End Program

[Ben Stevenson]

When I Restart or am shutting down the computer, I get the pop-up box:

End program - explorer.exe

Sometimes it does manage to end, and sometimes it doesn't, and I have to
click the button
"End Now" to carry on with the Restart or the Shutdown.

At other times the pop-box says:

End Program - 0

And I have to carry out the same procedure as above. My computer is rather
dodgy these days and this could be quite a contributor.
What could be wrong?
TIA

 

[Rock]

When I Restart or am shutting down the computer, I get the pop-up box:

End program - explorer.exe

Sometimes it does manage to end, and sometimes it doesn't, and I have to
click the button
"End Now" to carry on with the Restart or the Shutdown.

At other times the pop-box says:

End Program - 0

And I have to carry out the same procedure as above. My computer is rather
dodgy these days and this could be quite a contributor.
What could be wrong?
TIA

Have you done a thorough check for malware using a combination of AV an
anti-malware programs in safe mode? See this links for info on malware
scanning:

THE PARASITE FIGHT
Finding, Removing & Protecting Yourself From Scumware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm

Richard Harper’s Guide to Cleaning Pests
http://rgharper.mvps.org/cleanit.htm

Also you can do some 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

Here is a shutdown/restart troubleshooting guide:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm