Windows 98 Shutdown Problems

For step-by-step help figuring out why SE won't shut down, see
How to Troubleshoot Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Problems.

Another Shutdown Solution
This fix has works (sometimes) with Windows 98SE on many AMD K6 systems: In your PC's BIOS setup, find the setting for "Video Off Method" and change it from "DPMS" to "V/H Sync+Blank" or any setting other than DPMS. See if that allows you to shut down properly.

Fast Shutdown
If you have the original Windows 98 (not SE), see if you can get the system to shut down properly by disabling the Fast Shutdown option. To do this click Start | Run and type MSConfig. On MSConfig's General tab, click the Advanced button. Find the Disable Fast Shutdown option and check its box, then click OK.

Program Not Responding
Sometimes when you try to shut down, a dialog will appear that says "This application is not responding". The name of the application should be shown in the title bar. Generally this means the program has hung up due to a software bug or because the hardware it requires is not operating properly. If this happens frequently and the software is an application, try reinstalling the application. If the software is related to a device, such as a Zip drive or web camera, see if you can obtain updated drivers for the device.

Removing "Log Off"
It's not a bug but it can be annoying. If you're the only user of the PC then you don't need that "Log Off" entry under the Start menu. Get rid of it by using TweakUI. Under TweakUI's IE4 tab, uncheck the item that says "Allow Logoff".

Other Shutdown Problems
Here are more problems and fixes for shutdown issues from the Microsoft database.

Q188122 - Problems with Crystal Audio Sound Card in Windows 98
Q187324 - Computer Stops Responding When You Attempt to Shut Down Windows
Q188803 - Err Msg: MSGSRV32.EXE Caused a General Protection Fault
Q189880 - Computer Stops Responding When Shutting Down Windows 98
Q189329 - Errors When Shutting Down Windows with Compaq FX-Series Monitor
Q197791 - Err Msg: TASKMON Caused an Invalid Page Fault

Shutdown problems in Windows 98 can be caused by any of the following:

*Incompatible, damaged, or conflicting device drivers.
*A damaged exit sound file.
*Incorrectly configured or damaged hardware.

To troubleshoot these issues:

Determine whether a program in the Startup folder conflicts with the startup process:

Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

Click Selective Startup, click the Load Startup Group Items check box to clear it, click Apply, click OK, and then click Yes to restart your computer.

Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, skip to step 2. If your computer shuts down correctly, one of your startup programs is probably causing this issue. To determine which startup program is causing this issue, continue to the next step.

Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.

On the Startup tab, click a check box to select it, click OK, and then click Yes to restart your computer. Test to determine if the startup program you disabled caused the issue, and if not, repeat steps d-e, but select a different startup program to enable in step e. When your computer does not start correctly, you have determined that the last startup program you enabled is the cause of the issue.

NOTE: If disabling startup programs does not resolve the problem, re-enable the startup programs by repeating steps a-b, and then click to select the Load Startup Group Items check box.

Disable fast shutdown. For additional information about how to disable fast shutdown, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q187607 How to Disable Fast Shutdown in Windows 98

Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, continue to step 3.

Determine if the shutdown problem is caused by a command or driver that loads automatically from the Win.ini, System.ini, Autoexec.bat, or Config.sys files:

Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.

Click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the following check boxes:

Process Win.ini file

Process System.ini file

Process Autoexec.bat file

Process Config.sys file

NOTE: If any of these items are unavailable, that particular file does not contain any items to load.

Click OK, and then click Yes to restart the computer. Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, repeat steps a-c, but in step c, click to select the check boxes, and then continue to step 4.

Disable some device drivers. Some of the most common device drivers that may be problematic are sound cards, video adapters, and network adapters. To disable device drivers:

Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then click the Device Manager tab.

Double-click a device type, for example, Sound, Video, and Game Controllers.

Click one of the listed devices, and then click Properties.

Click the Disable In This Hardware Profile check box to select it.

IMPORTANT: Record all of the devices you disable in this manner so that you can enable them again later.

Click OK, click OK, and then restart your computer.

Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, repeat steps a-e, but disable a different piece of hardware in step d. Also, to test your display adapter, click Start, click Run, type msconfig, click OK, click Advanced, click the VGA 640x480x16 check box to select it, and then click OK. If you disable your sound card, video adapter, and network adapter, but the issue is still not resolved, re-enable these devices by performing steps a-e, but in step d, click the Disable In This Hardware Profile check box to clear it, and then continue to step 5.

