Windows XP Home refuses to close down

[Guest]

Windows XP Home on my laptop refuses to close down. I get the message
"Windows is closing down" and there it sticks. I cannot switch off because
the battery keeps it going, so the only solution is to remove the battery and
put it back again. Any suggestions please?

 

[Sharon F]

Windows XP Home on my laptop refuses to close down. I get the message
"Windows is closing down" and there it sticks. I cannot switch off because
the battery keeps it going, so the only solution is to remove the battery and
put it back again. Any suggestions please?

This happened on my daughter's laptop recently (XP Pro). We started with a
disk cleanup, ran chkdsk and defrag. It cleared up with these simple steps.

If you're not as lucky, you'll need to dig deeper. Causes for a failed
shutdown vary. They can be software or driver related. A good reference for
troubleshooting XP shutdown problems can be found at this site:
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

 

[Guest]

Thanks. Step one no good but the site you mention looks helpful so I am
working my way through that. Will let you know outcome.

 

[Sharon F]

Thanks. Step one no good but the site you mention looks helpful so I am
working my way through that. Will let you know outcome.

You're welcome, Eric. Sorry that you weren't as lucky but good luck with
troubleshooting the issue further.

 

[Guest]

Goto HTTP://www.lavasoftusa.com and get ADAWARE SE (it's free!). Install it
and update the dat files. Run the full system scan and see if you have any
spyware that is causing the problem. You can also get SPYBOT - Search and
Destroy (can't remember the web site...just GOOGLE it and it's free too!) and
update, etc.

Also, if it still hangs on shutdown, try this...Press and hold the power
button. After 5-10 seconds, it should shut down the system. Should save you
from pulling the battery every time.

Good Luck!

 

[Guest]

Thanks Matrix. Unfortunately there has been a general snarl up which now
prevents me from connecting to the internet so I cannot access websites. I
think I might have had a virus. My Antivirus software told me that it
detected one. and went on (so the message said) to repair it. The trouble
with connecting to the internet and windows refusing to close happened at the
same time. I cannot use the restore system commands because it will not take
effect if Windows does not shut down properly. I am still struggling

 

[Sharon F]

Thanks Matrix. Unfortunately there has been a general snarl up which now
prevents me from connecting to the internet so I cannot access websites. I
think I might have had a virus. My Antivirus software told me that it
detected one. and went on (so the message said) to repair it. The trouble
with connecting to the internet and windows refusing to close happened at the
same time. I cannot use the restore system commands because it will not take
effect if Windows does not shut down properly. I am still struggling

:

For getting back online, try the following at a command prompt if you have
XP with SP2 installed:
Netsh winsock reset

For earlier versions of the OS see the following document in the MS
Knowledge Base:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=892350.

If still no luck getting online, borrow a computer and go online to read
about the virus your antivirus program detected. There may be additional
cleaning/repair steps that you have to do manually to completely clean it
off of your system.

A method you could try to get System Restore to run:
How to start the System Restore tool at a command prompt in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=304449

 

[Guest]

Thanks Sharon F and Matrix for all your suggestions. I had previously tried
System Restore but because Windows would not close down properly the restore
would not take effect. Now, at last, I have resolved the problem this
morning. I checked through all my backup files and found that I had made a
state system backup on an external drive a few days before my troubles
started. I did a full restore and lo and behold eveything is now functioning
properly, including my broadband access to the internet!! Luckily I have had
my desktop computer running all this time which has allowed me to carry on
this correspondence. Thanks again. Eric Hardy

 

[Sharon F]

Thanks Sharon F and Matrix for all your suggestions. I had previously tried
System Restore but because Windows would not close down properly the restore
would not take effect. Now, at last, I have resolved the problem this
morning. I checked through all my backup files and found that I had made a
state system backup on an external drive a few days before my troubles
started. I did a full restore and lo and behold eveything is now functioning
properly, including my broadband access to the internet!! Luckily I have had
my desktop computer running all this time which has allowed me to carry on
this correspondence. Thanks again. Eric Hardy

You're welcome, Eric. The system state tool in NTBackup isn't elegant but
it does what it was designed to do.