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Tired of waiting several minutes for your computer to totally shut down? For Windows XP, the shutdown time is likened to the time to cook a hard boiled egg. If you have problems in shutting down your computer fast, here are some pointers that you can use.
1. Instead of Shutting Down the computer, you may choose to let it hibernate. It both saves the same amount of electricity, hardware wise, although when the computer is hibernating, it is faster to wake it up again as compared to shutting it down. This saves a lot of time and effort on the part of the user and the computer.
2. Exit running programs first before attempting to shut it down. It is usually faster to do this manually rather than let the computer do it. It is also a good way to check if the document you are saving or program that you are exiting is already complete. Some programs tend to stall the shutdown process especially if it doesn’t respond because it has already too many processes being done. This will extend the wait time for several minutes. If you are really impatient and want to shut it down anyway, by all means, do it.
3. Drivers that have bugs or are not installed properly can lead to a delay in the shutdown process. These drivers may need to be installed again or updated to its latest version for it to function optimally. To check for problems in drivers, go to the properties window of My Computer and check the Device Manager. If there are problems with the drivers, a yellow question mark or a red exclamation point will be seen beside the device, which means it is either a generic driver or the driver is not functioning, respectively. Most commonly updated drivers are those for sound cards, printers and graphic boards.
4. Some terminal services can cause shutdowns. If it is never used, then it is better to turn it off. To do this, click on Start, select Run, then enter in services.msc. Locate the listing for Terminal Services and replace the start-up type to manual. This is not an option if you do not use these Terminal Services.
5. By not removing your virtual memory, you can speed up the process of shutting down. Click on Start, then Run, and enter gpedit.msc. Look under Computer Configuration the Windows Settings, under Window Settings, the Security Settings, beneath it is the Local Policies and then is the Security Options. Look for the Shutdown features, then disable the command of clearing virtual memory page file. This option is also not available to all users.
If all else fails, you can either increase your patience in waiting for your computer to shut down properly or just close it with no concern as to risk of losing unsaved data. It is all up to you on how you value your time or if you don’t really need the extra seconds needed in shutting it down properly.
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