NOTE: If you are unable to change the video adapter using the preceding steps, change your video adapter driver to Standard VGA with the following procedure:

Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.

Click the Settings tab, click Advanced, click the Adapter tab, and then click Change.

Click Next, click Display a list of all the drivers in a specific location, so you can select the driver you want, and then click Next.

Click Show All Hardware, click Standard Display Types in the Manufacturer box, click Standard Display Adapter (VGA) in the Models box, and then click Next.

Click Yes, click Next, and then click Finish.

Click Close, click Close, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.

If changing your video adapter to the Standard VGA driver resolves the issue, contact your video adapter manufacturer to inquire about the availability of an updated Windows 98 video adapter driver. For additional information about how to troubleshoot display problems, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q127139 Troubleshooting Video Problems in Windows

How About a One Click Shutdown

Select Start, Shut Down, select Shut Down, click OK; that's four mouse clicks.
So make a Shut Down shortcut. Right-click the desktop and select New, Shortcut. In the Command Line text box, type

rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows

Click Next, name the shortcut something appropriate, such as Shut Down (or Later, Alligator), then click Finish. When you're ready to shut down, just click your new shortcut (or double-click it, as the case may be).

Save Settings on Exit

You cannot prevent Windows from saving your settings when you exit.
The Windows user interface does not include a way to prevent saving your settings when you exit.

To prevent your settings from being saved, add (or modify) the

NoSaveSettings

field in the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Setting the NoSaveSettings field to 1 prevents your settings from being saved. When you set this value, the following items are not saved when you exit Windows:

-Changed icon positions on the desktop.
-Windows that are open when you exit.
-The size and position of the taskbar.

BTW:
When you start Windows in Safe mode, all shell settings return to their default values.
When you next restart Windows normally, most of the shell settings return to their prior values. However, some shell settings, including the taskbar options, are not restored.

After starting Windows in Safe mode and then restarting Windows normally, you must reselect any non-default taskbar options.

Steps For Troubleshooting Windows Shutdown

I found the following article at Deja News with no working link.

Steps For Troubleshooting Windows Shutdown

Shutdown problems in Windows 95 and 98 can be caused by many factors including, but not limited to: a damaged exit sound file; incorrectly configured or damaged hardware; conflicting programs, or an incompatible, damaged, or conflicting device driver. This article can be used to troubleshoot the possible causes. If you don't know how to use utilities such as MSConfig or SysEdit, see notes at the bottom of the article.

NOTE ON WINDOWS 98 SECOND EDITION: There is a widespread shutdown problem with Windows 98 Second Edition that has, at present, no reliable solution. Microsoft is giving priority to resolving it. The following fourteen troubleshooting steps should be tried, but might not work. A patch is expected soon. Some fixes have been posted that have limited applicability on some computers, but nothing so far has amounted to a general solution.

This article does not, therefore, in its present form, attempt to address the general Win98 SE shutdown problem comprehensively. (A very few Win98 SE points are summarized near the end.) I am expecting an eventual comprehensive article on this issue from MrScary once he figures it all out!

FIRST STEP: DISABLE FAST SHUTDOWN (Skip this step if you are using Windows 95)

Launch MSCONFIG. Click Advanced. Place a check mark in the box next to "Disable fast shutdown." (NOTE: If the box is already marked, go to STEP TWO.) Click OK, then OK again. Test Windows shut down by restarting the computer. (For proper troubleshooting, click Start | Shut Down | Restart | OK. Give Windows three minutes to complete the process before concluding that it is hung. This same procedure is referred to in the following steps as, "Test Windows shut down.")

Disabling fast shutdown may solve the problem; but if it doesn't, go to STEP TWO.

SECOND STEP: STARTUP/SHUTDOWN TROUBLESHOOTING WIZARD

Microsoft has an on-line Startup/Shutdown Troubleshooting Wizard at:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/tshoot/default.asp
You can try this as your next option. It does overlap with some of the following steps.

