XP wont shut down

C

casey.o

Every so often, my laptop computer with XP-Pro SP3, wont shut down.
This seems to happen most often when I've been using a WIFI spot. I can
click shut down and it appears to be shutting down, but never shuts down
completely, even if I click on shutdown more times. If I leave it this
way, it drains the battery, even with the lid closed. This dont happen
often, but it does happen.

Unlike a home computer, I cant just unplug it. I have to remove the
battery to finally make it shut down.

What would cause this, and is there any fix?
 
P

Paul

Every so often, my laptop computer with XP-Pro SP3, wont shut down.
This seems to happen most often when I've been using a WIFI spot. I can
click shut down and it appears to be shutting down, but never shuts down
completely, even if I click on shutdown more times. If I leave it this
way, it drains the battery, even with the lid closed. This dont happen
often, but it does happen.

Unlike a home computer, I cant just unplug it. I have to remove the
battery to finally make it shut down.

What would cause this, and is there any fix?

Some ideas here.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...hut-down/670dfd5f-e54a-4112-bd7f-9288da1a5e99

Paul
 
V

VanguardLH

casey.o said:
Every so often, my laptop computer with XP-Pro SP3, wont shut down.
This seems to happen most often when I've been using a WIFI spot. I can
click shut down and it appears to be shutting down, but never shuts down
completely, even if I click on shutdown more times. If I leave it this
way, it drains the battery, even with the lid closed. This dont happen
often, but it does happen.

Use msconfig.exe to disable all startup items and reboot. If any of the
startup items are mandatory for wifi to work on your laptop (and not
just ancillary software to provide additional features that you might
not even use), you'll have to leave those to load on startup. If the
problem goes away then you reenable each startup item one at a time,
reboot, and retest for the problem. When the problem reappears then the
last reenabled startup program is the culprit.

Granted that if this is a sporadic problem that booting with some or all
startup items can make using the laptop a pain. Often when the OS
cannot shutdown it is caused by a program you are running that does not
respond to the OS' request for that program to exit. You could keep
track of what programs you were using at the time the OS couldn't
shutdown as it may not be a startup program but instead some program you
occasionally load to use at the time.
Unlike a home computer, I cant just unplug it. I have to remove the
battery to finally make it shut down.

Your laptop (unknown brand and model) has no means to fully power down?
 
B

BillW50

In (e-mail address removed) typed:
Unlike a home computer, I cant just unplug it. I have to remove the
battery to finally make it shut down.

Desktops, laptops, DirecTV boxes, etc. almost always use the method of
pushing and holding down the power button to kill the power to the
machine. It usually takes 3 to 5 seconds. No need to remove the battery.
Say your laptop doesn't use a Celeron, does it? As I noticed that
Celeron machines would slow drain the battery when shut off (usually
takes 2 to 4 weeks to drain a battery). If you remove the battery and
reinsert while still off, the draining stops.
What would cause this, and is there any fix?

Besides the good advice from Paul and VanguardLH, I've seen drivers
cause this problem too.
 
C

casey.o

Use msconfig.exe to disable all startup items and reboot. If any of the
startup items are mandatory for wifi to work on your laptop (and not
just ancillary software to provide additional features that you might
not even use), you'll have to leave those to load on startup. If the
problem goes away then you reenable each startup item one at a time,
reboot, and retest for the problem. When the problem reappears then the
last reenabled startup program is the culprit.

Granted that if this is a sporadic problem that booting with some or all
startup items can make using the laptop a pain. Often when the OS
cannot shutdown it is caused by a program you are running that does not
respond to the OS' request for that program to exit. You could keep
track of what programs you were using at the time the OS couldn't
shutdown as it may not be a startup program but instead some program you
occasionally load to use at the time.


Your laptop (unknown brand and model) has no means to fully power down?


I always close all programs before shutting down (usually just
browsers). But I dont disconnect from the WIFI. However, since I use
WIFI from my car more than any other place, I often drive away from the
WIFI spot, leaving the computer turned on, until I get home. (using a
power inverter). It's a Lenovo T43.

I have often wondered if it just kept trying to connect to the WIFI ???
 
C

casey.o

Desktops, laptops, DirecTV boxes, etc. almost always use the method of
pushing and holding down the power button to kill the power to the
machine. It usually takes 3 to 5 seconds. No need to remove the battery.

I'll have to try that. I normally just push the button.
 
H

Hot-Text

| Every so often, my laptop computer with XP-Pro SP3, wont shut down.
| This seems to happen most often when I've been using a WIFI spot. I can
| click shut down and it appears to be shutting down, but never shuts down
| completely, even if I click on shutdown more times.

For
Automatic Updates
Run at Shut down
automatically down
and install them

Go to
Control Panel
Click on
Automatic Updates

Make It

Notify me but don't automatically down or install them
Click Apply

And Start
Shutting down
WIFI First
Then Shut down
Your XP

That The Big Mic WiFi Fix



|If I leave it this
| way, it drains the battery, even with the lid closed. This dont happen
| often, but it does happen.
| Unlike a home computer, I cant just unplug it. I have to remove the
| battery to finally make it shut down.
| What would cause this, and is there any fix?
|
 
J

J. P. Gilliver (John)

In message <[email protected]>,
Every so often, my laptop computer with XP-Pro SP3, wont shut down.
This seems to happen most often when I've been using a WIFI spot. I can
click shut down and it appears to be shutting down, but never shuts down
completely, even if I click on shutdown more times. If I leave it this
way, it drains the battery, even with the lid closed. This dont happen
often, but it does happen.

Unlike a home computer, I cant just unplug it. I have to remove the
battery to finally make it shut down.

What would cause this, and is there any fix?
Not an explanation of what's happening, but rather than going to the
extent of removing the battery: holding in the power button for some
seconds (might be up to ten on some models) will usually cause most
laptops I have used to shut off, however frozen it seems. 98, XP, and 7,
at least.
 
V

VanguardLH

I always close all programs before shutting down (usually just
browsers). But I dont disconnect from the WIFI. However, since I use
WIFI from my car more than any other place, I often drive away from the
WIFI spot, leaving the computer turned on, until I get home. (using a
power inverter). It's a Lenovo T43.

I have often wondered if it just kept trying to connect to the WIFI ???

The programs you see are not necessarily the startup program. Did you
try disabling the startup items or use Windows' safe boot yet?
 

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