Computer won't Restart

my PC won't shut down. When I go to Start>Restart my PC gets as far as "Wiindows is shutting down" it has been stuck there for the last three hours. What to do ?

Also, when I go to Start>Standby it does nothing, jst carries as though I had done nothing.

Dumb_Question
29.August.2012
as from:
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot.

 

After 3 hours, a power off/on may be your only choice. Be prepared for a "Windows Failed to Shutdown Properly" message when powering up after that. I would select Normal Startup first, and if it offers to do a check disk, let it...

 

Thanks Cipher - that's the on/off button on the front panel of the PC you mean right ?
(not 2. the on/off switch on the PSU nor 3. the on/off pulling out the mains cable ?). [it's now been 8 hours !]

Dumb_Question
29.August.2012
as from:
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot.

 

Yes, hold the power button in for 5 seconds or so. The computer should shut down. Let it sit for 30 seconds or so and then power back on.

 

Yes, that's the one. Depress and hold 'till it powers down. wait a few minutes, and push it again to restart...

 

Thank you for helping me, gentlemen. This topic may now be I thhink considered closed, provided my Preesario S5160UK does turn off (I shall back if it doesn't).
For further information about the next step (turning it back on) please refer to my thread "PC fails to start - black screen " (sad smile)

Dumb_Question
30.August.2012
as from
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A (Celeron 2.7 GHz) - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
Windows XP/SP3 Home
1.5 GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce 6200
Octigen 102707PSOTG "300W" PSU

 

Update: my PC booted up into Windows XP yesterday after some tens of attempts (tihs is normal since about January(?)).

One other thing I have noticed lately (not just since the last boot) is that Internet Access (browsing) is very slow: depends on the site, but some sites are so slow I get message 'Not Responding" in TaskManager. Also I have noticed that my CPU usage when browsing (mostly waiting for a page to finish loading [cannot scroll or change window while this is happpening]) my CPU usage is at 100% and if I look at performance in TM there is flat line (at 100%) in the CPU usage graphic. Hence my average CPU usage is rather high. Is this normal ? Or is it a clue to something being wrong ?

Dumb_Question
1.September.2012
as from:
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot.

 

- ps, I forgot to say, it booted as normal, it did not indicate that XP had stopped unexpectedly or ask me if I wanted to boot into safe mode, etc.

Dumb_Question
1.September.2012
as from:
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot.

 

If your computer is failing to shut down properly it sounds like a program in your startup folder is preventing it to shut down. you have to look at msconfig and look in the startup tab and see what programs you got automatically boot up.

Hope this helps

Andy

 

I rarely shut down and even less frequently restart my PC these days (since boot difficulties). At the moment I think this was a one-off.

I did run msconfig and looked under the startup tab, some items I recognised, others I don't know what they do, but in any case I wouldn't really know which, if any, would prevent Windows from shutting down, and I wouldn't to get rid of any in case that one prevented my computer from starting up again entirely.

Dumb_Question
1.September.2012
as from:
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot

 

These programs sometimes stops computer from shutting down properly.

Anti virus programs
Firewall programs
spyware programs (only if they are scanning)

 

I have AVG2011 and I don't know what else from microsoft is running (nothing I think), Defender when I invoke it but that's not often, I don't think I run spyware programs though I have very old MS Antispyware. I thought AVG included antispyware protection ? But nothing new, nothing that I've installed for as long as I can remember (6months , but I haven't resrted in that time).

Aren't cookies a form of spyware ?

Dumb_Question
2.September.2012
as from:
Compaq Presario S5160UK DT261A under XP/SP3
Processor - Celeron 2.7 GHz
Motherboard - MSI MS-6577 v2.1
RAM - 1GB + 512MB (1GB +1GB max) DDR PC2700
PSU - Octigen 300W model 10270PSOTG ('upgraded' from original Bestec 250W PSU [in 2011?])
Nvidia GeForce 6200 graphics card in AGP slot