Windows Shutdown Problems

-If your computer does not shut down after ten minutes, try these tips:

-Try pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL and see if the computer responds.

-You can usually tell if your computer won't shutdown for good if you press the "Num Lock" key and the light on the keyboard doesn't show up.

-Manually shut off the computer by cutting power to the computer or holding the power button for longer than 9 seconds (shorter for some computer systems).

Computers usually don't shut down because:

-A program on Windows won't allow itself to be turned off, is stalled, or is waiting for another program to turn off before it can shut down, etc.

-A virus is present on your computer.

-A person on the internet or a network administrator is preventing your computer from shutting down.

-A piece of computer hardware is not finished its task and needs to do so before shutting down (for example, a printer needs to print out the documents you told it to print before shutting down).

-You have faulty computer hardware (computers over 5 years old usually have this problem with slow hard drives and other slow or broken computer parts)

-There are older or poorly written software programs on your computer that are preventing your computer from shutting down.

How To Fix A Computer That Won't Shut Down

-The first thing you should do is to simply unplug the computer and then turn it on again, and then shut it down one more time. If the computer still won't shut down, follow the steps below.

-Start up your computer in Safe Mode by pressing F8 just before the Windows Splash Screen loads and selecting "Safe Mode" from the Windows Advanced Options Menu. Once Safe Mode has loaded up, try shutting down your computer. If you can, your computer is most likely having problems with a bad driver/software program, a virus, or another software problem. To fix this, download Quick StartUp and disable any programs that you don't need to load up when your computer starts. If it's a bad driver, you can press the Windows key+R, type in devmgmt.msc and then press enter. Press the "plus" keys to expand the table and update the driver software for the things most likely to prevent your computer from shutting down (usually the wireless card, ethernet card, graphics driver, and batteries or power management drivers). If you think your computer has a virus preventing it from shutting down, or the previous two methods of solving the problem don't work, download and run a good anti-virus program and scan your computer for viruses so that you can shut down your computer and work safer on the computer! For power management issues, the problem may also lie in your computer's BIOS configuration. It may be set to prevent your from computer from standing by (or sleeping), hibernating, or even shutting down!

-If your computer won't shut down because a person on the internet or a network administrator is preventing your computer from shutting down, then get a firewall or disconnect your computer's ethernet cord. This should allow your computer to shut down properly.

-If your computer doesn't not shut down because of a waiting printer or similar problem, disconnect the device and turn the device off.

-If you have faulty computer hardware, consider getting a new computer or replacing broken or slow computer parts. Remember: the first things to go on a computer are usually the hard drive, keyboard, and the motherboard itself.

-If you have older of poorly written software programs on your computer, consider updating them, uninstalling them, or using them as little as you can.

-Your computer may also have power options set that hibernate the computer instead of turning it off when you press the power button. To fix this in Windows Vista, go to Start, Control Panel, Mobile PC, and then under "Power Options", select "change what closing the lid does" to see the options you can select to turn the computer off when you perform a certain task.

-If none of these things work, try using System Restore (click on the Start menu, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore) to restore your computer to an earlier time to see if that fixes your problem.