THIRD STEP: RULE OUT DAMAGED EXIT SOUND FILE

In Control Panel, double-click Sounds. In the Events box, click Exit Windows. In the Name box, click None. Click OK. Test Windows shut down. If Windows does *not* hang, the problem may be a corrupt sound file. Restore the file from your Windows disk or wherever you obtained it and then test Windows shut down.

FOURTH STEP: RULE OUT CLOGGED TEMPORARY FILE FOLDERS

Manually deleting the contents of various temporary file folders may solve the shutdown problem. Though these files can be relocated on a given system, their default locations are usually on the C: drive. Folders you might want to manually clean include: TEMP, Temporary Internet Files, and MSDOWNLD.TMP.

FIFTH STEP: RULE OUT AUTOEXEC.BAT OR CONFIG.SYS COMMAND LINE PROBLEMS

(If there is neither an AUTOEXEC.BAT nor CONFIG.SYS file, or if both are empty, go to STEP SIX. Otherwise:) Rename AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS to AUTOEXEC.TMP and CONFIG.TMP and test Windows shut down. If it hangs, rename the files to the original names and go to STEP SIX. If the system doesn't hang, rename the files and proceed with these steps:

Restart Windows and bring up the Boot Menu. Choose "Step-By-Step Confirmation." Press Y at each of the following prompts if it occurs (press N for any other prompts):

- Load DoubleSpace driver
- Process the system registry
- DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
- DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
- Load the Windows graphical user interface
- Load all Windows drivers

After Windows finishes loading, test Windows shut down. If the system hangs, go to STEP SIX. If it shuts down properly, the problem may be caused by a command line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file.

To determine which line is causing the problem, follow these steps: Restart Windows, bringing up the Boot Menu as before. Press Y for each of the prompts listed above, plus one *additional* command. Press N for all other prompts. (You will cycle through the additional lines, selecting a *different* additional command each time until you have gone through them all.) Each time, after Windows finishes loading, test Windows shut down. Repeat the above until the shutdown problem occurs.

When the shutdown problem occurs, you have identified the command causing the problem. Disable the command (using SYSEDIT to edit the file containing the command, or, in Win98, MSCONFIG to remove the check mark in front of the problematic item).

NOTE: MS-MVP Sky King has pointed out that CONFIG or AUTOEXEC files ending with extensions of WIN, WOS, or W04, if they exist, will be processed instead of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. You may wish to check for the existence of these files as well, and to apply the above procedure to them also.

SIXTH STEP: RULE OUT VIRTUAL DEVICE DRIVER / SYSTEM.INI PROBLEMS

Launch SYSEDIT. Click on the SYSTEM.INI window. Examine the section [386Enh] and place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of each line that begins with "DEVICE=" and ends with ".386." Save the changes and exit SYSEDIT. (NOTE: In Win98 you can use MSCONFIG and merely uncheck such lines in the [386Enh] section.) Reboot, then test Windows shut down. If Windows hangs, restore the SYSTEM.INI file to its original configuration. If Windows does *not* hang during shutdown, a virtual device driver may be causing the problem. Contact the driver's manufacturer for assistance.

SEVENTH STEP: RULE OUT WIN.INI COMMAND LINE PROBLEMS

Launch SYSEDIT. Click on the WIN.INI window and look for any lines beginning with LOAD= or RUN=. Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of these lines if they have entries following the equal (=) sign. Save the changes to the WIN.INI file and exit SYSEDIT. If you did not make changes, go to STEP EIGHT; otherwise, reboot and then test Windows shut down. If Windows continues to hang, remove the semicolons, save the file and go to STEP EIGHT. If Windows does *not* hang, one of the disabled program entries may be to blame. To determine the problem program, re-enable them one at a time by removing the semicolon and resaving the file. After each program is enabled, test Windows shut down.

EIGHTH STEP: RULE OUT PROGRAMS LOADED FROM STARTUP FOLDER

Restart Windows without any Startup folder programs loading. FOR WIN98: Use MSCONFIG. Click Selective Startup. Remove the check mark from in front of "Load startup group items." Restart Windows. FOR WIN95: Restart the computer and, as soon as the Windows desktop wallpaper appears, press and hold the SHIFT key until Windows 95 finishes loading. After doing one of these procedures, test Windows shut down. If Windows hangs, go to STEP NINE. If Windows shuts down properly, determine the culprit by ruling out the programs one-by-one:

FOR WIN98: Use MSCONFIG. On the Startup tab, place a check mark next to the first program item listed. Click OK, then OK. FOR WIN95: Manually remove all but one of the shortcut icons from the Startup folder.

FOR BOTH SYSTEMS: Test Windows shut down. If Windows shuts down properly, then the program that remained is not causing the problem. Restore another startup program per the appropriate method above. After each program is restored, test Windows shut down. Continue re-enabling programs until you either find the problem program (there may be more than one) or all programs have been restored.

IMPORTANT WIN95 NOTE: Holding down the SHIFT key as soon as Windows begins to load will launch Win95 in Safe Mode. (If you wait for the desktop wallpaper to appear, it only suppresses Startup items.) If Safe Mode is used, not only are items in the Startup folder not loaded when this happens, but Windows also uses only basic system drivers, does not launch startup programs normally launched from the Registry, does not execute CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT (already tested above), does not launch certain sections of the System.ini file (already tested above), does not process the HIMEM.SYS and IFSHLP.SYS files, and does not load DoubleSpace or DriveSpace if present. Therefore, for Win95 computers, if (1) all previous troubleshooting steps have passed, and (2) this step causes proper shutdown behavior after booting in Safe Mode, and (3) removing all items in the Startup folder then rebooting in normal mode does *not* produce proper shutdown behavior, then Registry startup items, HIMEM.SYS, IFSHLP.SYS, and DoubleSpace or DriveSpace must be considered as likely causes of the problem. Detailed instructions for troubleshooting these items are not given in the present article; if you do not know how to test these steps, please seek help in the online peer support newsgroups for these specific tasks.

NINTH STEP: RULE OUT EMM386-RELATED MEMORY CONFLICTS

A memory conflict sometimes exists when Emm386.exe is not loaded from the CONFIG.SYS file. To test for this, launch SYSEDIT. Click the CONFIG.SYS window. In the CONFIG.SYS file, make sure the following lines exist in this order, at the very beginning of the file:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=A000-F7FF
DOS=HIGH,UMB

If you do not have a CONFIG.SYS file, create one with these three lines. Save the modified CONFIG.SYS and close SYSEDIT. Reboot, then test Windows shut down. If the system hangs, restore your CONFIG.SYS file to its original configuration. If it shuts down properly, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

"Locating and Excluding RAM/ROM Addresses in the UMA"
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q112/8/16.asp

TENTH STEP: RULE OUT ADVANCED POWER MANAGEMENT (APM) PROBLEMS

(Not all computers have APM features. If yours is one of them, go to STEP ELEVEN. Otherwise:) Right-click on My Computer, select Properties, and click the Device Manager tab. Double-click the System Devices branch to expand it. Double-click Advanced Power Management Support in the device list. Click the Settings tab. Click the Enable Power Management check box to clear it. Click OK until you return to Control Panel. (NOTE: This box doesn't exist in Win98 SE. Disable APM from Control Panel | Power.) Reboot, then test Windows shut down. If Windows shuts down properly, the problem may be caused by APM, so contact the computer's manufacturer for assistance. NOTE: For additional information about shutdown problems with APM enabled, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

"Shutdown Hangs After 'Please Wait While...' Screen"
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q136/6/51.asp

ELEVENTH STEP: RULE OUT WINDOWS FILE SYSTEM SETTINGS

Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the Performance tab. Click File System. Click the Troubleshooting tab. Mark all the check boxes, click OK, click Close and click Yes. Reboot, then test Windows shut down. If Windows shuts down properly, the problem is related to the File System settings. Go back and uncheck each box one at a time. Reboot and test Windows shut down after each change to identify which item is the problem.

TWELFTH STEP: RULE OUT WINDOWS DEVICE DRIVER PROBLEMS

See if a Windows device driver is causing the problem or if an installed device is configured incorrectly or is improperly functioning. Right click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the Hardware Profiles tab. Click the hardware profile you are currently using, and then click Copy. Type "Test Configuration" in the To box. Click OK. Click the Device Manager tab. Double-click any device, then click the Test Configuration check box to clear it. Repeat this step until you have disabled all devices but DO NOT disable any system devices. When you are prompted to restart Windows, select NO. (NOTE: If you disabled a PCI hard disk controller, choose Yes to restart Windows. PCI hard disk controllers cannot be unloaded dynamically.)

