Sorry MSConfigThis,

You weren't there when I started - I'm just slow.

Steve

This happens to me about once in 15 or 20 shutdowns. I just press and hold the large power button until it turns off.

We need some more information to tell if this is a BIOS problem or a software problem. When you power up your computer after shutting down in this way, does it go through the scandisk routine? If so, then it is a software problem. All kinds of things can produce shutdown problems like this. The best troubleshooting guide can be found at http://www.aumha.org/a/shutdown.htm.

If scandisk doesn't run when you power back up, then you need to change the power management settings in your BIOS. To do this, either press the delete key or the F2 key (depends on the BIOS) on the first screen after power up (before Windows begins to load), go into setup and find the settings that control how the computer will respond when shut down (I don't have a 4100, and it is different on each computer model). Let us know if this solves your problem.

Steve

Chances are it is your power options that are causing this. Go to start/settings/control panel then double click on power options, if you don't see it listed click on the left where it says "View all control panel options". Once you double click on power options click on the advanced tab at the top. Halfway down the page where it says "When i push the power button on my computer" you want to change that to power off instead of hybernate which is the default. Click apply then try to power off, it will work.

Are you using AOL5.0 or 6.0? When I used these my system did the same thing. I changed ISP, no problem.

certainly not much a word of comfort but i'm experiencing the same problem.

Cheers

Dimension 4100 - PIII 1 ghz
Windows Me
256 Sdram
GTS 2 32 DDR
SB Live!

Thanks for this. The troubleshoot guide scared me silly - didn't fancy doing all those evil things on my brand new toy! Thankfully MSConfig's reply seems to have done the trick - so far anyway! I've logged the troubleshoot site just in case!

Ta

poyntzb

Almost exactly the same setup as mine. Try MScongig's reply to my original email - its floated my boat so far!

poyntzb

Thanks - this seems to have solved the problem (touch wood) - but as I said in the original email it didn't happen every time anyway. Good to see such an excellent set of replies offering all sorts of advice. Hopefully your solution (start easy, keep it simple) means I don't need to go to anything more complicated.

Thanks again

Poyntzb

I have had this situation on more than one computer. Before you shutdown always make sure you have a basic desktop i.e. all programs closed with no programs in the task startup bar running. If the computer does not go through it's normal shutdown then you can push and hold your start button for about five seconds and the computer will shutdown. When you restart you computer the Windows program (I have had Windows 98 up to this time) will run scan-disk. I have never had a problem restarting this way and I learned this technique from a Dell tech once when I first had this situation.