How To Speed Up Windows XP Slow Shutdown
Windows XP Slow Shutdown is a problem since, well, XP has been first used by computer users. While many have accepted this as an inevitable fact when computer is aging, other find it surprising how their computer has slowed down since they started using it. To understand this, you have know what happens to your computer during shutdown:
As your computer shuts down, it ends all the processes that you used from the very minute you boot your computer—most of these processes are not necessarily the ones you manually opened but are required to run your Windows XP. Every process that is running waits in line while to be turned off; so it is normal that the more processes you use, the longer you have to wait before your computer finally shuts off. It is safe to say, therefore, that using more programs during each computer session makes it longer for you to wait before your computer completely shuts off. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to wait for 5 minutes before you can completely walk away from your computer knowing that it is already shut off. Long shut off time is usually caused by underlying problems.
If your computer that takes forever to shut down, problems could be installed third-party driver or software, poor maintenance, or registry problems.
Correcting The Problem
Microsoft may not be directly saying it, but the things to blame are the third-party drivers or softwares that you add in your computer. While installed programs may cause your computer to slow down, Microsoft should have already addressed this issue by improving their system. Nonetheless, what we can do about it is to make sure that you only keep programs that you use and uninstall properly those you rarely use or used just once. {Delete unsued, unwanted, or unimportant programs in Add/Remove Programs found in your Control Panel}.
Just like your motor vehicle, your computer needs to be checked regularly for any problem by using anti-virus/anti-spyware programs and built-in maintenance programs such as disk defragmentation and disk cleaning. Running these programs will remove files (virus or spyware) that cause your computer to slow down and free up some disk space to allow your computer faster queuing during shutdown.
Windows registry is the primary reason for slow shutdown of almost all XP users. {Windows registry is the location where Windows saves all of its important and critical keys and data, which can impact the overall speed of your pc}.
Speed up Windows XP slow shutdown tip: 1 way to speed up shutdown time is to go to Windows Registry by typing “regedit” in Run option; and follow this folder, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management. {Set ClearPageFileAtShutdown to 0}. {Now, you can change the setting of your Windows Registry, but be sure that you know what you are doing or else, you may create irreversible damage to your computer}. So, if you are not confident to make some changes in your registry, leave it untouched and get a registry cleaner.