Restart Windows and you will receive the following message: "Windows cannot determine what configuration your computer is in. Select one of the following:" Choose Test Configuration from the list of configurations. As Windows starts, you will receive the following error message: "Your Display Adapter is disabled." To correct the problem, click OK to open Device Manager. When the Display Properties dialog box opens, click Cancel. Test Windows shut down. If Windows hangs, go to STEP THIRTEEN. If Windows shuts down properly, the problem may be caused by a Windows device driver or a device installed in your computer that is configured incorrectly or is not functioning properly.

To determine which device driver or device is causing the problem, go back into Device Manager. Double-click a device that you disabled in step E above, then click the Test Configuration check box to select it. When prompted to restart Windows, click Yes. Test Windows shut down. Repeat this with each device until the shutdown problem recurs. If the problem recurs, you have identified the device or device driver causing the problem.

NOTE: If the shutdown problem is being caused by a Plug and Play device that is configured incorrectly or isn't functioning properly, removing the device from the current hardware profile will correct the problem. After you remove the device from the current hardware profile and restart Windows, the drivers associated with the device are removed from memory and the shutdown problem does not occur. However, as Windows restarts, the Plug and Play device will be detected automatically and installed in the current hardware profile. When you restart Windows a second time, the drivers associated with the device are again loaded in memory and the shutdown problem returns.

If Windows continues to hang on shutdown after you complete steps the above steps, reinstall Windows to a different folder to rule out the possibility of damaged files. If your computer has a Plug and Play BIOS, reinstall Windows using the "setup /P I" command to rule out a defective Plug and Play BIOS.

If Windows still hangs during the shutdown process after you reinstall it, your computer may have faulty hardware or faulty system components including RAM, the CPU, the motherboard or an internal or external cache. Contact your computer's manufacturer for assistance.

THIRTEENTH STEP: USE BOOTLOG.TXT TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM

If Windows still hangs during the shutdown process, create a BOOTLOG.TXT file by restarting the computer, bringing up the Boot Menu and selecting the option to create a boot log. Let Windows load fully and then reboot normally. Examine C:\BOOTLOG.TXT for "Terminate=" entries. These entries are located at the end of the file and may provide clues as to the cause of the problem. Each "Terminate=" entry should have a matching "EndTerminate=" entry on a successful shutdown. If the last line in the BOOTLOG.TXT file is "EndTerminate=KERNEL," Windows shut down successfully.

If the last line in BOOTLOG.TXT is one of the following entries, check the listed possible cause:
Terminate=Query Drivers: Possible QEMM or other memory manager issue.

Terminate=Unload Network: Possible conflict with real-mode network driver in CONFIG.SYS file.

Terminate=Reset Display: Disable video shadowing. You may also need an updated video driver.

Terminate=RIT: Possible timer-related problems with the sound card or an old mouse driver. Terminate=Win32: Problem with a 32-bit program blocking a thread.

Possibly Microsoft Visual C for Windows.

FOURTEENTH STEP: OTHER SOLUTIONS

(1) The PC Speaker driver (SPEAKER.DRV) can cause Windows to stop responding at shutdown or startup. To disable the PC Speaker driver, disable the "wave=speaker.drv" line in the SYSTEM.INI file, then restart the computer.

(2) On a computer with a BIOS that expects IRQ 12 to be in use by a PS/2-style mouse port, but instead has a software-configurable hardware device (such as a Plug and Play adapter) using IRQ 12, Windows can hang on shutdown. To work around this problem, reserve IRQ 12 in Device Manager, or change the IRQ for the software-configurable device in Device Manager. (You may also want to consider upgrading the BIOS in your computer to a later version.) To reserve an IRQ with Device Manager: In Control Panel, double-click System. On the Device Manager tab, double-click Computer. On the Reserve Resources tab, click the Interrupt Request (IRQ) option, and then click Add. In the Value box, click the IRQ you want to reserve.

Click

OK until you return to Control Panel.

