That is, if you press the Restart button, the system will restart normally. It just behaves the same as before. There is no clear cut reason why Windows behaves the way it behaves. Maybe some application, service, or a buggy driver is messing with the Windows 10 shutdown process. For example, in the case I encountered, it happened right after installing software which in turn installed its own service.
Even though the issue is a bit bizarre, the fix for it is pretty simple. The easiest way to fix the issue is to force shut down the system. When you do that, Windows ignores everything and just shuts down the PC.
Once the PC is shut down properly, the problem should not arise again. The good thing is, you can force shutdown Windows with just a single command. Just follow the steps as-is and you will be good. To execute the command, we need to run it as an administrator. As soon as you execute the command, Windows 10 should shutdown itself right away. So, if the above method did not work, do give the below one a try.
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This document applies to Windows 7 or Vista. There are various reasons that Windows might not shut down properly. The following sections contain fixes for the most common causes. Step 1: Scanning for the latest virus, spyware, and malware threats Use the update feature of your antivirus software to get the latest virus, spyware, and malware definition files, and then do a full system scan to remove any threats found on the computer. If your virus scanning software does not find any problems, skip to the next step.
If threats were removed, click Start , and then Shut Down. If Windows still fails to shut down, continue to the next step. Step 2: Using Windows Update to get the latest updates Microsoft releases updates to address issues with software drivers and programs. Use Windows Update to download service packs for Windows 7 or Vista, as well as all the latest important and optional updates for the computer. After getting the latest updates from Microsoft, click Start , and then Shut Down.
Step 3: Preventing software from opening During shut down, Windows attempts to close all open software programs and services. To see if a software program or service is contributing to the shut down problem, follow these steps:. Click Start , and then type msconfig into the Start Search field. Click msconfig from the Programs list to open the System Configuration window. Figure : Opening msconfig.
From the General tab, remove the selection from Load startup items. Select Hide Microsoft services , and then remove the selections next to each item in the list. Click OK , and then click Restart. After the computer has been restarted without startup programs and services, click Start and then Shut Down. Note what happens when the computer attempts to shut down and do the following based on what happens:.
If Windows still fails to shut down, reopen msconfig and replace the selection Normal startup on the General tab.
