Advice Sought On Weird PC Problem

BrianH

At the Start
Joined
May 3, 2003
Messages
6,108
Location
Banstead, Surrey
With the exception of the problem mentioned here, my PC is behaving normally. But for the last four weeks or so it has not shut down when asked! I go through the normal shut down procedure but it only gets as far as a blue screen with the ciursor on there somewhere and then stops. I have to reboot and then go through shut down again, which this time works perfectly. Any ideas out there?
 
What version of Windows is it, Brian? Also, have you tried leaving it on that blue screen for a long time to see if it eventually does shut down? Did you install anything around the time it started to happen?

Sounds like there's a running program or service that is refusing to allow Windows to shut it down.
 
It is certainly a program that is running (probably in the background) that is preventing the shutdown procedure from completing. Does it happen every time or only if you have used a certain program? This is a known problem with some file-sharing programs. If it happens everytime then it would sound like you have been infected with some spyware/adware. Try CTRL-ALT-DEL and see if there is anything suspicious running in the processes list. If you spot something, try force ending the task and seeing if your computer will then shutdown properly. Alternatively download Ad-aware or the like and run through that.
 
Happens every time. Nothing unusual running in the background. I have SpyHunter which I run and remove unwanted visitors regularly.

The daft thing is that when I reboot, after which the PC closes down perfectly, the same programs are running as were there when it wouldn't close down!
 
Brian, just try pressing the power button for a few seconds when you get to the blue screen on trying to shut down. It will power off the pc ( I know it doesn't solve the problem, but it does save you rebooting ).
 
Problems Shutting Down Windows 98 Second Edition
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 238096
Last Review : September 21, 2005
Revision : 1.1
This article was previously published under Q238096
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/EN-US/) Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
On This Page
SUMMARY
MORE INFORMATION
Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement
Troubleshooting
Common Causes of Shutdown Problems
Known Issues
IRQ Steering
Resume on Ring and LAN
Plug and Play BIOS
NVRAM/ESCD
Fast Shutdown Registry Key Is Enabled
Antivirus Program
Replacing the Configmg.vxd File
Functions Performed During the Shutdown Process
APPLIES TO

SUMMARY
This article describes how to troubleshoot shutdown and restart problems in Windows 98 Second Edition specifically, not Microsoft Windows 98. For additional information about troubleshooting Windows 98 shutdown problems, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
202633 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/202633/EN-US/) How to Troubleshoot Windows 98 Shutdown Problems
The following topics are discussed in this article: • Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement
• Troubleshooting

• Common Causes of Shutdown Problems
• Known Issues
• IRQ Steering
Functions Performed During the Shutdown Process

Back to the top

MORE INFORMATION
When Windows 98 Second Edition does not shut down properly, it may appear to stop responding (hang) for several minutes while the following message is displayed on the screen:
Please wait while your computer shuts down
Or, you may see only a blank screen and a blinking cursor, or your computer may restart instead of shutting down.
Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement
Microsoft has released the Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement that addresses shutdown issues on computers with specific hardware and software configurations running Windows 98 Second Edition. These issues include computers restarting when shutting down and computers hanging on shutdown.

Microsoft recommends following the troubleshooting steps that are outlined in this article. If, after following the steps that are outlined in this article, the computer continues to exhibit shutdown problems, Microsoft suggests applying this update. For additional information about how to obtain the Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
239887 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/239887/EN-US/) Availability of Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement
NOTE: After you apply the Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement, the Disable Fast Shutdown option is no longer listed on the Advanced tab in Msconfig.exe.


Troubleshooting
For information about troubleshooting Windows 98 Second Edition shutdown problems, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
202633 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/202633/EN-US/) How to Troubleshoot Windows 98 Shutdown Problems
Common Causes of Shutdown Problems
Shutdown problems in Windows 98 Second Edition can be caused by any of the following issues: • The Fast Shutdown registry key is enabled.
• There is a damaged Exit Windows sound file.
• A program or terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program may not close correctly.
• An incompatible, damaged, or conflicting device driver is loaded.
• There is an incompatible Advanced Power Management (APM) or Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) setting.
• There is an incompatible Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configuration setting.
• The computer contains incorrectly configured or damaged hardware.
• There is a video adapter that is not assigned an IRQ in real mode.
NOTE: Windows 98 Second Edition includes the latest updates for ACPI, OnNow, and APM. In addition, the Fast Shutdown code that was implemented with the initial release of Windows 98 has been removed to support these new features.

Although Windows 98 Second Edition includes many new drivers, not all third-party manufacturers have had a chance to update their hardware drivers. Some existing computers or devices may require an updated BIOS or device driver to fully support Windows 98 Second Edition.


