs
momentarily and I have to keep clicking the end now button to switch off my
PC. It normally occurs after closing my Internet Explorer and then shutting
down my PC. It appears that my PC is waiting for IE to close properly before
shutting down. The error message I'm receiving is shown below:

"End Program - Explorer.exe
Ending program... Please wait. If you choose to end the program immediately,
you will lose any unsaved data. To end the program now click End Now."

I have tried the Microsoft self support service. Incident ID 328849 found @
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328849/en-us shows the exact same symptons
that I'm experincing. Unfortunately, it does not provide any resolution.
Please note, I'm not using the Spanish version of Windows XP. Just the plain
English version. This article seems to think that this is normal practice
but I find this problem as most annoying at this stage. More importantly,
my PC is currently fully up to date with all Windows Updates patches.
Service Pack 2 is installed on my XP PC and the version is showing Version
5.1 Build 2600. xpsp_sp2 in About Windows. As mentioned before, I'm not
using the spanish version. Furthermore my PC is free from any viruses as my
antivirus software is fully updated. I would welcome any suggestions about
resolving this problem.

If anybody out there has found a resolution to this annoying shutdown
problem as explained above, then I would be grateful if you could please let
me know.

Thanks,

Martin

 

[Bob I]

there is Explorer.exe and iexplorer.exe, the first is your desktop and
the second is Internet Explorer. What is the malware status of the
machine in question?

 

[Guest]

Dear Martin,
This fix will allow the end task menu to automaticly end the program for you
if shutdown has initiated. If you desired any alternate outcomes just let me
know and i'll do my best to help.

Automatically Kill Programs At Shutdown:
Click Start
Click run
Type in the box regedit (hit enter)
Navigate on the left side tree to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder
Navigate on the left side tree to the Control Panel folder
Navigate on the left side tree to the Desktop folder
On the right side of the page there is an entry that says AutoEndTasks
(double click this)
When the value box appears, change the value from 0 to 1 and hit ok
Exit regedit and your problem is solved.

xXGeminiXx (David)

 

[Ayush]

But this is not the right method, it does't solve the real problem.

--

Ayush [ Be ''?'' Happy ]

| Dear Martin,
| This fix will allow the end task menu to automaticly end the program for
you
| if shutdown has initiated. If you desired any alternate outcomes just let
me
| know and i'll do my best to help.
|
| Automatically Kill Programs At Shutdown:
| Click Start
| Click run
| Type in the box regedit (hit enter)
| Navigate on the left side tree to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder
| Navigate on the left side tree to the Control Panel folder
| Navigate on the left side tree to the Desktop folder
| On the right side of the page there is an entry that says AutoEndTasks
| (double click this)
| When the value box appears, change the value from 0 to 1 and hit ok
| Exit regedit and your problem is solved.
|
| xXGeminiXx (David)
|
| "Martin Healy" wrote:
|
| > Everytime I shut down my Windows XP machine now; my computer hangs
| > momentarily and I have to keep clicking the end now button to switch off
my
| > PC. It normally occurs after closing my Internet Explorer and then
shutting
| > down my PC. It appears that my PC is waiting for IE to close properly
before
| > shutting down. The error message I'm receiving is shown below:
| >
| > "End Program - Explorer.exe
| > Ending program... Please wait. If you choose to end the program
immediately,
| > you will lose any unsaved data. To end the program now click End Now."
| >
| > I have tried the Microsoft self support service. Incident ID 328849
found @
| > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328849/en-us shows the exact same
symptons
| > that I'm experincing. Unfortunately, it does not provide any
resolution.
| > Please note, I'm not using the Spanish version of Windows XP. Just the
plain
| > English version. This article seems to think that this is normal
practice
| > but I find this problem as most annoying at this stage. More
importantly,
| > my PC is currently fully up to date with all Windows Updates patches.
| > Service Pack 2 is installed on my XP PC and the version is showing
Version
| > 5.1 Build 2600. xpsp_sp2 in About Windows. As mentioned before, I'm not
| > using the spanish version. Furthermore my PC is free from any viruses
as my
| > antivirus software is fully updated. I would welcome any suggestions
about
| > resolving this problem.
| >
| > If anybody out there has found a resolution to this annoying shutdown
| > problem as explained above, then I would be grateful if you could please
let
| > me know.
| >
| > Thanks,
| >
| > Martin
| >
| >

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the rapid response. I will carry out this procedure shortly even
though I'm not too keen on editing the registry. I trust that it will work.
On the other hand, I was expecting that Microsoft had some patch or fix for
this or some official resolution.