(3) If a network card is installed in the computer, do the following: Remove the network in Device Manager. Shut down Windows. Physically remove the network card. Restart Windows. Shut down Windows (observe whether it shuts down normally). Reinstall the network card. Restart Windows and let it detect the card as new hardware. (This has been known to work in at least one case in Win98 SE, and should be tried for other versions of Windows9x also.)

(4) If your anti-virus software is set to scan your floppy drives on shutdown, this can result in various symptoms including the computer hanging on shutdown. Often (but not always) a clue will be that the floppy drive light comes on during shutdown. The solution is to disable this particular feature in the anti-virus program.

(5) If the previous steps do not resolve the problem, try resetting CMOS settings back to factory defaults. For information about changing CMOS settings in your computer, consult the computer's documentation or manufacturer. WARNING: Before you reset the computer's CMOS settings back to the factory defaults, make sure to write down the CMOS settings. WARNING: Do not try this step unless you know what you are doing -- mistakes in this step can result in your computer not working at all!

WINDOWS WITH INTERNET EXPLORER SCENARIOS:

(1) If Internet Explorer 4.01 is installed, and one or more network drives are mapped on your computer with the Desktop Update component installed, update to Internet Explorer 5 or apply the IE4.01 Service Pack 1 from http://www.microsoft.com/ie/.

(2) If IE (any version) is installed and your user profile contains a large Temporary Internet Files folder (cache), Windows can hang on shutdown. To work around this behavior, use any of the following methods: METHOD 1: Empty your Temporary Internet Files folder each time you quit Internet Explorer. METHOD 2: Maintain each user's temporary Internet files in the user's Home directory. Although this still consumes server storage, it does not require that the files be copied to the server when users log off. METHOD 3: Maintain all users' temporary Internet files in a shared common folder. Note that if you use this method, all users' cookies are stored in the same location. METHOD 4: Maintain each user's temporary Internet files on the local drive in a location other than the user's profile folder. This is the most efficient method. However, this does not allow a user's cookies to follow the user to other stations.

WIN98 ONLY SCENARIOS:

(1) If you are using Cisco TCP/IP Suite 100 as your TCP/IP stack, remove it and install Microsoft TCP/IP. For step-by-step instructions, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article at:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q189/8/80.asp

(2) If you are using Norton AntiVirus with the Auto-Protect feature enabled, disable Auto-Protect, then obtain the latest LiveUpdate for NAV from Symantec's Web site.

(3) If your computer hangs at shutdown and it either uses Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) and the Fast Shutdown feature is disabled, or it contains a Matsonic BIOS and the "USB Function for DOS" option is enabled in the BIOS, then you may receive one or both of the following messages: Windows is shutting down. [-OR-] It's now safe to turn off your computer. See http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q196/0/08.asp for details on a supported fix that corrects this problem. It has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to computers experiencing this specific problem. Also see Windows Startup and Shutdown Issues: http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/serviceware/win98/76lmg02ey.asp

WIN98 SECOND EDITION ONLY SCENARIOS:

(I promised a few; but this problem is far from solved)

(1) Check with your computer or BIOS manufacturer to see if there are any BIOS updates available for your system, and install them. If you BIOS is out of date, while attempting to shut down Win98 SE may hang, or may restart instead of shut down. (This is because Win98 SE includes updates for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), OnNow, and Advanced Power Management (APM) and may require the latest BIOS upgrade.) For example, this problem is known to exist with the Intel AL440LX motherboard using Phoenix BIOS version P07; a new BIOS version, P12 or later, is needed. Similar problems occur with a D-Link DFE 530TX network adapter installed; the solution is to obtain and install an updated driver (contact D-Link http://www.dlink.com).

(2) Microsoft has found that this issue can occur if your video adapter requires an interrupt request (IRQ) in MS-DOS mode, but your computer's BIOS does not assign one to it. Upgrading the BIOS may be an important first step. MS advises one of the following resolutions be used: (A) Check your computer's BIOS for a setting to assign an IRQ to the video adapter. (For information about how to check your computer's BIOS, contact your computer's manufacturer.) (B) Contact the manufacturer of your video adapter to inquire about an updated BIOS for your video adapter. (C) Contact the manufacturer of your motherboard to inquire about an updated BIOS for your motherboard. (NOTE: If your computer is configured to use multiple monitor support, you may be able to shut down properly.)