Known Issues
IRQ Steering
This option allows several PCI devices to share the same interrupt request line (IRQ). If the BIOS is not fully compliant, this option may cause your computer not to shut down properly, even if two or more devices are not sharing an IRQ. To disable PCI bus IRQ Steering, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2. On the Device Manager tab, click System Devices.
3. Double-click PCI Bus, and then click to clear the Use IRQ Steering check box on the IRQ Steering tab.
4. Click OK, click OK, and then restart your computer.
5. After you restart the computer, attempt to shut down your computer again.
If your computer shuts down successfully, you may need to change the BIOS configuration or you may need a BIOS update. For information about how to do so, contact your BIOS manufacturer.
Resume on Ring and LAN
Disabling the “Resume on Ring and LAN” feature in the computer’s BIOS may solve some shutdown-related issues. For information about how to do so, contact your computer or BIOS manufacturer.
Plug and Play BIOS
In some cases, the BIOS and Windows may not be communicating properly with the computer hardware during the shutdown process. You can configure Windows 98 Second Edition to ignore the presence of a Plug and Play BIOS and communicate directly with the hardware.

NOTE: Use this method for testing purposes only. Leaving the Plug and Play BIOS disabled may cause some hardware to stop working.

To configure Windows not to use the Plug and Play BIOS: 1. Restart your computer, and press and hold CTRL until you see the Windows 98 Startup menu.
2. Choose Command Prompt Only.
3. Type the following line at the command prompt:
cd \windows\system
4. Rename the Bios.vxd file to Bios.old.
5. Restart your computer.
6. After the computer restarts, attempt to shut down Windows.
If the computer shuts down correctly, the system BIOS is likely to be contributing to the shutdown problems. Contact the motherboard or BIOS manufacturer for a possible update.

For additional information about your computer's BIOS, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
299697 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299697/EN-US/) General Computer Basic Input/Output System Overview
NVRAM/ESCD
There are specific settings for how the BIOS and Windows interact during the startup and shutdown processes. To check this, disable the NVRAM/ESCD updates feature to determine if doing so resolves the shutdown problem. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
2. On the Device Manager tab, double-click System Devices.
3. Click Plug and Play BIOS, and then click to select the Disable NVRAM / ESCD updates check box on the Settings tab.
4. Click OK, click OK, and then restart your computer.
5. After you restart the computer, attempt to shut down your computer again.

Fast Shutdown Registry Key Is Enabled
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

The Microsoft System Configuration utility includes an option to disable Fast Shutdown. If this option is not set in Windows 98 Second Edition, your computer may reboot instead of shutting down. To resolve this issue, change the FastReboot data value from 1 to 0 in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Shutdown
NOTE: After you apply the Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement, the Disable Fast Shutdown option is no longer listed on the Advanced tab in Msconfig.exe.
Antivirus Program
If you have an antivirus program that is configured to scan your floppy disk drive when you shut down your computer, your computer may stop responding. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
231666 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/231666/EN-US/) Antivirus Program Causes Computer to Stop Responding When You Shut Down
Replacing the Configmg.vxd File
Microsoft has become aware that some customers have replaced the Windows 98 Second Edition version of the Configmg.vxd file with the Windows 98 version to address shutdown issues. Microsoft strongly recommends that you not do this. This is an untested scenario that could result in fatal error messages, CPI errors, and hardware failures. The Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement detects whether the appropriate version of the Configmg.vxd file is installed, and replaces any earlier version with the Windows 98 Second Edition version.




Functions Performed During the Shutdown Process
Windows 98 Second Edition tries to perform many functions during the shutdown process, including: • Completion of all disk write functions.
• Flushing the disk cache.
• Running the Close Window code to close all currently running programs.
• Transitioning all Protected-mode drivers to Real mode.


If this article does not describe your shutdown-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about shutting down Windows 98:
Click here to view a list of shutdown articles
 
windows 98 shutdown articles

• SideWinder USB: Cannot Shut Down Computer After You Connect USB Game Controller
When you attempt to shut down or restart your computer while a Microsoft SideWinder game controller is connected to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on the computer, the computer may stop responding (hang) or you may receive a fatal exception...
• Cannot Warm Boot Computer at Windows 98 Shutdown Screen
When you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE at the "It's now safe to turn off your computer" screen, nothing happens. Windows 98 incorporates Fast Shutdown functionality. Because of the nature of this functionality, keyboard interrupts are disabled during the...
• How to Disable Fast Shutdown in Windows 98
This article describes how to disable fast shutdown in Windows 98. When you shut down Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98, all device drivers are uninitialized. If fast shutdown is enabled in Windows 98, device drivers are not uninitialized. This...
• Fatal Exception 0E When Shutting Down Using a Matrox Video Adapter
When you attempt to shut down or restart your computer, you may receive the following error message: A Fatal Exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C00082CD in VxD VMM(01) +000072CD This issue can occur if you have an incompatible or early version of a...
• Computer Powers Down When You Shut Down Windows
When you use the Shut Down command on the Start menu to shut down Windows, your computer may automatically power down after displaying the message "Please wait while your computer shuts down." This behavior is an Advanced Power Management (APM)...
• Problems with Crystal Audio Sound Card in Windows 98/Me
When you try to shut down your Windows 98-based or Windows Millennium-based computer, your computer may stop responding (hang), and you may receive a general-protection (GP) fault error message in module Cwbmidi.vxd. This behavior may also occur...
• Error Message on a Blue Screen When Shutting Down or Restarting Windows
After you upgrade a Compaq Presario model computer to Windows 98 or Windows 98 Second Edition, an error message on a blue screen may be displayed when you shut down or restart Windows. This behavior occurs when you upgrade a Compaq Presario model...
• Windows 98 Shutdown Generates "Fatal OE" Error Messages with Alps Electric USB Server
On Compaq computers with Alps Electric Universal Serial Bus (USB) Server, you may receive a "Fatal 0E" error message when you shut down the computer. Windows 98 supports USB and does not disable this program during installation. During shutdown,...
• Cannot Shut Down Windows with USR USB Modem and ATI Rage 128 Video Adapter
If you connect an external US Robotics 56K USB modem to your computer and install the latest drivers, and you have an ATI Rage 128 video adapter installed, you may not be able to shut down Windows and you may receive fatal exception errors or...
• Computer Shuts Down Or Stops Responding Due to Noise Produced in the MTH Chip
Computers that use the I820 chipset and that access SDRAM modules may intermittently shut down or stop responding. Intel has found that there may be some noise disturbances that occur in communications between the Motherboard components and the...
• Errors When Shutting Down Windows with Compaq FX-Series Monitors
When you try to shut down your Windows 98-based computer with a Compaq FX-series monitor, you may receive the following error message, or one similar to it: A Fatal Exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C001AEEB This behavior can occur because the...
• Hard Disk Is Active After Windows 98 Shutdown
The hard disk in your computer may appear to be active even after the "It's now safe to turn off your computer" screen appears. This behavior can be caused by the Advanced Power Management (APM) features in Windows 98 and does not cause any...
• Slow Shutdown When Pressing the Power Button on Your Computer
When you attempt to shut down your computer by pressing the computer's power button, your computer may not shut down immediately. This behavior can occur if all of the following conditions exist: Your computer has a sound card that uses Windows...
• Error Message Using CTRL+ALT+DELETE to Shut Down with USB Keyboard
If you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE twice on a Universal Serial Bus (USB) keyboard in Windows, you may receive the following error message on a blue screen: A fatal exception 06 has occurred at xxxx:xxxxxxxx. The current application will be terminated....
• Problems Restarting Computer with Device Using IRQ 12
When you try to restart your computer using the Restart The Computer option in the Shut Down Windows dialog box, your computer may stop responding (hang). This problem can occur on computers with a BIOS that expects IRQ 12 to be in use by a...
• Changes to Your Computer Not Saved After Incorrect Shut Down
If you change a system setting on your computer, shut down your computer incorrectly and then restart it, the change may not be retained. For example, if you create a custom toolbar, and your computer stops responding (hangs) so that you must...
• Shutdown Problems When Auto-Protect Is Enabled in Norton AntiVirus
When you attempt to shut down Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Me), your computer may stop responding (hang). This behavior can occur if you are using Symantec Norton AntiVirus with the Auto-Protect feature enabled. Warning This...
• Error Message: TASKMON Caused an Invalid Page Fault in Module...
When you attempt to start or shut down Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Me), or to start Windows Explorer, you may receive one of the following error messages: TASKMON caused an invalid page fault in module KERNEL32.DLL EXPLORER caused an...
• Computer Stops Responding When You Run a Thorough ScanDisk with McAfee VirusScan 5.1 Installed
When you run ScanDisk and choose the Thorough option, Windows may stop responding (hang). This issue may also occur when ScanDisk runs automatically after you shut down your computer incorrectly. This issue can occur if you are running the McAfee...
• HP OmniBook 600C Laptop Does Not Turn Off
When you try to shut down Windows 98 or press the power button to turn off your Hewlett Packard OmniBook 600C laptop, your laptop may not turn off. Your laptop may stop responding (hang) when you receive the following message: It's now safe to...
• Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement
You may experience any of the following symptoms when you select an option in the Shut Down Windows dialog box. If you click Shut down and then click OK, the computer may stop responding (hang) while displaying the following message: Windows is...
• Computer Stops Responding When You Try to Shut It Down
When you try to shut down your computer, your computer may stop responding (hang), and you may receive one or both of the following messages: Windows is shutting down. -OR- It's now safe to turn off your computer. NOTE : This article does not...
• Err Msg: MSGSRV32.EXE Caused a General Protection Fault in...
When you shut down or restart your Windows 98-based or Windows 95-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages, and your computer may stop responding (hang): MSGSRV32.EXE caused a general protection fault in module...
• Antivirus Program Causes Computer to Stop Responding When You Shut Down
When you try to shut down a computer that is running Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Windows 98, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms: The floppy disk drive light may turn on.You may receive a "Windows Protection Error"...
• Error Message: Msgsrv32 Caused a General Protection Fault in User.exe
When you start or shut down your computer, you may receive the following error message: Msgsrv32 Caused a General Protection Fault in module User.exe This behavior can occur if you have faulty computer hardware or a damaged driver or program, or...
• Windows 95/98 Boots Directly to "Shut Down" Screen
When you start your computer, you may see the following message: It's now safe to turn off your computer This behavior can occur in any mode. This behavior can occur if the Vmm32.vxd or Wininit.exe file is missing or damaged. To resolve this...
• Toshiba 4500 Reboots After Resuming
When you are using a Toshiba 4500 laptop computer, if you shut down Windows in Suspend mode or close the lid, Windows appears to shut down successfully. However, when you resume Windows, the computer reboots after a short time. Toshiba 4500 laptop...
• Cisco TCP/IP Causes Computer to Stop Responding
When you attempt to shut down Windows, your computer may stop responding (hang). This behavior can occur if you are using Cisco TCP/IP Suite 100 as your Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack. The Windows 98 shutdown...
• Err Msg: Invalid VxD Dynamic Link Call From BANCOM (01)+
When you restart your computer after you remove all networking components, you may receive the following error message: Invalid VxD dynamic link call from BANCOM(01) + 000169B0 to device "0028", service 800A. Your Windows configuration is invalid....
• Computer Performance May Decrease After You Download Programs from the Internet
After you download and install a program from the Internet, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms: Your computer may start and shut down very slowly.Your computer's performance may significantly decrease.If your computer...
• Fatal Exception 0E with Multiple MS-DOS Device Names in Path
If the last two or more components in a path match MS-DOS device names, you may receive an error message on a blue screen similar to the following example: A fatal exception 0E has occurred at (address) in VXD (FSD) + (address). The current...
• Problems Shutting Down Windows 98 Second Edition
This article describes how to troubleshoot shutdown and restart problems in Windows 98 Second Edition specifically, not Microsoft Windows 98. about troubleshooting Windows 98 shutdown problems202633How to Troubleshoot Windows 98 Shutdown...
• How to troubleshoot Windows 98 shutdown problems
This article describes how to troubleshoot problems that may occur when you attempt to shut down and restart your computer. Note that this information is also available in the Windows 98 Startup and Shutdown Troubleshooting Wizard. Microsoft...




