Shorten the process of turning off the computer

Computers running Windows should be turned off quickly unless there is a problem that causes a delay. Here's how to shorten the process of shutting down your computer.

1. Ways to turn off Windows 10 computer
2. Automatic computer shutdown timer for Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP

Make sure Windows does not delete the page file during shutdown

Windows uses additional page file as virtual memory. It has a hidden option - off by default - to delete page file when shutdown. This removes everything in the page file, ensuring that no sensitive data is stored where someone can access it by deleting the computer's hard drive and checking the page file.

1. What is Pagefile.sys and should it be disabled?

Your computer may take a few minutes to turn off while Windows deletes the page file, if this option is enabled. The off time depends on the page file size and the hard drive's speed. However, you do not need this option if your hard drive is encrypted. Encryption will prevent attackers from checking your page file while shutting down your computer.

If your computer is managed by the IT department, they can enable this option. In that case, you can't do much except narrow the size of the page file.

Warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and if abused it can make your system unstable or even inactive. This is a pretty simple hack trick and follow the instructions carefully, you won't encounter any problems.

You can check if your computer deletes the page file when turned off by checking the Windows Registry. Press the Windows + R key, type " regedit " into the Run dialog box and press Enter to open it.

Navigate to the following key in the Registry Editor window:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory Management

Look in the right pane for the " ClearPageFileAtShutdown" setting . If the data is set to "0x00000000 (0)" , Windows does not delete the page file when the computer is turned off. If it is set to "0x00000001 (1)" , Windows will delete the page file when it is turned off.

In case you do not see any "ClearPageFileAtShutdown" settings here, it also means that Windows does not delete the page file when the computer is turned off.

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If it is set to " 1 ", you can prevent Windows from deleting the page file when you turn it off by double-clicking on the "ClearPageFileAtShudown" setting and setting it to " 0 ". The shutdown process will become much faster.

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Determine which service slows down the shutdown process

Instead of guessing which service is running in the background that slows down the shutdown process, you can check that service correctly.

To do this, you need to use Event Viewer. Right-click the Start button on Windows 10 or 8 and select "Event Viewer" or press the Windows + R key , enter " eventvwr " into the Run dialog box and press Enter .

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Navigate to the following path in Event Viewer:

Applications And Services LogsMicrosoftWindowsDiagnostics-PerformanceOperational

Right-click ' Operational ' and select 'Filter Current Log' .

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Enter " 203 " in the ' Event IDs' field and click " OK ". This will filter the log to show only the shutdown event.

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Looking through the list, now you just need to pay attention to the events "This service causes a delay in the system shutdown process." You will see the name of the service that slows the shutdown process in the General box. File Name " and " Friendly Name ".

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The information you see here will only tell you any service that slows down the shutdown process. For example, VPN software can take a long time to shut down and cause a delay. If you have installed the software but do not normally use it, remove it. Search the web for the name of any software you see here to see what it is and whether you can uninstall it. Some services here are system software you are not allowed to touch.

Check the WaitToKillServiceTimeout value

Windows does not turn off immediately when you click "Shut Down" . Instead, it sends a "System is off" signal to an open application and background services. Windows waits for a while to allow these services to end and save its data before closing and shutting down the computer.

By default, Windows will wait five seconds after you click "Shut Down" before it closes any background service and shuts down the computer. However, if all of the background services were successfully closed before the five-second time has expired, the computer will shut down immediately.

There are several different values ​​for managing computer timeout. But there is a special value you can check the timeout to turn off the machine that is the value "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" . Some applications increase value by more than 5 seconds when you install them, as they may need more time to clean everything off. If this value has been changed, your computer will take longer to turn off than usual.

Open the Registry Editor window by pressing Windows + R , type " regedit ", and press Enter . Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControl

Look in the right pane "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" and read the value in the Data column. This value is displayed in milliseconds. For example, if WaitToKillServiceTimeout is set to 5000, Windows will wait 5 seconds. If the value is set to 20000, Windows will wait 20 seconds.

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You should set this value to below 5000 but not too little because some services may not be turned off properly if you don't give it enough time.

However, if an application has increased its value to a larger number, you can reset it to " 5000 ". Just double click on "WaitToKillServiceTimeout" and enter the value of " 5000 ".

You can't do anything to shut down the computer faster, but hopefully with these tips, you can ensure that it shuts down as quickly as possible.