The cause of all problems when turning off the PC

When the computer is turned off, it takes about 5 minutes to turn off my PC. What causes this problem and how to overcome it?

When turning off an electronic device, simply push the switch to the OFF position.But turning off the PC is much more complicated.Sometimes it takes a long time for Windows to close, and it is very common to not close the operating system in any way.We will present the main causes of this problem and how to fix it in both cases.

First of all, please give a general advice: Errors in hardware drivers cause most of the shutdown problems.Before taking any measures, you should also visit the website of the hardware manufacturers that are using it to find the latest updates.

Close the computer slowly

A common cause of 'stubbornness' when closing the computer in Windows 2000 and XP is Terminal Services.Turn off this component if you never use remote desktop features, remote support, fast user switching, or other Terminal Services.To turn it off, select Start, Run, type services.msc / s, and press.Find and double-click the Terminal Services list.(Of course, if Terminal Services has not been installed, the slow shutdown condition is due to another reason).Change 'Startup type' to Disabled or Manual and click OK.

If you're using Windows 2000 or XP, you can speed up the closing process by not setting up virtual memory deletion every time you exit Windows.This is not the default setting but it is better to check again.Select Start, Run, type gpedit.msc, and press.As in Windows Explorer, move the left pane to Computer ConfigurationWindows SettingsLocal PoliciesSecurity Options.In the right pane, scroll to Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile.If this option is enabled, double-click it, select Disabled, and click OK.(There may not be this option in your system).

COOLWEBSEARCH TARGET - FREE

You've probably noticed that the number of spam and virus attacks your PC has increased quite rapidly in the past year.The same is true for another type of disease on the Internet: spyware.We have introduced a couple of free antispyware tools in the last few years - Ad-aware of Lavasoft and Patrick M.Kolla's Spybot Search & Destroy.However, even combining these two excellent spyware and adware cleaners together cannot rule out some form of virus-like cunning, called CoolWebSearch (CWS).Thankfully, a German reader who created a small (128 KB) and free tool called CWShredder (find.pcworld.com/41830) can kill dozens of CWS variants.

Finally, if more and more programs are running in the system, the longer it takes for Windows to close each one before closing itself.You can close programs manually before exiting Windows, but you still have to wait for them to finish.You can refer to the article "Customizing Windows Open and Close at Your disposal" in TGV No. 06/2004, page 112.

Closing the phone failed

If Windows can't shut down completely, run Starup and Shutdown Troubleshouter (Windows 2000 does not have this Wizard).To launch this diagnostic program, select Start.Helps (Help and Support in XP).In Windows 98, click Search.Type troubleshooter, click, and select Startup and Shutdown Troubleshooter (see Figure 1)

If this program doesn't help, or if you're using Windows 2000, here are some other suggestions.

If you are using Windows XP and have not upgraded Pack 1, go to find.pcworld.com/41864 to download the update.It will fix the malfunctioning problems for you.

Figure 2: Remove Windows dual-boot feature by deleting a line from boot.ini file

If Windows is closed, but the PC screen still displays the message "You can safely turn off your computer", you are having problems with Advanced Power Management.But is the problem in Windows or in hardware configuration?First, check Windows: Right-click the desktop and select Properties.Click the Screen Saver tab and then click the Power button.(In Windows 98 and Me, this is the 'Settings' button under 'Energy saving .').Press the APM label (if there is no APM label, the problem is in the hardware configuration).Check the box Enable Advanced Power Management Support, then click OK.

To check the hardware configuration, restart and then enter the computer's Setup program by pressing a specified key at the start of the boot process (there is a message on the screen indicating this key).On the menus, you find options that enable enabling APM or ACPI (another power saving standard).

If you are using Windows 2000 or XP, your PC reboots while it should be turned off, so the culprit is likely to be damaged by the system.These versions of Windows respond to system failures by restarting, it seems that Windows cannot distinguish between Turn Off and Restart.To know the source of the problem, right-click My Computer and select Properties.Select the Advanced tab.In Windows XP, click Settings under 'Startup and Recovery', uncheck Automatically restart, and click OK twice.In Windows 2000, click Startup and Recovery, uncheck Automatically reboot, and click OK twice.Here you can fix the problem or find another help.

