What to do if the laptop does not turn off via Start. Disabling services or applications. Force shutdown laptop

Good afternoon, regular readers of my blog and newcomers! Most laptop owners are used to turning it off using a dedicated button in the start menu. But it often happens that it stops working. I will describe below how to turn off the laptop if it does not turn off after startup.

Reasons why the laptop won't turn off

Shutting down the device through a special button in the start menu is the correct way to shutdown, so it is logical that if it does not work, then there is a problem or failure.

Common reasons that the laptop does not turn off (typical for all OS versions from Windows 7 and higher):

  1. Lots of programs running in the background.
  2. Virus or system conflict.
  3. Trash or damage to system files.

Crash fix

If the laptop does not turn off due to the fact that many different programs are running, then they should be closed individually. After closing the applications, you should try to turn off the device in the standard way - with the button in the start menu. It is necessary to take it as a rule - before turning off the laptop or rebooting it, turn off all software, including those running in the background. Many people forget to close the messenger, torrent or other software. As a result, the system forcibly closes them (often causes data loss or failure) and does it slowly, and sometimes it simply does not stop the device.

If the device does not work due to a system conflict or virus actions, then you need to do the following. First of all, you need to check the OS for viruses. For these purposes, you should download a trial version of any antivirus and check the files with it. Next, you need to eliminate the system conflict. An example of such a situation is incorrect software installation. The user canceled the installation, but the process did not complete. As a result, the system tries to shut down, but the running application does not allow it. Many users do not know what to do in such a situation, but everything is extremely simple. We open the task manager and look in the processes tab for something that is already disabled, but continues to work without the user's knowledge. We carry out a forced closing and turn off the laptop in the usual way. This method works both in Windows 8 OS and in other versions. The most problem-free in terms of such failures is Windows 10, this is logical, because it is the most thoughtful and reliable of all versions.

Garbage crashes

Why the laptop does not turn off in the usual way when the hard drive is clogged is easy to understand. The less free space is left on local drives, the more difficult it is for the system to operate. It has to process a lot of data and as a result, various braking occurs, and the OS response is significantly degraded. This is especially noticeable if there is little space left on the system disk (usually C). Obviously, unnecessary information affects the operation of the OS, it is also clear that it was collected for a long time. There is a recommendation from experienced users, it is applicable to all versions of the operating system, be it new Windows 10 or old Windows 7 - you should reinstall the system every six months. It doesn't matter how it works - stable or not. Reinstalling the OS allows you to restore all files to work, get rid of unnecessary ones, clean the registry. If, for some reason, reinstalling the operating system does not work, then you should use a PC cleaning software, CCleaner is an excellent example. The second option is to roll back the OS to a workable version. Starting with Windows 8, there was a function to roll back to factory settings with or without user data, as well as the ability to select a local disk that will be affected by this recovery. With this feature, it's easy to get a clean OS just like reinstalling, but without the hassle. The equipment from the brands Lenovo and Acer has proprietary software for such purposes, you can use it.

Alternative shutdown options

If the above options did not fit, then you can turn off the laptop directly through the physical power button or by closing the lid. At the address Control Panel-Hardware and Sound-Power Supply, there are two items "Action when the lid is closed" and "Action of the power button". Accordingly, for both items we set "Completion of work". In this menu, you can assign different actions for battery or mains operation.

Another way to turn off the device, which cannot be called correct and useful, but it is reliable, is to press the power button for a long time. Even if the laptop freezes and nothing helps, then holding down the power button, it turns off. This will be accompanied by a mechanical click. After such a shutdown, the system will need to restore itself, but sometimes it is impossible to complete the work in other ways.

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Thank you for attention! See you on the new pages of my blog! Best regards, Rostislav Kuzmin.

One of the most common problems when using a Windows computer is that even after shutting down, the computer continues to work. The only way to shutdown the computer in this case is to force shutdown by holding the power button for a long time. But this way cannot be used on an ongoing basis, which means that it is necessary to look for a solution to the problem.

It turns out that a large number of users face the problem of inability to turn off the computer in the standard way, but there can be many reasons for this problem: installed drivers, software that blocks computer shutdown, incorrect power settings, etc.

Ways to solve the problem

Method 1: setting up a USB hub to work

This method can help laptop users, users of stationary computers can skip it. The fact is that the system to save battery power can block the operation of some USB devices, but sometimes laptops may not work correctly with this function, which makes it impossible to turn off the computer.

In this case, you need to call the menu "Control Panel" , set the view mode for convenience "Small icons" and then jump to the section "System" .

In the left area of \u200b\u200bthe highlighted window, go to the section "Device Manager" .

The screen will display the window we need, in which you need to expand the item "USB Controllers" , right click on "Root USB Hub" and in the displayed context menu select "Properties" .

