subject: Tips to Resolve Windows Slow Shutdown [print this page] Shutdown is usually a relatively uneventful procedure, and most people simply initiate it and then leave their computer. When you normally log off, restart, or shut down your computer using the Start, Shut Down command (if logon was through the Classic logon screen) or the Start, Turn Computer Off command (if logon was through the Welcome screen).
But you may experience Windows XP slow shutdown problems when something is wrong with your Windows installation. Shutdown problems are one of the most common computer problems. Sometimes due to slow shutdown, you may notice that the computer takes much longer time to shut down or the computer hangs or it reboots instead of shutting down. You can talk to a technical expert for Windows XP support.
If shutting down XP takes a lot of time, there are steps you can take to speed up the shutdown process:
Don't have XP clear your paging file at shutdown - To shut down XP without clearing your page file, run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrent Control SetControlSession ManagerMemory Management. Change the value of Clear Page File at Shutdown to 0. Close the Registry and restart your computer. Now, whenever you turn off XP, the paging file won't be cleared, and you should be able to shut down more quickly.
Turn off unnecessary services - Services take time to shut down, so the fewer you run, the faster you can shutdown. Run the Services by typingservices.msc at a command prompt or the run box, and use it to see what services are running and to disable any unnecessary ones from running on startup.
Shut down windows faster - To shut down XP a bit faster, run the Registry Editor and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrent Control SetControl. Change the value of Wait to Kill Service Timeout to 1001. Close the Registry and restart your computer. Now, whenever you turn off XP, you should be able to shut down more quickly.
Running unnecessary services is the main cause of slow shutdown in most of the cases, but running unnecessary software can cause problems as well. Make sure to close all of your programs before shutting down XP. When you shut down XP, each running process is given 20 seconds to shut down; if it doesn't shut down in that time, you get a "Wait, End Task, or Cancel" dialog box, which prompts you to wait for another 20 seconds, stop the process, or cancel the shutdown process by selecting the appropriate button.
