Shutdown without powerdown

Something is installed... A Windows Update, Dell update, will be hard to find what exactly is causing the problem. If it doesn't happen on SafeMode, for sure, it is a startup item, a service...  1.- Try to disable all the services and start programs using "msconfig" --> Doesn't Work What about Microsoft services...??? As i remember Dell says to disable all non MS services, what about a MS service, just in case.

Thank you, your clue was so helpful, drives me to the problem and could solve it!!!!

The problem seems to come from a wireless ethernet board from Ralink, the only update made other than defender and office's close at that date. Just uninstall it and could powerdown the computer. After, the driver downloaded directly from the manufacturer solve the problem, which by the way is completly different from Vista's. The only question remains to me is the fact that the date when the problem showed and the fail driver's update doesn't match for four days, but anyway now I'm happy.

What are your recomendations for the future? should I trust new updates from Vista?

Thanks a lot!!

Thank you, pleased to assist!

At first thought, a four day lag between the driver download and the problem doesn't worry me much - drivers are peculiar bits of software, and it may be that the problem only occurs under certain circumstances that didn't immediately trigger - possibly because you'd become accustomed to shutting down via the power button, or simply because your pattern of usage over those few days was slightly different to the norm.

My guess is that the driver problem was caused by some hardware mis-identification by Vista, and it downloaded and installed an incompatible update intended for another product, or possible somebody has mislabelled (for example) an XP-only driver as Vista compatible, and it has then got into the auto update system.

As a broad rule I'd recommend that you should rely on auto-update - it works well 99.999% of the time, and the main things that updates are for is to fix security or stability problems.  Obviously you are now aware of the risk that an auto update can cause problems, but you run similar risks manually updating your machine, with the added inconvenience that brings.  Because most drivers aren't updated regularly, merely when some critical fault is found, I wouldn't expect to see a faulty driver re-install itself, but you'll know what to do if the problem does recur.  You could set auto update to "let me check before install", but that is probably more hassle than it is worth if you have to wade through all the Windows Defender updates (and how would you know which Vista updates you wanted, without reading the knowledge base articles for each one?).  A halfway house if you're feeling a bit concerned would be to deselect the option for "include recommended when checking for updates", because I think (unproven) that will exclude driver updates which are usually shown as "optional" - and you can always check every couple of  months to see if the accumulated optional updates are things you want to risk.  

Incidentally, can you recall if the problem driver update was optional?  If it was, chances are that you may have happily selected the driver update because Vista offered it to you?  The lesson there is not to avoid such actions, just to be aware of the possibility that problems might occur.  The system isn't infallible - I've got an optional Nvidia driver update that I'm not installing, because it is older than the manually installed version on my machine, but equally the driver updates for my TV tuner have all gone on, and caused no problems.

Incidentally, my settings for auto update are to allow it to do everything it can - it checks every day, installs new updates automatically, and includes recommended updates when checking.  This might cause a problem in future, but I'd rather be running take that small risk, but in the meanwhile be happy that I'm running a fully patched system. 

Regards,

Led

Just a quick follow up to what Ledswinger said...he is absolutely correct when he he mentions about optional updates and such.

On my E1705 I had an optional update for my Go 7900 GS, so I checked the dates and such and this update (drivers) was later than the drivers i had on my system, so I gave it a go adn it actually improved my system.  Had the drivers been earlier than what I showed, then I would have just hidden the update so I wouldn't see it again.   So on optional updates just right click on the update, read details, if you don't need it than just click hide update and it won't show up again.

It's always better to update than not.  And it's just a matter of knowing that problems can occur.

Oh yeah, are you going to take back what you said about VISTA????  :smileyvery-happy:

Regarding what I said to Vista I still think the same. I have Vista in my computer because I had no choice from DELL when I buy this computer, but I was confindent with DELL and give an opportunity to Vista. Now, I have three computers; two of them with VISTA and the other with XP, so I'm able to say I have experience with Vista and I don't like it for a lot of reasons that could fill another thread.

That makes me very suspicious with the new OS so one of the first thing I made was to set the "let me check before install", as Led recommends, to know what's happening behind. I saw the driver update discussed here, but the system works fine that time, as said the system failed 4 days after the driver update(another negative point for Vista).

Maybe I'm on 0.0001%.

You love DELL and I agree, but do you really love Vista??

Do I really love VISTA?  Actually, I do.

I use XP at work and VISTA at home and when I troubleshoot the problems of co-workers that use XP, I tell them CLICK HERE and do this....they say, "I don't have that option."  I say, "Oh, yeah...then go here, here, here and here, then you'll see what I am talking about." 

For me, anyway, VISTA just seems easier, smoother, fewer problems, just overall a better OS.  But that's because I haven't had bad luck.  Games, peripherals, programs, everything works.

When I had XP I had my Windows UPdate that unregistered itself and I had to keep registering it to get it to work.  My games that i used on 95 wouldn't work on XP, so I had more compatibility issues going to XP than I do VISTA. 

But think of it this way....both are decent if you like them, and both stink if you don't.  That's the way it is.