In the new window go to the tab "Power Management" and remove the birdie from the point "Allow this device to be turned off to save energy" ... Save your changes. Perform similar actions for all items of "Root USB Hub".

After completing these steps, try turning off your computer through the Start menu.

Method 2: system restore

If the problem with shutting down the computer appeared suddenly and recently, for example, after installing any program or drivers for the connected device, then the system restore function will help solve the problem, which will allow you to roll back the computer to the time when there were no problems with shutting down.

To do this, go to the menu "Control Panel" and then go to section "Recovery" .

In the new window, select "Start System Restore" .

After a few moments, a window will appear on the screen displaying the available restore points. Pick a rollback point that dates from a period when you think your computer was working fine. Start the recovery procedure.

Please note that the system recovery procedure can take quite a long time - everything will depend on how many changes have been made to the operating system since the day you selected the rollback point.

Method 3: disable incorrect services and applications

The most common cause of a computer shutdown problem is a malfunctioning service that, as a result of a failure, cannot shutdown, which means that the computer cannot shutdown.

First of all, you need to look at the Windows log for errors. To do this, open the menu "Control Panel" and go to section "Administration" .

In the window that appears, open the shortcut twice "View Events" .

In the left pane of the window that opens, expand Windows Logs. In it you will need to open two magazines: "Application" and "System" .

Check out these two magazines. You are interested in the events marked with the item "Error" ... If in these events the same service or application is marked each time, then it or its work must be disabled.

To disable the malfunctioning service, return to the window "Administration" and then open the shortcut "Services" .

In the list that opens, find the service you want, and then open it by double-clicking on it. In the tab "General" near the graph "Startup type" set the value "Disabled" and then save your changes.

If the problem was detected in the operation of the application, then such an incorrectly working application is recommended to be removed from the computer through the menu "Control Panel" - "Remove Programs" ... If you cannot remove an application from your computer, you can remove it from startup. To do this, open it "Task Manager" keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Del ... In the window that opens, go to the tab... Right-click on the application and make a selection "Delete" ... Save your changes.

Method 4: decreasing the duration of closing programs

In this method, you can try to reduce the time for closing programs by making changes to the Windows registry. To do this, open a window "Run" key combination Win + R , in the displayed window you need to run the command regedit .

After starting the Windows registry, you will need to make changes to the work of three parameters, which are located in the branch HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop:

1. AutoEndTasks.For this parameter, you will need to set the value to 1. Enabling this parameter will mean that Windows will forcibly quit frozen programs when the computer is shut down;

2. HungAppTimeout. For this parameter, set a value from 1000 to 5000. In this case, you specify a specific time after which Windows will forcibly terminate the program if it does not respond;

3. WailToKiliAppTimeoul.It is recommended to set this parameter to a value between 5000 and 7000. This parameter determines how many milliseconds Windows will wait for the program's response.

If you did not find the required parameter at the specified address, you will need to create it. You can create the "AutoEndTasks" parameter if you right-click on any free area from the existing parameters and in the displayed context menu go to the item "Create" - "String parameter" ... Set the parameter to the exact name and the required value. Save the change.

For the parameters "HungAppTimeout" and "WailToKiliAppTimeoul", right-click on the free area, and then go to the item "New" - "DWORD Parameter (32 bit)" .

After making the necessary changes, close the Windows registry and try shutting down your computer.

Many laptop users have faced the problem when the device does not turn off through the start menu. It doesn't matter how expensive your laptop is and what version of the OS is installed on it - no one is immune from such a mistake.

Finding the problem

The Windows event log is a great feature that many laptop users forget about. The operating system enters here all the information about errors and interruptions that have occurred on the device over the past few days.

Comment. Not every laptop owner will understand the data presented in the magazine. The step "Finding an error" is optional, but desirable, since the answer to the question why the laptop does not turn off through the start menu on Windows can be stored here.

To open the log, press the WIN + R key combination and enter the eventvwr.msc command in the window and press enter:

After entering, the application we need will appear. Do not be intimidated by the many items in the left column, we are only interested in one - the applications and services log. We superficially inspect all subsections for errors (they are marked with a red circle with an exclamation mark inside). If you click on one of the errors, you can see its detailed description:

The detailed description of the error hides the reason why the computer does not turn off through the start menu. But in order not to bother an inexperienced user with finding errors, below are a number of the main causes of the error and the main ways to eliminate them.

Quick launch on Windows 8

The quick launch function on the G8 is included as standard. Disabling it unintentionally can prevent the laptop from turning off via the start menu. To solve the problem, go to the power settings. The algorithm is as follows:

  1. Using the WIN + W key combination, we call the search and enter the keyword "power supply":
  1. On the control panel on the left, select the section "Power button action";
  2. We click on changing the parameters that are currently unavailable (see screen) and scroll down:

Comment. It is imperative to click to change the unavailable parameters, otherwise it will be impossible to change the shutdown settings.

