BOOT CAMP 103

WHEN WINDOWS WON'T GO AWAY…

As if getting Windows to boot up doesn't cause enough problems, closing it down afterwards can be a real headache for some PC owners. Faced with a machine that 'hangs' during shut down most users head straight for the PC's on-off switch but this should be a last resort. Most of the time, if the machine freezes in the middle of shut down, you'll get away with it but if the power is cut whilst the PC is in the middle of an operation bad things might happen. Never switch off if you hear the hard disc drive chattering away; if you do then critical Windows system files might be corrupted and you could be even worse off, with a completely dead machine. Needless to say it is better to shut down your PC in an orderly manner, so this week's Boot Camp is devoted to what to do when Windows won't go away.

Even the most well behaved PCs hang from time to time. Usually the worst thing that happens after an aborted shutdown is a brief delay the next time you switch on whilst ScanDisk runs through a series of checks on the disc drive, after which Windows loads and shuts down normally again. However a small percentage of PCs suffer from persistent shut down problems. It's not something you should have to put up with and most of the time the solution is fairly simple, usually involving uninstalling a program or changing a setting, but tracking down the original cause can be time-consuming. Of course, if the problem began immediately after you installed a new piece of software or hardware you will know where to start looking – try uninstalling and then reinstalling it. On the other hand, if shut down has always been erratic or it started playing up spontaneously you're going to have to do a bit of detective work.

There is any number of possible causes so it's a process of elimination. If you have closed all running applications and your PC hangs try pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete to bring up the Close Program menu to make sure no frozen programs have been behind. Work your way down the list, highlighting each item in turn and clicking End Task, then try for a shutdown. You can do this for any entry except Explorer and System Tray, which cannot be closed. 

It's worth checking for a corrupted sound file so go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds. Find Exit Windows on the list and change the setting in the Sound Name field to None, then try shutting down again. Power management is another trouble spot, open Power Management in Control Panel and switch the Power Scheme to Always On and the System and Monitor standby times to Never then see what happens when you shut down.

The next thing to try is to disable all of the programs that load during start-up. To do that, press and hold the Shift key at switch on until after Windows has finished loading. Windows 95 machines will boot up in Safe Mode, Windows 98 loads more or less normally but you'll notice that there are no programs shown on the taskbar or System Tray. Now shut the PC down, if it obliges then you know that one of the programs in the start-up group is to blame.

On a Windows 95 PCs open Start Up (Start > Programs) and remove the programs one by one until normal operation is restored. On Windows 98 PCs go to Run on the Start menu and type 'msconfig', the System Configuration Utility opens, select the StartUp tab and you'll be presented with a list of all the programs that load automatically with Windows. Disable them one by one and each time try a restart. Whilst you are in System Configuration select the General tab, click the Advanced button and check the item 'Disable Fast Shutdown', and see if that helps.

System Configuration in Windows 98 has some other useful tools for editing the Windows system start up routine; two potential sources of trouble are system.ini and win.ini. Rather than plough through the lists, uncheck everything (one list at a time and make a note of any previously unchecked items) and restart. If the problem disappears re-check everything and work your way through the list, disabling one item at a time.

The complex Windows filing system has been know to cause its fair share of problems. There's an easy way to find out if this the cause, go to Control Panel double click the System icon select Performance, the File System button and the Troubleshooting tab. Put a check in all of the boxes, click OK, close Control Panel and shut down Windows. If it is successful go back and uncheck the items one at a time. Unfortunately there's no easy cure if one of the file parameters is responsible, other than re-installing Windows.  

Corrupt Windows device drivers can trigger all sorts of odd behaviour so if all else has failed so far double click on the System icon in Control Panel and select the Device Manager tab. Anything listed with an exclamation mark in a yellow circle next to it is worth investigating. Double click on the suspect item (or right click and choose Properties) and check the box marked 'Disable in this hardware profile' and try shutting the PC down. Don't forget to restore the original setting afterwards and only try it on only item at a time. If a driver turns out to be the source of the problem use System Properties to remove it, but before you do make sure you have the original driver disc to hand. 

Next week – PCs and family trees revisited

JARGON FILTER

SAFE MODE

Special Windows troubleshooting mode using default settings and a minimum of drivers and resources

SCANDISK

Windows utility that checks the integrity of data stored on a hard disc drive, identifies problems, and where possible, puts them right

SYSTEM FILES

Important files that configure Windows during boot-up, telling the operating system what settings to use, what software is loaded and the hardware or peripherals attached to the PC

TOP TIP

How well do you know your Windows 98 PC? Tucked away inside your machine is a complete history of its inner workings, charting system settings and changes to the hardware and software configuration. It's a useful to have a permanent record of this information, made when your PC is working normally. There's some interesting facts and figures in amongst the mass of gobbledegook and if at some stage something goes wrong, it could help you or a PC savvy friend to track down the problem more easily. To produce such a file go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information. On the File menu select Export, give the file a name – something along the lines 'mypc.txt' -- choose a location and click Save. You could print it out but be warned that it can run to more than 100 pages!