Weird: shuts down fine but hangs when restarted

[Todd]

Hi All,

XP SP3

I have a customer with a weird problem. She can shutdown
just fine. Powers off and everything. Starts back up
perfectly when the power button is pressed.

But when she hits restart instead of shutdown, it
finishes the shutdown part but won't restart. Just
sits there with all the lights on and nothing on the
monitor.

Weird! What do you guys think I should look for?
I am thinking of pulling the power plug out the back
and letting it sit for 10 minutes.

Many thanks,
-T

 

[Paul]

Hi All,

XP SP3

I have a customer with a weird problem. She can shutdown
just fine. Powers off and everything. Starts back up
perfectly when the power button is pressed.

But when she hits restart instead of shutdown, it
finishes the shutdown part but won't restart. Just
sits there with all the lights on and nothing on the
monitor.

Weird! What do you guys think I should look for?
I am thinking of pulling the power plug out the back
and letting it sit for 10 minutes.

Many thanks,
-T

There was a problem similar to this in another group.

Someone there, with a relatively modern computer,
tried to install Windows, and when the installer
CD wanted to do a restart, it was like the restart
didn't get sent to the hardware.

I don't have a solution for you.

Maybe we should be keeping track of the details,
such as machine make and model, chipset (Intel or otherwise),
whether the BIOS is UEFI or legacy, and so on. To see
if there is a common element.

It could be a BIOS bug, or it could be some new flavor
of hardware-level malware. There really aren't any other
symptoms to go on.

One problem with these other groups (Win7 and Win8 groups),
is Google is not archiving them, and I can't even do a
search against the groups, to find the details for you.

Paul

 

[Todd]

There was a problem similar to this in another group.

Someone there, with a relatively modern computer,
tried to install Windows, and when the installer
CD wanted to do a restart, it was like the restart
didn't get sent to the hardware.

I don't have a solution for you.

Maybe we should be keeping track of the details,
such as machine make and model, chipset (Intel or otherwise),
whether the BIOS is UEFI or legacy, and so on. To see
if there is a common element.

It could be a BIOS bug, or it could be some new flavor
of hardware-level malware. There really aren't any other
symptoms to go on.

One problem with these other groups (Win7 and Win8 groups),
is Google is not archiving them, and I can't even do a
search against the groups, to find the details for you.

Paul

Hi Paul,

I build the system. The reboot problem is an occurrence
starting this week. Worked fine before.

Intel 520 Series SSDSC2CW240A3K5 2.5 inch 240GB SATA3 Solid State Drive

Asus P8B-M Server Motherboard - Intel C204 Chipset - Socket H2 LGA-1155

Intel Xeon Quad-Core Processor E3-1240V2

Kingston KVR16E11/2I DDR3-1600 2GB/256Mx72 ECC CL11 Server Memory

I have no idea why Google archives what they do and don't. It/they
is/are a pain in the neck!

-T

 

[Todd]

Maybe you could try System Restore to a date preceding this problem (if you
can't find an answer).

Great idea. Thank you.

Just thought of a trick. Boot into a Live CD and see if
restart work from a different OS. That would tell me
hardware or software. (I go to her place Monday or Tuesday.)

-T

 

[Jeff Barnett]

Todd wrote, On 3/28/2013 9:20 PM:

Hi All,

XP SP3

I have a customer with a weird problem. She can shutdown
just fine. Powers off and everything. Starts back up
perfectly when the power button is pressed.

But when she hits restart instead of shutdown, it
finishes the shutdown part but won't restart. Just
sits there with all the lights on and nothing on the
monitor.

Weird! What do you guys think I should look for?
I am thinking of pulling the power plug out the back
and letting it sit for 10 minutes.

Many thanks,
-T

Sorry, I can't remember exactly where I ran into the settings but some
place in XP you can specify what to do when the power or another button
is hit. My recollection is that the settings aren't buried too deep,
i.e., some place a client might run into while browsing. I never had any
reason to change the default settings but you never know what might
cause an itch for someone else.

