I have several computers that hang when shutting down. It's not consistent, but hangs probably 25% of the time. It hangs when "Saving your settings". I belive it is caused by Norton Internet Security because when I unistall it, the computer never hangs. I talked to Norton Support and they had me uninstall/reinstall again. I've installed the latest version 18.5.0.125 and also tried an earlier version but LiveUpdate upgraded me to 18.5.0.125 anyway. They also had me change the WaitToKill values in the registry. I noticed there was a known problem in December but it's apparently fixed. I was curious if anyone else was having the problem. Is there any way to confirm the previously known problem is really fixed? Thanks.
I don't have any other antivirus running. Checkdisk reports no errors on the drive. Any other suggestions are appreciated.
You might have already tried the steps in the following link, check whether you have missed anything:
If that does not work, then try this:
Backup the Windows Registry before you try these steps.
1. Exit all programs.
2. Do one of the following depending upon your situation:
-For Windows XP: Click Start > Run.
-For Windows Vista: Click the Start button, and then click All Programs > Accessories > Run.
3. In the Run dialog box, type the following text:
regedit
4. Click OK.
5. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
6. In the right pane, right-click AutoEndTasks, and then click Modify.
7. Change the value from 0 to 1
8. Click OK.
9. Exit the Registry Editor.
I am not sure whether these steps will work as you experience the problem at the "Saving your setings" stage. Let's give this a try.
I have AutoEndTasks=1 and WaitToKillAppTimeout=20. I checked the entire registry and every occurrence is set to that. The problem is still happening. There's no errors in the Event log. I'm stumped. Any other suggestions is appreciated.
The following link claims that this is a known problem for Microsoft OS, and there is a patch a vailable
http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.php
You need to scroll down a bit to find your specific issue.
Another post which says that this is a problem from Microsoft:
http://club.myce.com/f3/shutdown-hangs-saving-your-settings-142306/
Thanks. I supposedly already have the patch since it was fixed in XP SP1 and I have SP3. I couldn't download a specific fix so I'll have to assume that's not it. It says it's related to the Welcome Screen, so I may turn it off to see what happens.
I already had the UPHClean installed, but I now notice there's a newer version than what I have. I'll upgrade to the latest version and see what happens.
Last option is the Logitech mouse. I noticed a comment about it being a problem in one of the postings. I had a Logitech mouse and then got rid of it. Maybe it's a coincidence that uninstalling the Logitech software could have started this.
Thanks again for the suggestions.
I am having the same issue (XP hangs on shutdown during saving settings intermittenly) that just started relatively recently. Probably within the last couple weeks to a month or so approximately.
The problem is happening both on my PC Laptop and my PC Desktop. I also run Norton Internet Security on both computers. (V18.5.0.125) I didn't even think Norton was the cause until I read your post, but it makes sense since both my computers are having the same exact problem.
I have been trying a lot of different things, but to no avail. Cleaned registry several times, cleaned out old temp files, defragged disk, just to name a few. I'm sorry I still don't have a resolution, but you requested for others to respond if they were having the same problem.
I took extra time to register for this online Norton community discussion forum so I could post to also vent my frustration at not finding a resolution yet. Maybe if somebody from Norton sees it is not an isolated issue, the issue will get addressed?
Please post a resolution if or when you find one. I'll try to do the same if I find a fix that works.
Thanks.
MG
It's comforting to know someone else is out there looking for a solution too. I've searched and tried everything possible, but I haven't been able to solve it.. I've uninstalled Norton and the problem went away, but Norton Support said to uninstall and reinstall. I can't get any further support from them than that. To be honest, I didn't try this for a long period of time, so it's possible this only reduced the issue and didn't solve it. I've been hesistant to run without any antivirus for a week, but I'm about ready to try it. May run a free version for a while. The only other thing I think it could be is recent Microsoft updates. I may roll them back to December and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for the response. I also tried a system restore back to about three weeks ago, but for some reason my computer wouldn’t roll back. It rebooted and stated no changes were made. If I try to roll back any sooner then 3 weeks I don’t think it would help since I would probably still have the same issue due to when the issue started. If you haven’t already, maybe you could try a system restore back from a date before you noticed this problem. Just a thought. Please keep me posted on any progress or other suggestions. MG
System Restore will not work unless you disable NIS AutoProtect first. Search the forum for further details on this. There is also a possibility that you can corrupt your NIS installation and have to reinstall NIS after a System Restore.
Here is a good web posting on XP ShutDown problem causes and solutions. It's a bit dated but still a lot of good info in it.
I just wanted to provide an update. I tried lots of potential fixes but my problems still continued. However in the past 2 weeks, the problem has gone way down, possibly eliminated. It's definitely happens rarely now where it used to happen most of the the time. I'm still monitoring.
I noticed Norton is releasing NIS 18.6. One of my computers has it and the hang during shutdown isn't happening now on it. May be a coincidence, but I'm continuing to monitor it. I had suspected it was a Norton problem and one computer had issues where the NIS Service wouldn't stop (there were errors in the event viewer) and the computer would hang. The release notes mention a memory leak during shutdown, so I'm hoping 18.6 will fix all of my problems. I wish I could get it on all my computers now.
Below is everything I had tried before to fix the hang during shutdown. This list is based on suggestions I found while spending hours searching the Internet. Maybe something will help others.
- Confirmed only one antivirus program is installed and running
- Removed Norton Internet Security 2011 using removal tool and reinstalled
- Removed new software and updates installed in the past 3 months
- Installed XP User Profile Hive Cleanup Service
- Ran Windows Update
- Updated BIOS
- Updated all drivers
- Changed WaitToKill registry setting to 20 (most websites recommend 1000 but Norton recommended 20)
- Disabled the Windows welcome screen
- Disabled power management for USB hubs
- Checked Event viewer for errors. None found.
- Enabled verbose logging when XP starts and shuts down. No errors or warnings were noticed.
- Updated Java
- Updated Adobe Reader
- Removed old Logitech mouse driver and software
- Ran registry cleaner
- Reset security on registry so administrators had full rights
I have several computers that hang when shutting down. It's not consistent, but hangs probably 25% of the time. It hangs when "Saving your settings". I belive it is caused by Norton Internet Security because when I unistall it, the computer never hangs. I talked to Norton Support and they had me uninstall/reinstall again. I've installed the latest version 18.5.0.125 and also tried an earlier version but LiveUpdate upgraded me to 18.5.0.125 anyway. They also had me change the WaitToKill values in the registry. I noticed there was a known problem in December but it's apparently fixed. I was curious if anyone else was having the problem. Is there any way to confirm the previously known problem is really fixed? Thanks.