Slow shut-down times are among the most common complaints about the Windows XP operating system. Some of the most frequent causes include hardware incompatibility with peripheral devices, bugs in installed software programs, and settings with the Windows XP Wake On feature. Each of these problems takes a few relatively simple troubleshooting steps, and many XP users find them effective in most cases.
Windows XP was originally designed to be fully compatible with certain types of hardware devices. Although the list of workable hardware versions has grown each time XP has been updated, remaining problems with some peripherals can often slow the shut-down process. Scanners, printers, and more sophisticated keyboards are some of the most noticeable causes of this issue. Incompatible device drivers can also sometimes cause the XP system to reboot rather than shut down. The most workable test for this incompatibility is to unplug each device and check for any differences in shut-down speed. Some XP users find that updating their printer driver or replacing their keyboard with a more generic one will fix this problem.
Some installations of Windows XP come with installed software programs that have been released with bugs despite their programmers' careful error checking. One of the most frequent culprits behind slow shut-down times is a bug in version 5 of the Roxio Easy CD Creator. A downloadable patch is available from the Roxio website to fix this problem. Users can alternately download and install a later version of this CD creation program. Either of these easy fixes most often speeds up a slow XP shut-down process.
Windows XP's Wake On setting can also cause slow system shut down times. For computers with dial-up connections, the Wake On feature allows the system to reboot as needed when the modem line rings. Received LAN packets can also cause the automatic reboot if the Wake On setting is activated. If the system is too slow to shut down or reboots instead of shutting down, the Wake On setting sometimes needs to be adjusted. Users can fix this issue by going to the Windows Device Manager and finding the system's network card. The next step is to right-click the network card, select Properties, and go to the Power Management tab. Unchecking the box labeled "Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby" completes these troubleshooting steps.
An additional common solution for a slow shut down is to check the version of the installed video card. Some outdated versions of the Nvidia Driver can cause problems with the system shutting down. Updating the video card usually fixes this problem.
Installing certain kinds of anti-spyware can sometimes slow the shut down because they activate the operating system's security features designed to erase the system's cache and virtual memory with every shut down. These features are normally disabled because their processes take a long time to finish before the machine can fully shut down. Users with problem can manually disable these security measures by editing the Windows Group Policy. This process can be done by typing GPEDIT.MSC into the Run command prompt and then navigating to the security options under the local polices located in the Windows Settings folder.
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