Saving Settings stage takes 3 mins

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terry Pinnell
  • Start date Start date
T

Terry Pinnell

I've only recently noticed how glacially slow the close-down of my XP
Home PC is. The 'Saving your settings' stage is taking 3 minutes! Yet
Loading Settings on boot-up takes only a few seconds.

I believe I have my Services in reasonable shape, although there could
be a rogue amongst the many still enabled I suppose. I do have a fair
number of tray items running too. And a week or two ago I set my PC to
delete the page file each session. But even so, 3 mins seems gross.

Can anyone suggest possible causes, or efficient methods to isolate
one please?

BTW, is there any utility that actually *logs* what happens during
that phase? Rather like I recall Bootvis does on boot-up.
 
You've described your own solutions:

1. Don't play with your services.
2. Remove 100% of any of 'rogues'.
3. Reduce the number of programs running in the background.
4. Setting your computer to erase the pagefile is both unnecessary and
time-consuming.
 
Clear Page File At Shutdown is one of the culprits.

Note If you enable this feature, the shutdown time may be *increased*.

If ClearPageFileAtShutdown is set to 1, shutdown takes a *long* time.

Check this registry key...
Start | Run | Type: regedit | Click OK |
Navigate to...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Session Manager\Memory Management
Value Name: ClearPageFileAtShutdown
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Make sure that Value: is set 0

How to Clear the Windows Paging File at Shutdown
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314834

The Event Viewer logs shutdown problems if related to Userenv.

To open the Event Viewer...
Start | Run | Type: eventvwr | Click OK

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308427

Event Viewer overview
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/.../xp/all/proddocs/en-us/event_overview_01.mspx

If you see a lot of Userenv/1517, Userenv/1524 or Userenv/1500 errors in the
Event Viewer, download and install the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service.

This decreased my shutdown time a bunch.

Download details: User Profile Hive Cleanup Service
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&displaylang=en

UPHClean v1.5e readme.txt
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/8/7/a87b3d05-cd04-4743-a23b-b16645e075ac/readme.txt

Troubleshooting profile unload issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;837115

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Wesley Vogel said:
Clear Page File At Shutdown is one of the culprits.

Note If you enable this feature, the shutdown time may be *increased*.

If ClearPageFileAtShutdown is set to 1, shutdown takes a *long* time.
Click to expand...
Check this registry key...
Start | Run | Type: regedit | Click OK |
Navigate to...
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Session Manager\Memory Management
Value Name: ClearPageFileAtShutdown
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Make sure that Value: is set 0

How to Clear the Windows Paging File at Shutdown
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314834
Click to expand...

OK, thanks, I'll test by changing that back and time Saving Settings
again.
The Event Viewer logs shutdown problems if related to Userenv.

To open the Event Viewer...
Start | Run | Type: eventvwr | Click OK

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308427

Event Viewer overview
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/.../xp/all/proddocs/en-us/event_overview_01.mspx

If you see a lot of Userenv/1517, Userenv/1524 or Userenv/1500 errors in the
Event Viewer, download and install the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service.
Click to expand...

Thank you, good lead - I do have some of those.
This decreased my shutdown time a bunch.

Download details: User Profile Hive Cleanup Service
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&displaylang=en

UPHClean v1.5e readme.txt
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/8/7/a87b3d05-cd04-4743-a23b-b16645e075ac/readme.txt
Click to expand...

Could you amplify just a little please? I've installed it. But most of
that ReadMe is beyond me. On running uphclean.exe I get an empty 'DOS'
window, which closes after a short time. What is *supposed* to happen?
Do I get some analysis, or what?
Troubleshooting profile unload issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;837115
Click to expand...

The only one of the 4 symptoms described at that page that I truly
recognise
• A user profile does not unload.
• A roaming profile does not reconcile.
• You reach the registry size limit (RSL).
• You take a long time to log off, and you receive the following
message: Saving settings….

is the last one. I'm the only user on this PC. I wouldn't recognise a
'roaming profile' if it jumped out and bit me. What *is* the registry
limit, and how do I know if I'm approaching it?

Any further help you can offer would be much appreciated please.
 
Terry,

If you installed UPHClean properly you don't have to do anything.

You'll see at leat two entries for UPHClean in the Event Viewer. One when
you booted and one for when you shutdown.

Event Type: Information
Event Source: UPHClean
Event ID: 1001
Description:
User profile hive cleanup service version 1.5.5.21 started successfully.

and something similar to this.

Event Type: Information
Event Source: UPHClean
Event ID: 1201
The following handles in user profile hive MYPENTIUM450\Wesley P. Vogel
(S-1-5-21-170xxxxxx8-1xx043xx67-1202xx0629-1xx3) have been closed because
they were preventing the profile from unloading successfully:

lsass.exe (436)
HKCU (0x3f8)
-----

User Profile Hive Cleanup service will be listed in Services.

Uphclean.exe will be listed in the Task Manager.