Cannot delete a file

DOWNLOAD WITH SELECTED FILTERS

One reader wondered why we reminded people not to download and install all programs readable in PC World.Of course we only recommend programs that find it useful, but that doesn't mean it is useful for everyone.Maybe the tool is designed to do a job that you don't need;Or maybe you have a program of the same type.Keep in mind that every program you download and install will "rip" your hard drive, and every program that runs in the background slows down Windows and can easily cause a dispute.

How to delete a file when Windows insists that it is being used by another person or another program?

This is easy to do in Windows 98: Select Start, Shut Down, Restart in MS-DOS mode, and then use the del filename command to delete the file from the DOS prompt.To do this, you must know the path to the file on the hard drive.And remember that the file called 'Photo of Mary.jpg' in Windows can be named photoo ~ 1.jpg in DOS.You must boot from the boot floppy to do the same in Windows Me.If there is no boot disk, select Start, Settings, Control Panel, double-click Add / Remove Programs.Startup Disk and then follow the prompts (a blank and formatted floppy disk must be available).If you restart your computer with the boot disk, you will see a DOS prompt to delete the file from there.

One problem is that you cannot exit DOS when you are using Windows 2000 or XP, so try to delete the file in Safe Mode: Select Start.Turn Off Computer.Restart.During this reboot and just before loading Windows - press (pay attention to choose the right time).Select Safe Mode, and then proceed to delete the file.

SHARE OUTLOOK 

How can two Microsoft Outlook users share data with each other over the network?The technique presented here does not separate this person's data from the other person's data, and does not work between Outlook 2003 and older versions of the program.Open Outlook on the first machine, select File, Import and Export to launch the Import and Export Wizard.Select Export to a file, then select Personal Folder File (.pst).Select the folder you want to export (you can't select multiple folders at once, so run this wizard for each folder you want to move).To export everything, select Personal Folder and check Include subfolders.Store the output in a shared folder, where other computers can also access it.When you finish the wizard, you exit and reopen Outlook.
Now open Outlook on the second PC and select File, Import and Export to start the Import and Export Wizard on this system. Chọn Import từ chương trình khác hoặc tập tin; For file type, click Personal Folder File (.pst). Select the file you just created on the first PC, press Replace duplicates with items imported. Click Finish, and the data from the first system will mix with the data on the second system.
If you intend to invest in a better solution, you can use OsaSync for $ 37.5 from Vaita (share contacts only), or $ 62.5 for OsaSync Pro (sharing everything).Go to find.pcworld.com/40565 to download these two programs.

If it doesn't work, go to find.pcworld.com/40568 to download Gibin Software House's GiPo @ MoveOnBoot software.This free program allows you to determine which files will be copied, moved or deleted at the next boot - before loading Windows.

Remove dual boot

I'm using a dual-boot system with Windows XP and Windows 98. However, I don't want to run Windows 98 anymore.What steps must be taken to remove dual booting?

To destroy the 'Please select the operating system .' menu that appears every time you boot, you load Windows XP, click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and select Properties, Advanced.Select the Settings button under 'Startup and Recovery'.

If the XP installation is not listed as a 'Default operating system', select it from the drop-down menu, click OK twice, and reboot.Go back to 'Startup and Recovery', and click the Edit button to open the boot.ini file in Notepad.Delete the last line of the file (see Figure 2);It must be an option that is not needed.Save the file, exit Notepad, click OK twice, and restart.XP will be loaded without any menus appearing.If you have problems, use System Restore to return to the old state, and try again.

If there is partitioning software such as Synantec's PartitionMagic, you may want to delete the Windows 98 partition and resize the Windows XP partition.Never mind that, you can use the Win 98 partition to store backups or for some other purpose.

Xuan Cuong
PC World