Thanks again for your help.

Martin

 

[Rock]

Everytime I shut down my Windows XP machine now; my computer hangs
momentarily and I have to keep clicking the end now button to switch off
my
PC. It normally occurs after closing my Internet Explorer and then
shutting
down my PC. It appears that my PC is waiting for IE to close properly
before
shutting down. The error message I'm receiving is shown below:

"End Program - Explorer.exe
Ending program... Please wait. If you choose to end the program
immediately,
you will lose any unsaved data. To end the program now click End Now."

<snip>.

Shutdown Troubleshooter
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the helpful URL link. On this web page, I clicked on known
problems relating to Windows XP SP2. I saw that my problem was listed when
it refered to "If Windows is hanging because it can’t force a program to
terminate, one solution is to disable the automatic end task logic
(AutoEndTask)". In my case the program is IE as it results in the ""End
Program - Explorer.exe Ending program... Please wait. If you choose to end
the program immediately you will lose any unsaved data etc". I don't like
the proposed solution of disabling the AutoEndTask as it means editing the
registry. Of course I should back up the registry first but I don't see this
as being a specific resolution to problem as it applies generally to all
applications. Please note, that I'm not reporting any problems with my
hardware drivers as they were all preinstalled by my OEM distributor. All
device drivers are working correctly in Device Manager and my Antivirus
software dat files and Windows Updates are fully up to date. One last thing,
I'm don't have any Spyware software installed. Could Spyware cause this
shutdown problem? If not, this must be a major flaw or bug in Windows XP
SP2. Please note, I have been given a step by step procedure already on
disabling the automatic end task. I know how to do it but I don't approve of
it as it means editing the registry. It doesn't appear to be an exact
solution to the problem. I have already tried the Microsoft self support web
site but I have not found any official fix or resolution to this problem.

If you have any other suggestions, then please let me know.

Thanks,

Martin

 

[Guest]

Hello again Martin,

Some information: This registry edit does not solve specific problems, but
this registry edit, even if messed up, could not cause any problems as long
as you only edit the one entry. Also, the registry edit was only to
automaticly click end task for you, before the message even came up, witch
wouldn't solve any problems with IE or Explorer hanging on shutdown, but only
solve you haveing to click End Task every time. The causes of explorer
hanging are very vast and numerous, as Explorer.exe is the kernal of Windows,
meaning, the basis for windows running. If any single program at all has a
problem, it could cause explorer.exe to hang. The registry change i have
tested personally, and i change the registry daily. It is only an annoyance
fix, as the problem you are having doesn't seem to cause any malcfunctions,
just be annoying to the avg user. Chances of finding a solution other than
mine without having someone look at your computer is very remote as the
problem is EXTREMELY vast itself.

If you are still unwilling to try the registry change, i suggest downloading
Spybot - Search and Destroy, and running a full test. If nothing is
indicated, then the problem is most likely a program conflict that might
never be fixed without reinstalling, uninstalling, or reformatting.

As always, let me know if there's anything more i can do for you. Take it
easy.

 

[Rock]

Thanks for the helpful URL link. On this web page, I clicked on known
problems relating to Windows XP SP2. I saw that my problem was listed
when
it refered to "If Windows is hanging because it can’t force a program to
terminate, one solution is to disable the automatic end task logic
(AutoEndTask)". In my case the program is IE as it results in the ""End
Program - Explorer.exe Ending program... Please wait. If you choose to end
the program immediately you will lose any unsaved data etc". I don't
like
the proposed solution of disabling the AutoEndTask as it means editing the
registry. Of course I should back up the registry first but I don't see
this
as being a specific resolution to problem as it applies generally to all
applications. Please note, that I'm not reporting any problems with my
hardware drivers as they were all preinstalled by my OEM distributor. All
device drivers are working correctly in Device Manager and my Antivirus
software dat files and Windows Updates are fully up to date. One last
thing,
I'm don't have any Spyware software installed. Could Spyware cause this
shutdown problem? If not, this must be a major flaw or bug in Windows XP
SP2. Please note, I have been given a step by step procedure already on
disabling the automatic end task. I know how to do it but I don't approve
of
it as it means editing the registry. It doesn't appear to be an exact
solution to the problem. I have already tried the Microsoft self support
web
site but I have not found any official fix or resolution to this problem.