  1. We put a tick (if not) in the "Enable fast startup" item, save the changes and try to turn off the device.

Changing power settings

A laptop is a single device, the power supply of which is arranged in a special way. Accordingly, changing the settings in this system will affect the shutdown.


Comment. Some devices have more than one such USB module. For each of them, do the above operation.

Such actions on the part of the user will slightly accelerate the discharge of the battery. We try to turn off the device. If it doesn't work, then we go to edit the registry.

Rule the register

BootExecute is a Windows parameter that turns off and on a device. The reason why the laptop does not turn off through the start menu may be an incorrect value in the registry.

Comment. Before you start modifying the registry, make a backup copy. Any change in this section may adversely affect the performance of the laptop.


We reboot the laptop. Does not work? We are trying to forcefully turn off the device.

Click on the Switch Off icon with the right mouse button and go to the "Turn off" category, as shown in the screenshot above.

Comment. You don't need to download a third party app. You can use the command line for this purpose or write a command in bat. file. But not every user knows how to do this.

Tips that will answer the question of why the laptop does not turn off through the start menu and what to do about it are over. Of course, not all recommendations are listed here, since the problem can arise for many reasons and it is simply impossible to describe everything.

Some PC and laptop users face one problem - their device on the Windows operating system does not turn off completely. Often, after calling the "Start" menu and clicking on the "Shut down" button, the computer continues to work.

For some users, the screen goes out, but the coolers continue to spin. And for others, the operating room freezes upon exiting, and no matter how long you wait for the inscription “Completion of work,” it does not disappear.

Photo: shutdown window

The reasons for this can be very different. These can be hardware errors, hardware conflict, incorrect operation of drivers, as well as individual programs and services that freezing can prevent the normal shutdown of the operating system.

Four ways to speed up your PC shutdown

For the most part, finding out the true causes of a malfunction can be compared to a detective. When you have to disassemble step by step what exactly prevents the device from turning off correctly. But first, a few common solutions to help speed up the shutdown of the Windows operating system.

Video: PC does not turn off

Managing USB Hub Power

Mainly, this method is relevant for laptop owners. To conserve battery power, some USB devices are disabled by default, that is, they are no longer supplied with power. But not all of them are able to work correctly with this function and "inform" Windows about their status.

A situation arises that when it is turned off, the operating system refers to the device, but since it is de facto disabled, it does not receive a response. As a result, the completion of work is slowed down and freezes. To stop this situation, turn off the power management of the USB hub.

For this you need:


You can also:


Most likely, there will be several of them, and for each you will need to do the following sequence of actions:

It is worth being prepared that this measure may lead to a decrease in the battery life of the laptop. But, as a rule, most users hardly notice this. If this method did not help you, then you can always return the settings to their original state.

Disabling services or applications

During a normal shutdown, Windows terminates all programs, including those that were running in the background. Naturally, the more services were started while the operating system was running, the longer it takes to complete them. But if one of them periodically freezes, then this interferes with a regular shutdown.

To fix this problem, you first need to identify its source.

To do this, you need to look at the logs for a description of the errors that have occurred. Windows stores this information in special logs.

To access them you need:


In them we are looking for messages marked Error and Warning, they are marked in red and yellow, respectively. If they constantly mention the same service or application, then perhaps it should be disabled.

For this:

  1. in the Administration menu, select the Services shortcut;
  2. in the window that appears, we find an incorrectly working service;
  3. click on it with the mouse;
  4. the new window selects the General tab;
  5. changes the Startup Type to Disabled.

For apps, there are two options:

  • remove them from the Startup list;
  • manually, disable the executable process using the Task Manager (to call it, you must simultaneously press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on the keyboard).

Open the startup list:


Reducing program closing time

The third method requires making changes to the Windows registry. To do this, you can make entries yourself. All actions with the registry can only be performed by a user with administrator rights. To call the Registry Editor in the Run window, you need to type the command regedit... In the window that appears, we need a section HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then select Control Panel from the drop-down list and then Desktop.

Here you need to change the value of three parameters:


If the reason for the Shutdown slowdown is the WaitToKillServiceTimeout service, which is located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CurrentControlSet \\ Control. Then its value can also be changed by 5000 ms. The structure of the registry depends on the version of the assembly. If you did not find the described parameters by their addresses, then use the Search, which is available through the Edit menu at the top of the window.

Turn on ACPI

Sometimes the computer does not turn off because the connection between the operating system and the BIOS of the motherboard is not established, which in a normal state should transfer to it the power management functions of the hardware. In modern motherboards, ACPI is enabled by default, but you simply cannot disable it.