As with a lot of programs it can do things that do not concern either one of
us. ;-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Wesley Vogel said:
Terry,

If you installed UPHClean properly you don't have to do anything.

You'll see at leat two entries for UPHClean in the Event Viewer. One when
you booted and one for when you shutdown.

Event Type: Information
Event Source: UPHClean
Event ID: 1001
Description:
User profile hive cleanup service version 1.5.5.21 started successfully.

and something similar to this.

Event Type: Information
Event Source: UPHClean
Event ID: 1201
The following handles in user profile hive MYPENTIUM450\Wesley P. Vogel
(S-1-5-21-170xxxxxx8-1xx043xx67-1202xx0629-1xx3) have been closed because
they were preventing the profile from unloading successfully:

lsass.exe (436)
HKCU (0x3f8)
-----

User Profile Hive Cleanup service will be listed in Services.

Uphclean.exe will be listed in the Task Manager.

As with a lot of programs it can do things that do not concern either one of
us. ;-)
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, Wesley, the penny has dropped now: it's installed a new
Service. I've done one reboot since my last post and it was much, much
faster. The Saving Settings phase in particular was very short.

Presumably I didn't need to execute Uphclean.exe then? Would I ever
need to do so? I don't see it in any of my Startup locations, but then
the bulk of my Services aren't either.

Much appreciate your help.
 
Hi Terry,

UPHClean is a service. The service is set to automatically start when the
computer boots so you will not need to start it manually.

I never gave it much thought before how services are started, but any
service is set to Automatic, Disabled or Manual in Services.msc. There is a
corresponding registry key for each service with those settings. At
startup, Svchost.exe checks the services portion of the registry to
construct a list of services that it needs to load. The Services Control
Manager (services.exe) is responsible for starting, stopping and interacting
with system services.

This registry key determines if or how UPHClean starts.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UPHClean
Value Name: Start
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 2
0 = ??? I don't know what this setting means.
1 = ??? I don't know what this setting means.
2 = Automatic
3 = Manual
4 = Disabled

I probably left something out, but that's the gist of it.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
Wesley Vogel said:
Hi Terry,

UPHClean is a service. The service is set to automatically start when the
computer boots so you will not need to start it manually.

I never gave it much thought before how services are started, but any
service is set to Automatic, Disabled or Manual in Services.msc. There is a
corresponding registry key for each service with those settings. At
startup, Svchost.exe checks the services portion of the registry to
construct a list of services that it needs to load. The Services Control
Manager (services.exe) is responsible for starting, stopping and interacting
with system services.

This registry key determines if or how UPHClean starts.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UPHClean
Value Name: Start
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 2
0 = ??? I don't know what this setting means.
1 = ??? I don't know what this setting means.
2 = Automatic
3 = Manual
4 = Disabled

I probably left something out, but that's the gist of it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Wes, that's all useful info for me.

You didn't comment on my query about the purpose of Uphclean.exe? Now
that I think about it, I don't see why the installation created that?
Given that all this is done by the registry, I'd have thought a .REG
would be the download file, and you'd just run that to add the
appropriate lines to the registry?

I don't think I'll risk screwing things up by trying it, but I'd guess
that, if I deleted that key you've isolated, and rebooted, the service
would disappear, but the key and the service would be re-created on
executing Uphclean.exe.
 
I need to track this down on my machnes too -- way too slow of a
shutdown.

Question: What is UPHClean? When should I use it? In Services,
should it be Automatic, Disabled, or Manual?

<*((((><{
(e-mail address removed)



In the last exciting episode on Sat, 01 Oct 2005 16:44:44 +0100, Terry
 
Terry,

[[WHAT IS UPHCLEAN
================

UPHClean is a service that once and for all gets rid of problems with user
profile not unloading.

You are having profile unload problems if you experience slow logoff (with
Saving Settings for most of the time while logging off), roaming profiles
that do not reconcile, or the registry size limit is reached.]]
From...
UPHClean v1.5e readme.txt
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/8/7/a87b3d05-cd04-4743-a23b-b16645e075ac/readme.txt

If you see a lot of Userenv/1517, Userenv/1524 or Userenv/1500 errors in the
Event Viewer, the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service helps fix these
problems.

Almost everything that you have asked is in the UPHClean v1.5e readme.txt.

It takes more than a .REG file.

See...
INSTALLATION
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/8/7/a87b3d05-cd04-4743-a23b-b16645e075ac/readme.txt


--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
If you see a lot of Userenv/1517, Userenv/1524 or Userenv/1500 errors in the
Event Viewer, download and install the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service.

Download details: User Profile Hive Cleanup Service
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&displaylang=en

UPHClean v1.5e readme.txt
http://download.microsoft.com/download/a/8/7/a87b3d05-cd04-4743-a23b-b16645e075ac/readme.txt

Troubleshooting profile unload issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;837115

Click the links and do a little reading.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
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