(3) On several Win98 SE machines, disabling Advanced Power Management (APM) and enabling Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) has solved the problem. Sometimes this solution was worked on its own; in other cases it has worked only in combination with other actions; and in still others it has not worked at all.

(4) Alex Nichol found two items that in combination cause Win98 SE on his computer to hang on the LOGOW.SYS waiting-to-shutdown message. (a) A line in CONFIG.SYS, BUFFERSHIGH=10, results in the "Now Safe" screen (the LOGOS.SYS graphic) not being displayed on full shutdown, leaving the machine hanging on 'Please wait', even though the shutdown completed so that scandisk does not run after a reset. Raising the number to 15 cured the problem (as did, independently, commenting out either of two DEVICEHIGH lines in the same file). (b) The setting in MSCONFIG | Advanced to 'Enable Pentium F0 workaround' causes the system to hang on the 'please wait' screen when shutting down to a restart.

(5) MS-MVP MrScary found, in some cases, that IRQ steering and device enumeration issues were the cause of these shutdown problems: Right click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the Device Manager tab. Click "View Devices by type" and open "System Devices" found at the bottom of the device tree. Highlight "PCI bus" and click on the Properties button. Adjust or disable the settings under the IRQ Steering and/or the Settings tab to get the desired results. (As a precaution, note how you found these settings before you attempt to change them.) FIRST try changing the Device Enumeration under the 'Settings' tab from Hardware to Bios. If this doesn't solve the problem, then experiment with enabling or disabling all the combinations of possible settings to try to get the desired results. At times, the BIOS setting that you may or may not have, PnP Aware OS, also has a bearing on these settings. (See below for more info.) Make sure you do a full reboot after every change while testing.

(6) A similar solution that has worked for some people: Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. Click the Device Manager tab. Expand System Devices. Double-click on PCI bus. Click the IRQ steering tab. Clear the checkmark from the last box, "Get IRQ Table From Real Mode PCIBIOS 2.1 Call."

(7) Bill Snyder has reported that the shutdown problem in SE, as well as several IRQ conflicts he was experiencing, were resolved by the following:
1. In the computer's BIOS, turn OFF "PnP [Plug-and-Play] Operating System";

2. in Device Manager/System Settings/PCI Bus Properties, set Device Enumeration to BIOS and turn off IRQ steering. (These settings pretend that Win 98 SE is not a PnP operating system.)

(8) Clayton Burton has suggested that replacing the Win98 SE copy of CONFIGMG.VXD with the copy from the pre-SE (original) version of Win98 will solve the underlying problem. If this approach is used, the file should be extracted to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32 folder, and also to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM folder. Please note, this has not been widely tested and its results are therefore unknown. CONFIGMG.VXD is the Windows configuration manager virtual device. The Win98 Original Edition copy will be version 4.10.1998, 115,665 bytes in size. The Win98 SE copy will be version 4.10.2222, 125,057 bytes in size.

(9) At least one person has solved this problem by enabling Fast Shutdown from the disabled default, shutting down and discovering this didn't work (causing the computer to restart instead of shut down), and then enabling Fast Shutdown again. This time, it worked and the computer shut down properly.

=========== HOW TO USE UTILITIES ===========

USING MSCONFIG (WIN 98 ONLY) or SYSEDIT (WIN98 or WIN95)

Click Start | Run (or, on an expanded feature keyboard, type Win+R).
Type
MSCONFIG or SYSEDIT (whichever you intend to use). Click OK.

BRINGING UP THE BOOT MENU FOR WIN98: Restart Windows. Press the Ctrl key as your computer starts up, holding it until the Boot Menu appears. FOR WIN95: Restart Windows. As soon as the message "Starting Windows 95" appears, press and hold the F8 key until the Boot Menu appears.

Where Did The Enable/Disable Fast Shutdown Go To In Win98 SE Go?

Fast Shutdown registry key is enabled

The Microsoft System Configuration utility includes an option to disable Fast Shutdown. If this option is unchecked in Windows 98 Second Edition, your system may reboot instead of shutting down. To resolve this issue, change the FastReboot value data from 1 to 0 in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Shutdown

NOTE: When you apply the Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement, which addresses shutdown issues, the Disable Fast Shutdown option is no longer listed on the Advanced tab in Msconfig.