Computer will not shut down.

Has the computer always done this? Does it do it every time or just occasionally?

If it has always done it, I would say it might be designed that way. I have seen some computers actually go into a hibernation phase before shut down works which is holding down the power button.

If it only does it occasionally, I would say more than likely you have a virus that is delaying the shut down probably because it has been designed to avoid removal and that causes it to interfere with shutting down the computer.

No it doesn't refuse to shut down all the time, probably about twice a month but it is annoying. I was just worried I might damage the computer by holding down the power button. Sorry, but I think I accidently removed your answer but thank you for your ideas.

I developed that problem on a laptop when I upgraded to Windows 7. There is some sort of hardware issue with the operating system even though the little Microsoft app I ran said the computer was fully W7 compliant.

Curley,

To answer your second question first, yes, it can do harm to the computer to do a hard shutdown. The shutdown process goes through and closes all programs running, including those running in the background. This process ensures that everything has a beginning (boot phase) and an ending(shutdown phase) and eases the risk of having something fragmented or possibly corrupted.

The fragmenting is easily resolved by running the disk defragmenter or another third-party defragmenting program. Should something get corrupt it might require a reinstall of whatever application said 'something' belongs to.

As far as why it happens, if during a shutdown process a program locks up and can't fully shut itself down, the computer will hang. I've had that happen on a few occasions (typically when running a java ap of some sort like minecraft or a .net program). As I don't know what you're running that could cause the issue, the only thing I can do is suggest that when this happens you run the defrag program fairly soon after rebooting to make sure that everything is resorted properly.

Yes, that is a good idea Questioner, I will do a defrag haven't done one in ages. I have a laptop with Windows Vista, fairly basic programs. If the computer does freeze during shut down again do you have any other suggestions on how I can actually shut it down without holding down power button? The last time it refused to shut down I was on the internet for some time wasn't running a programe as such. I did a Norton scan to see if I had a virus etc. but nothing showed up there. Thank you for your reply.

http://www.vistax64.com/vista-performance-maintenance/113368-vista-freezes-logoff.html

There are some good troubleshooting tips in this link. I don't know what level of tech experience you have, but if these steps are confusing (and there's nothing wrong with that) then consider taking it in to reputable shop and have them look at it.

One thing I'm seeing over and over is Norton and McAfee causing hangup issues. I use Norton at home on XP (jeez, I really need to upgrade this box) and haven't had much trouble, but several people I know say that they've had to uninstall Symantec (Norton) and go with something else. (mentioned in the link above)

At any rate, keep us updated.

Had a look at the link you provided, thank you, and yes it is a bit over my head not sure what I am doing there, however, if the problem persists I will have someone look at it. I still have about 5 months left on Norton, might consider looking at one of the others mentioned in the Vista forum link when that is due for renewal. Did a virus scan nothing there, all drivers are up to date. Thank you again for your advice much appreciated.

I'm running Vista on a laptop as well. Some programs just take longer to shutdown than others, so when I'm ready to power off for the night, I just wait for the HD light to stop blinking. That way I know all the programs (even the background ones) are no longer running. The few times I've tried shutting down with it still on I've experienced a freeze and had to power down manually.

Hi Irishk, your suggestion sounds quite logical, however, I am still learning a lot about the computer and how it works, can I ask what the HD light is?. I am pretty much self taught only find out how things work by playing around with it, people mention things on this site I have no idea what they are talking about, like another language sometimes.

I have done virus scans, a defrag and checked that the drivers are uptodate so your suggestion just might be another option if I know what the HD light is.

Thank you for your time.

It varies by manufacturer probably, but most laptops have a series of LED lights on the front casing with icons or symbols next to them indicating the power supply, power-on, battery, hard-drive, etc. Mine has these 4 in that order. The hard drive is represented by a symbol that looks like a stack of disks or a cannister and flickers when various tasks are being performed.

I thought that's what it was but wasn't sure, thank you for that. Feel like a goose now.

Hello Irishk, thank you so much for your advice re HD lights, I followed your ideas on my shut down problem and the computer has not froze during shut down since.

Thank you and cheers.