If you have any other suggestions, then please let me know.

Thanks,

Martin

It's not a major flaw or bug in SP2., it's a problem with the particular
software and drivers in your system. Do some clean boot troubleshooting to
see what's hanging up. Also it would make your post much more readable if
you broke it up with paragraphs.

Clean Boot Troubleshooting

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=316434

How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310353

-- -

Rock [ MVP User/Shell]

 

[Guest]

Thanks for submitting the 3 extra troubleshooting web links. I was away for
a few days. I haven't looked at these yet. I would like to remind you again
that this shutdown issue is not due to incorrect hardware drivers in my case
as no problems are found in Device Manager. There is no yellow bang or any
other marker next to any of my Device drivers in DM. This problem was not
noticable when I purchased the system initially but has become more prominent
or prevalent recently.

I have noticed that many other users are reporting this shutdown problem in
XP as well. It's possible that my Adobe Reader program could be causing this
problem as it is not a purchased version or it could be due to spyware as
mentioned by my OEM manufacturer. I have noticed that this shutdown problem
occurs more regularly after using Adobe reader. I do not accept that there
is an issue with my hardware drivers as indicated by your previous post but
maybe it is time to update my device drivers with new releases. I'm
disappointed that Microsoft haven't provided a fix or resolution to this
common shutdown problem like other self support incidents. Anyway, I'm
convinced that this is not a hardware issue but only a software issue
resulting from the XP OS or third party software. I have never experienced
this shutdown problem in Windows 98 SE. It is definitely a XP problem.

Thanks for the helpful URL link. On this web page, I clicked on known
problems relating to Windows XP SP2. I saw that my problem was listed
when
it refered to "If Windows is hanging because it can’t force a program to
terminate, one solution is to disable the automatic end task logic
(AutoEndTask)". In my case the program is IE as it results in the ""End
Program - Explorer.exe Ending program... Please wait. If you choose to end
the program immediately you will lose any unsaved data etc". I don't
like
the proposed solution of disabling the AutoEndTask as it means editing the
registry. Of course I should back up the registry first but I don't see
this
as being a specific resolution to problem as it applies generally to all
applications. Please note, that I'm not reporting any problems with my
hardware drivers as they were all preinstalled by my OEM distributor. All
device drivers are working correctly in Device Manager and my Antivirus
software dat files and Windows Updates are fully up to date. One last
thing,
I'm don't have any Spyware software installed. Could Spyware cause this
shutdown problem? If not, this must be a major flaw or bug in Windows XP
SP2. Please note, I have been given a step by step procedure already on
disabling the automatic end task. I know how to do it but I don't approve
of
it as it means editing the registry. It doesn't appear to be an exact
solution to the problem. I have already tried the Microsoft self support
web
site but I have not found any official fix or resolution to this problem.

If you have any other suggestions, then please let me know.

Thanks,

Martin

It's not a major flaw or bug in SP2., it's a problem with the particular
software and drivers in your system. Do some clean boot troubleshooting to
see what's hanging up. Also it would make your post much more readable if
you broke it up with paragraphs.

Clean Boot Troubleshooting

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=316434

How to perform a clean boot in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310353

-- -

Rock [ MVP User/Shell]

 

[Rock]

Thanks for submitting the 3 extra troubleshooting web links. I was away
for
a few days. I haven't looked at these yet. I would like to remind you
again
that this shutdown issue is not due to incorrect hardware drivers in my
case
as no problems are found in Device Manager. There is no yellow bang or
any
other marker next to any of my Device drivers in DM. This problem was not
noticable when I purchased the system initially but has become more
prominent
or prevalent recently.

