Member Avatar for Foster

Hey, guys;

Just this week I haven't been able to restart or shut-down my PC. It gets as far as... "Windows is shutting down", and just hangs there for ever (at least after returning home from 12 hours of work, it's still trying to shut down).

My sytem:

Dell custom (sorry, I don't know what specific specs you need here).
Windows XP v5.1 build 2600 Service Pack 1.

What I have tried to do:

Disable Norton auto-protect
Scanned for viruses
scanned for adware, trojans, etc

What changes I can think of:

Installed auto-update for XP
Deleted temp internet files

I've gone back to a restore point prior to the update, but that didn't do it.

Is my HD ready to crash? What's going on? :cry:

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Dani AI

Generated

A few targeted diagnostics and fixes that add to the ideas already posted by and , and that address ’s observations about antivirus oddities and lost restore points.

  1. Isolate services/startup items without reinstalling anything.

    • Perform a selective startup (run msconfig): on the Services tab check “Hide all Microsoft services” then disable the rest; on Startup disable non-Microsoft entries. Reboot and attempt a restart. If the reboot now succeeds, re-enable services/startup items in small groups to find the offender.

  2. Find the process or handle that blocks reboot.

    • Use Sysinternals tools (Process Explorer / Autoruns) to spot non-Microsoft drivers, services or processes that stay running at shutdown. In Process Explorer use “Find Handle or DLL” to search for contentious paths and then identify the owning process. That process is a prime suspect.

  3. Examine logs for precise failure points.

    • Review the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for service stop failures or timeout messages timestamped at the attempted restart. Those entries point to either a misbehaving service/driver or a timed-out application.

  4. Repair file-system and system files.

    • Schedule chkdsk /f for the next boot and run sfc /scannow from an elevated command prompt to repair corrupt system files that can interfere with shutdown/restart sequences.

  5. Treat suspected AV tampering as a high-priority malware case.

    • If an on-system scanner is unstable or prevents itself from running, use an up-to-date offline rescue/rescue-ISO scanner (bootable media created on a clean machine) to scan and remove threats before trying normal repair steps. After a confirmed clean, remove old System Restore points (turn System Restore off for all drives, reboot, then turn it back on and create a new restore point) so infected snapshots are not retained.

  6. Last-resort options and precautions.

    • Back up personal data first. If the issue resists the above, consider an in-place repair install of XP or a clean reinstall.

These steps prioritize safe isolation and targeted diagnosis before more destructive actions. They build on ’s log/safe-boot angle and on ’s System Restore warning while giving concrete next moves for systems where security software itself appears compromised.

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Member Avatar for Foster

Dang, I guess I can't edit the post. I should also add that this only applies to "restart" and not a shut down (or the "turn off" option).

Thanks for your time.

Member Avatar for DMR

Have you closed down all running programs before attempting the restart?

Boot into safe mode and try the restart from there. Does it work?

Are there any relevent errors or messages in your system logs? Use the Event Viewer in your Administrative Tools folder to review the logs.

Member Avatar for Foster

Have you closed down all running programs before attempting the restart?

Boot into safe mode and try the restart from there. Does it work?

Are there any relevent errors or messages in your system logs? Use the Event Viewer in your Administrative Tools folder to review the logs.

Sorry for not getting back sooner. I have been trying desperately to find the problem.

I'm not seeing any error log from this, and I'm positive that all programs are off prior to the restart.

No, I haven't tried it from safe mode, because of something I found just this morning...

I suspect viruses ARE the culprit, and to make it worse, they may have infected Norton. I have found and repaired 7 viruses, but the scan keeps hanging in my Windows\installer file. I got my computer to restart after fiddling with the boot ini, but after that, I lost my restore points, and Norton doesn't want to re-enable the auto-protect after I turned it off for the restart. :mad:

Oh well, guess it's time to take ye olde tower in to the pros for a HD cleaning.

BTW, great forum. I've learned quite a bit lurking for the last two days. :)

Member Avatar for DMR

Have a read through many of the threads in our Security forum- various virus and spyware nasties can indeed do what you describe, including "breaking" your anti-virus programs. It may not quite be time to take the beast to the hospital; by following much of the advice given in the Security forum you might be able to solve the problem yourself and save some $$ in doing so.

Member Avatar for jackster

sounds like virus / spyware..

if you have system restore thing enabled, and you have a virus at the point that you create a restore point, then that virus will be stored forever.. even after you do a virus scan.

If you think you are infected, you have to discable system restore to do the virus scan, then re-enable it BUT you will loose all your restore points.

for sypware.. teh best one available is adware at and its free

good luck

Member Avatar for DMR

Foster,

As you requested, I've moved your latest post here (with the HJT log) into a new thread of the same name in the Security forum.

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