Eradicate Windows XP shutdown problems
By Greg Shultz, Special to ZDNet Asia
Wednesday, October 09, 2002 12:00 PM
Wednesday, October 09, 2002 12:00 PM
Windows XP has a few that occur often enough to cause user frustration. Find out what they are and how to fix them.
While Windows XP doesn’t have anywhere near the number of shutdown problems that plagued earlier versions of Windows, a few things can still trip up the new operating system during the shutdown procedure. I'll show you how to solve five of the most common XP shutdown problems you’re likely to encounter. I'll explain how to fix problems caused by the Input Method Editor, open applications, Roxio software, the Nvidia video card, and the power management scheme. I’ll also pass along tips for troubleshooting these types of problems.
Input Method Editor hangs on shutdown
If your users need Windows XP for international communication and have an Input Method Editor (IME) installed on their computers, they may discover that Windows XP occasionally hangs when they shut down—especially if the IME is enabled for use in the Welcome screen. In these situations, Windows XP will appear to begin the shutdown procedure normally, but will then hang while displaying the Saving Your Settings message. Once the system hangs, pressing [Ctrl][Alt][Delete] has no effect. Though users can move the mouse pointer, they can’t revive the system.
You can solve this shutdown problem by downloading and installing the Restarting Windows XP update. To download this update, which was released on Feb. 1, 2002, visit the Microsoft Windows Update Web site.
Be aware that Microsoft warns that the current Restarting Windows XP update may undergo more testing in the near future to ensure quality and should only be downloaded by those severely affected by this problem. If the user has an IME but is not experiencing this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the arrival of the Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, which will contain the final Restarting Windows XP update.
Shutdown interrupted by slow process
When users shut down, Windows XP gives each process running in the background 20 seconds to close itself before the operating system shuts down the computer. If a process cannot close itself down within that 20-second time-out period, users will see the Wait, End Task, Or Cancel dialog box that alerts them to the problem process and prompts them to choose between waiting another 20 seconds, ending the process, or canceling the shutdown procedure.
If they see this dialog box on a regular basis, they may be running an application, possibly a proprietary in-house program, that needs more time to properly prepare for a shutdown. You can increase Windows XP’s time-out period by making a small change in the registry.
Note
Since editing the registry can be dangerous, I recommend performing a full backup before you attempt this operation.
To begin, select Start | Run and launch the Registry Editor by typing Regedit.exe in the Open text box. Once you have the Registry Editor up and running, locate and double-click on the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER. When the subtree is visible, open each of the following subtrees in succession:
- Control Panel
- Desktop
Once you open the Desktop key, scroll through the values in that key until you locate the WaitToKillAppTimeout value. Double-click on it to open the Edit String dialog box. The default value in this dialog box is 20000, which is 20 seconds expressed in milliseconds. Once you change the value, click OK, close the Registry Editor, and then restart the system.
I suggest starting with a five-second change and then testing the shutdown procedure to see if this gives the process enough time to properly shut down. If not, try increasing it by two-second intervals until you find a time-out value that works.
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I have had the problem of XP not shutting down my computer resulting in a 'blue screen of death' ever since I upgraded the mother board and CPU a couple of months back. Finally I can say the problem has been fixed by upgrading Easy CD Creator 5.1 to 5.3. I'm so pleased to have finally found the fix.
Thank you for such a well written and informative artical.
Posted by Phil on Monday, December 30 2002 10:25 AM