 

[Jeff Barnett]

Jeff Barnett wrote, On 3/28/2013 11:35 PM:

Todd wrote, On 3/28/2013 9:20 PM:
Sorry, I can't remember exactly where I ran into the settings but some
place in XP you can specify what to do when the power or another button
is hit. My recollection is that the settings aren't buried too deep,
i.e., some place a client might run into while browsing. I never had any
reason to change the default settings but you never know what might
cause an itch for someone else.

Now I remember - look under power options and you get choices for the
behavior of the power and sleep buttons. Power options can be located
either through Control Panel or right-click desk top and dig in via the
screen saver stuff.

 

[Todd]

Jeff Barnett wrote, On 3/28/2013 11:35 PM:

Now I remember - look under power options and you get choices for the
behavior of the power and sleep buttons. Power options can be located
either through Control Panel or right-click desk top and dig in via the
screen saver stuff.

Oh it shuts down just fine. It is restart that hangs when it
is suppose to be booting back up.

 

[Twayne]

In

Hi All,

XP SP3

I have a customer with a weird problem. She can shutdown
just fine. Powers off and everything. Starts back up
perfectly when the power button is pressed.

But when she hits restart instead of shutdown, it
finishes the shutdown part but won't restart. Just
sits there with all the lights on and nothing on the
monitor.

Weird! What do you guys think I should look for?
I am thinking of pulling the power plug out the back
and letting it sit for 10 minutes.

Many thanks,
-T

Why haven 't you already done that? At least it would show some diligence on
your part.

Have you run virus and malware checks? With what programs?

 

[Twayne]

In

Be careful, as there are only a limited number of restore
points saved, so maybe you could have her try it NOW -
before it's too late, and you won't even have that option
anymore!
You could tell her how on the phone.

I don't think she's got much to lose by trying, but keep
in mind that every day that goes by deletes another older
restore point.

Not true with XP; can't speak for other OS's. It seems like Win7 might do
that.

If not enough restore points are being saved, increase the amount of disk
space allocated to them by at least 2, maybe 4.

HTH,

Twayne`

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In Bill in Co <[email protected]> typed: []

I don't think she's got much to lose by trying, but keep
in mind that every day that goes by deletes another older
restore point.

Not true with XP; can't speak for other OS's. It seems like Win7 might do
that.

In practice, XP _can_ behave like that: not a rigid one per day (though
I think one of the settings _does_ at least _create_ one for each new
day, provided the computer is booted that day), but once you've reached
the point where you've filled the allocated space, then in effect it
_will_ lose one a day, or at least one for every new one created, which
as I've said can in effect be one a day.

If not enough restore points are being saved, increase the amount of disk
space allocated to them by at least 2, maybe 4.

Will delay the loss of restore points, until you fill it again.
(Personally I like to use ERUNT, which doesn't dump what it saves ever,
but the restore point mechanism is handy because it _is_ automatic.)

 

[Todd]

Personally I like to use ERUNT

1+

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Will delay the loss of restore points, until you fill it again.
(Personally I like to use ERUNT, which doesn't dump what it saves ever,
but the restore point mechanism is handy because it _is_ automatic.)

I also use ERUNT, but not instead of System Restore, in addition to
it. So I have double backups of the registry and I also have backups
of the other system files that System Restore backs up.

 

[Todd]

Hi All,

XP SP3

I have a customer with a weird problem. She can shutdown
just fine. Powers off and everything. Starts back up
perfectly when the power button is pressed.

But when she hits restart instead of shutdown, it
finishes the shutdown part but won't restart. Just
sits there with all the lights on and nothing on the
monitor.

Weird! What do you guys think I should look for?
I am thinking of pulling the power plug out the back
and letting it sit for 10 minutes.

Many thanks,
-T

Follow up: pulling the cord out the back for 10 minutes cured
the problem.

Thank you all for the help and tips!

-T