Slow shutdowns can be just as frustrating as slow boot times. Jonathan Parkyn explains how to make your PC shut down quickly and safely every time
When we talk about speeding up a slow computer, the focus is often on making it start up faster. But what about shutting down? A PC that hangs for ages when you’re trying to turn it off, or that throws up alarming error messages whenever you click the ‘Shut down’ button, can be just as frustrating as one that takes an eternity to boot.
There are many possible explanations for a computer that finds it difficult to switch off - troublesome drivers, background processes, hidden spyware and other pests. Like a lot of PC troubleshooting, the key to success is to employ a process of elimination that will reveal the cause of the problem and a means to fix it.
Here, we’ll outline the main underlying problems that cause this type of behaviour, then show you how to fix them and banish slow shutdowns forever.
Cure hardware hangs
Dodgy hardware drivers can often cause shutdown problems. If your PC has only recently started shutting down slowly, have a little think - did you install a device recently or add a new PC accessory, such as a new mouse?
If so, uninstalling it may solve your problem. Open your Windows Device Manager by clicking Start, then right-clicking Computer and selecting Manage in Windows 7 (in Windows 8/8.1 you can just right-click Start and select Device Manager). Locate the device that you suspect might be the spanner in the works, right-click it and select Uninstall. Then shut down your PC and physically unplug the device. Next, start your PC and try shutting down again to see if it’s made a difference.
Making sure all your drivers are up to date can be another way to resolve a hardware problem. Use a program like IObit’s Driver Booster 2 (www.snipca.com/15758) to find and update any old drivers on your system.
Be aware that, while Driver Booster 2 is free, it has a dreadful installer that’s packed with unwanted extras. Be careful to opt out of any bundled software, and don’t rush to click the Finish button. Once it’s installed, Driver Booster 2 does at least do its job without asking for money, unlike supposedly “free” driver-updating programs such as SlimDrivers.
You should consider giving your system a thorough going over with a free tool such as CCleaner (www.piriform.com/ccleaner), which can purge your PC of other junk files that could be hindering the shutdown process.
Solve software slowdowns
When you try to switch off your PC, do you see an error message telling you that a program is still running or preventing Windows from shutting down? This usually means an application hasn’t been closed properly. More often than not you’ll see a list of programs in the error message. Click Cancel and check for any unsaved work or running programs, then save and close them before clicking ‘Shut down’ again.
Not all software problems are as easily diagnosed. If you’re seeing this kind of error message in situations where there’s no obvious sign of any applications actually running, then one of your programs may be struggling to close properly If this is the case, click Cancel, right-click the Taskbar and click Start Task Manager, then click Applications (Windows 7) or Task Manager (Windows 8/8.1). If there’s a program listed, it’s likely to be your culprit.
If you can’t close the program in the normal way, try highlighting it and clicking ’End task’. Bear in mind this method can cause you to lose work. In the longer term, if these programs continue to cause you problems, you should try updating them or uninstalling and reinstalling them.
Fix startup to fix shutdown
It may sound counter-intuitive to suggest speeding up startup, but slow shutdowns are often caused by background processes that are set to run whenever you boot your PC. By limiting the programs that run on startup, you’ll also be limiting the processes that need to be stopped when Windows closes down.
In Windows 7, click Start, type msconfig, press Enter, then click the Startup tab. In Windows 8/8.1, open the Task Manager (see previous tip), then click ‘More details’ (if shown) and the ‘Start-up’ tab. Now, look through the programs listed. There are likely to be several here you definitely don’t need (iTunesHelper and Adobe Reader, for example) - just don’t disable anything important, such as your security software. Run a quick Google check to establish what each one actually is before unticking any you don’t need (Windows 7) or right clicking and selecting Disable (Windows 8/8.1). Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Hack the Windows Registry to speed up shutdown
If Window's is set to clear its page file when you switch off your PC, this can seriously slow things down. Some security programs enable this automatically, but you don’t need it unless you’re using a shared or public computer, and you can safely disable it via the Registry.
Open Registiy Editor (Regedit) by typing regedit into Start and pressing Enter. Navigate through the following path: HKEY_ LOCAL. MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ ControlXSession Manager Memory Management then double-click the ClearPageFileAtShutdown entry. If the value shown is 1, this means your PC is set to clear the page file. Change it to 0, click OK and close Regedit, then restart your PC.
You can also edit the Registry to shorten the time Windows waits for processes to stop before it closes the system. Open Regedit again and navigate through the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Double-click WaitToKillServiceTimeout. Here you’ll see a value somewhere between 5000 (5 seconds) and 12000 (12 seconds). Change it to 2000 (2 seconds), click OK, then close Regedit and restart your PC.