But on older models, there were cases when the ACPI mode crashed, this happened especially often after flashing the BIOS. If you have a fairly old computer, and when you turn it off, the message “Now the computer can be turned off” appears on the screen, then you need to enable ACPI.

For this you need:

    1. to restart a computer;
    2. without waiting for Windows to boot, call the Boot BIOS setup menu (press the function key, for some models it is F8, F6 or F4, but there were also more exotic Tab or Delet options);

  1. then find the ACPI item in the BIOS, and change its value to enable.

Other reasons and their solutions

In modern computers equipped with a FireWire card, it is not uncommon for the IEEE 1394 bus to cause an abnormal shutdown. But it can be disabled through the Device Manager. Another common problem is that Windows shuts down, the screen goes blank. But the coolers keep on spinning and the LEDs are blinking. Most likely, the power supply fails, or some of the motherboard capacitors.

Only a visual inspection will help here, an attempt to replace the power supply. Determining if you are hanging or just shutting down will take a little longer than it usually took is quite simple. Often, the mouse cursor remains active even when hovering. Although if it is "stuck", then it is a hundred percent freeze.

Photo: Black screen with error

But in most cases it is better to check as follows: try pressing one of the keys or ... The fact is that the LED signals of the keyboard should respond to their pressing. If this does not happen, then there is no need to wait for a regular shutdown.

Unfortunately, a complete shutdown of the device with an incorrect shutdown can only be achieved by completely turning off the power. For the system unit, just unplug it from the outlet. The laptop will require a long press (about 10 seconds) of the Power button, unplugging from the power cord and removing the battery.

If none of the above measures helped, then you can only sympathize. Ahead of you is an entertaining search for a device or driver that is not working correctly. In some cases, when a hardware conflict occurs, the problem cannot be solved without creating an update of drivers or operating systems by the manufacturers themselves.

It remains only to contact the support service, give a description of your equipment, tell you what remedies you tried, and wait for the updates to be released.

Surely every ordinary user had a situation with a non-shutdown computer. Not knowing what to do in such a situation, we prefer to simply disconnect the electronic machine from the network, suffering, subsequently, at the next turn-on, from constant messages about the obligatory check of the hard disk for errors. Why doesn't my computer turn off and what should I do?

Reasons for "non-shutdown" computer

So, your computer does not turn off again through Start and, for a long time already, the machine looks at you with its blue screen with the inscription "Shutting down Windows". Here are the typical reasons why a computer cannot shutdown for a long time:

  1. The drivers (in particular video drivers) have failed.
  2. All applications that were open during user work are closed.
  3. An application or program crashed (hung).
  4. Terminal service ends.
  5. The system erases data in virtual memory.
  6. The computer is infected with viruses.

Ways to solve problems

So, the computer does not turn off. What to do in this case? Do not panic! Let's look at the solution to each reason separately.

  1. Drivers can be eliminated by simply reinstalling them to the latest versions. If you already have the latest versions, and the computer still does not turn off, then either you will have to roll back the required driver to the initial version, or refuse to use the device and wait for the new driver version.
  2. To prevent all applications and programs from slowing down the computer shutdown process, try to close all windows after working in Windows. In addition, try to leave as few programs as possible in Startup, and then the computer will not have to terminate them all when shutting down.
  3. A crash in a program or application may cause the computer to freeze during shutdown. You can check this by pressing the "CapsLock" button - if the indicator does not light up, then the system is frozen. To get rid of a long computer freeze, you need to reduce the program response time from 12 to 4 seconds. To do this, open the registry editor by pressing WIN + R / regedit / OK), and go to the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control. In the last folder, find the line "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" and change the value to 4000 (that is, up to 4 seconds).
  4. Terminal Services are usually installed by default and are designed for remote desktop use and fast user switching. If you do not work in these modes, then the terminal service can be disabled, and then, you will not worry about why the computer does not turn off. Shutting down the Terminal Service is as follows: go to the Group Policy Editor menu by entering the SERVICES.MSC function on the command line. In the window that opens, go to the Terminal Services menu and change the value of the "Startup type" parameter.
  5. Cleaning of virtual memory in the computer is always disabled by default, but there are some programs that enable this function. To disable it, you need to go to the menu of the Group Policy Editor by entering the SERVICES.MSC function in the command line. In the window that opens, go to Computer Configuration / Windows Settings / Security Settings / Local Policies / Security Features. Here, you will see the status of virtual memory: if it is enabled, you just need to disable it.
  6. When a computer is infected with viruses, it is not turned off by the button. The computer must be scanned for viruses, and preferably not with one antivirus program, but several, since often one antivirus sees some viruses, while others find another antivirus. After checking, restart your computer and try shutting down - this method should definitely help.
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