I have noticed that many other users are reporting this shutdown problem
in
XP as well. It's possible that my Adobe Reader program could be causing
this
problem as it is not a purchased version or it could be due to spyware as
mentioned by my OEM manufacturer. I have noticed that this shutdown
problem
occurs more regularly after using Adobe reader. I do not accept that
there
is an issue with my hardware drivers as indicated by your previous post
but
maybe it is time to update my device drivers with new releases. I'm
disappointed that Microsoft haven't provided a fix or resolution to this
common shutdown problem like other self support incidents. Anyway, I'm
convinced that this is not a hardware issue but only a software issue
resulting from the XP OS or third party software. I have never
experienced
this shutdown problem in Windows 98 SE. It is definitely a XP problem.

I mean to imply that is was definitely a driver problem, just that it could
be. Also just because there are no yellow exclamation marks in Device
Manager doesn't mean there is not a driver conflict.

If it's the particular combination of software and/or drivers on your system
that's the issue, then there is nothing for MS to fix. It's for you to fix.

Because it didn't happen in ME but happens in XP is not a valid comparison.
The hardware drivers and software are going to be different. I would
suggest you spend your time troubleshooting this.

 

[Guest]

My hardware drivers came preinstalled by my OEM (Dell) and I have reported no
problems with them. Like I said before, I could update these drivers with
new releases but why should I when my system is completely stable. If I ran
my computer without ever going online (i.e. without using internet explorer),
then I would not encounter this irrating shutdown delay problem. My OEM have
suggested that it could be caused by a spyware problem or some other program.
Anyway, I can only see this problem resulting from Microsoft IE or some
other third party program.

Finally, just to recap, the closest description I have come to finding a
similar problem is incident 328849 @
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328849/en-us but this article relates only to
Windows SP1 and Spanish version. As you know, it doesn't offer a resolution
as the article seems to imply that it is normal behaviour. No mention of
hardware device conflicts as being a potential problem in this article like
you mentioned. In my case, I'm running Windows XP professional SP2 English
version. I have accepted another persons advice of disabling the auto end
task in the registry. It will not solve this problem completely but at least
I will not have to click the End Now button repeatedly when this message is
displayed. I hope you do not find this reply as being harsh but accept my
view to some extent as well.

Finally, thanks for submitting those troubleshooting links in your previous
posts. It is my intention to check over these links in due course.
Occasionally, certain issues like this need to be brought to the attention of
Microsoft. Other people out there are reporting this same problem and it
can't always be due to hardware device drivers conflicts. Perhaps in future,
I should monitor event viewer in order to rule out any hardware conflicts if
it is possible.

 

[Rock]

My hardware drivers came preinstalled by my OEM (Dell) and I have reported
no
problems with them. Like I said before, I could update these drivers with
new releases but why should I when my system is completely stable. If I
ran
my computer without ever going online (i.e. without using internet
explorer),
then I would not encounter this irrating shutdown delay problem. My OEM
have
suggested that it could be caused by a spyware problem or some other
program.
Anyway, I can only see this problem resulting from Microsoft IE or some
other third party program.

Finally, just to recap, the closest description I have come to finding a
similar problem is incident 328849 @
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328849/en-us but this article relates only
to
Windows SP1 and Spanish version. As you know, it doesn't offer a
resolution
as the article seems to imply that it is normal behaviour. No mention of
hardware device conflicts as being a potential problem in this article
like
you mentioned. In my case, I'm running Windows XP professional SP2
English
version. I have accepted another persons advice of disabling the auto end
task in the registry. It will not solve this problem completely but at
least
I will not have to click the End Now button repeatedly when this message
is
displayed. I hope you do not find this reply as being harsh but accept my
view to some extent as well.

Finally, thanks for submitting those troubleshooting links in your
previous
posts. It is my intention to check over these links in due course.
Occasionally, certain issues like this need to be brought to the attention
of
Microsoft. Other people out there are reporting this same problem and it
can't always be due to hardware device drivers conflicts. Perhaps in
future,
I should monitor event viewer in order to rule out any hardware conflicts
if
it is possible.

If you want to bring this to the attention of MS, then call them. You are
not talking to MS in here. If you want to some assumptions and limit your
options in figuring out what's wrong that's up to you.