Windows XP should be shut down properly when all work is finished. Before Windows XP can shut down, the operating system sends a message to all devices, services, and applications. Each device that is running sends a message back saying it is okay to shut down now. Any active application saves data that has not been previously saved and sends a message back to the operating system. Active system services also respond that it is okay to shut down.

If the system has trouble shutting down, it is due to one of the following three things. (i) This is the most common problem in which the application does not respond back. When this happens, press Ctrl + Alt + Del to access Task Manager. Manually stop all those applications that show a status of not responding. You can also click on any of the applications and stop them to see if they are causing the problem. (ii) Sometimes, a program does not show a status of not responding until you try to manually stop the application from within Task Manager. If a single application continually prevents Windows XP from shutting down, contact the software Close Notepad without saving the document.

manufacturer to sort out the problem. (iii) Thirdly, there may be services problems. For services problems, boot the computer into Safe Mode and then shut the computer down. Take note as to whether or not the computer had any problems shutting down. If the process works, access the BOOTLOG. TXT file that is located in the root directory of the drive that contains Windows XP. One.e inside the file, take note of each service that is disabled from booting into Safe Mode. Boot the computer-normally. Stop each service one at a time to see as to which service is causing the problem.

To troubleshoot devices not responding, eliminate services and applications first because a device does not cause a shutdown problem frequently. Then, while working on the computer, take notice of what devices you are using. Common ones are video, hard drive, CD-ROM, keyboard, and mouse. Verify that all of your devices have the most up-to-date drive loaded and that the driver is compatible with WindowsXP.