Manage Your Profile |Contact Us
©2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use |Trademarks |Privacy Statement
 
:lol: :lol: Merlin does not respond on the basis that less is more...

... that'll keep you off the grandstands for a day or two!
 
I agree with the other comments, it does sound as though you have a program running in the background that could cause this.

This may be worth a try:

Click on START - RUN - type msconfig into the box

in the menu that pops up, select STARTUP - take a note of all the programs
you have in there that are ticked.

Remove all the ticks from the boxes and then reboot, there may still be a problem shutting down - when it boots up there will be a message box appear - just accept that - then reboot again and see if that's cured it.

If it has cured it then it's a bit of a lengthy process putting the ticks back in the boxes a few at a time and then rebooting - if you hit the problem again then you will be able to narrow it down to which program is causing the problem.
 
I know, trig, I'm obviously not explaining myself properly. The point I am trying to make is that I can't switch off and have to reboot. Before I try to switch off I have some programs running in the background. The only way I can switch off is to reboot. Then, after the restart, the normal switching off procedure works perfectly. But the identical programs will be running in the background when the close down works as are there when it doesn't! So how can it be?
 
Like a spiral in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel...


Brian! Upgrade to Windows XP - much nicer to use and apart from the current Horlicks made by something (me not installing the new McAfee properly, I think, though I still don't know why the desktop scrolls down slowly when I'm shutting down), doesn't seem to be so clunky as the old '98. Just raid that ickle piggy-wiggy bank...
 
Back
Top