Problems at Shutdown and Restart

<_< I close everything I have open in the task bar, check Task Manager and there is nothing open in Applications. Then I disconnect from broadband, and close or used to close any spyware/malware programs near the clock, go to start/turnoff my computer/click on shutdown or restart/ but that is when things go wrong. There is a backward minute (half second flick of the desktop) then up comes a dialog box saying "closing explorer.exe" then I "end task" another comes up saying "program not responding" then I click "end task" again, then I get "closing *Ctfmon.exe* then I end task" only then does the computer restart or shut down. This all takes about 3 minutes and 56 seconds to accomplish. I must say I think this has only really occurred since I have been fiddling around with my processes to reduce them and that was long before this forum started to help me. It did not do this when I had *Uphclean.exe* automatic in services as far as I can recall either. Any help out there would be appreciated…………Dough are you about?

Tallin,

This is a "Might fix"
do you use Microsoft Office XP Language Bar in your Microsoft Office.

If not you can disable Ctfmon.exe from MSCONFIG.

If you then find any difficulties running your Office applications, you can Enable it again.

.
Next:
Please go to http://www.tomcoyote.com (TC Home Page)
scroll down about 2/3 of the page until you see:
Memory Loss? Not always a problem

Read this article which is a brief "fix" that allows Windows OS to release all .dll type "junk" that may get held in RAM even after closing applications.

Be sure that your Registry has the item.
"AlwaysUnloadDLL" with a Dword value of "1" as per the instructions in the article.
(It probably does, but if not, this could be your problem)

Let us know if this improves your situation.
Actually, do the "AlwaysUnloadDLL" fix before trying the disable "Ctfmon.exe" in startup.
Reboot after each change. Let us know if you get improvement from either.

I'm off to research another angle if the above is not useful to you, but will be checking back to see if you got it fixed.

I don't presently remember if you ran your System File Checker in your other Thread.
If not, doing so may find any missing or corrupt OS files and replace them with correct files.
A missing or corrupt file could be causing the "hang" at shut down.

Start - Run (type) sfc /scannow

Sorry this is a bit like listening to me talk out loud.

I'll check back again this evening.

Best Regards

Tallin,

More info please.

Are you using the Spanish version of XP with SP1?


This problem of shutdown hanging can relate to so many software, hardware, and configuration problems that you should actually go through the whole Shutdown Troubleshooting list.
Here is a good source, even though it is a year+ old:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

Whenever you have a problem with "hang or restart" after a system problem you can improve your chances of getting an Error Report message by doing the following:

Disabling the “restart on system failure” feature may permit the exact cause to be isolated: Right-click on My Computer, click Properties, click the Advanced tab. Under “Startup & Recovery,” click Settings. Under “System Failure,” uncheck the box in front of “Automatically restart.”

Please also consider looking in EventViewer.log for specific error information.
to use Event Viewer:
Start - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - (double-click) Event Viewer
Please let us know if you find a specific Error Message associated with this shutdown problem.

You've "disabled" a significant number of items in your StartMenu.
It is possible that some "remnant" is still active at startup that is causing this problem.
So again I recommend that you read through and investigate the items listed at the aumha.org link I included above.

Best Regards

No I am an Aussie, English is my scene! It will take more time for me to see to your first reply - have patience please Windows XP SP/2 Pentium 4 Intel P4 3.0GHZ PRESCOTT ASUSP4S800-MX MOTHERBOARD RAM 512MB WESTERN DIGITAL 7200RPM SONY 3.5 FLOPPY DRIVE 80GB HARD DRIVE LITEON DVD+/-R/RW 16XBURNERDUAL LAYER D-LINK DSL 200 MODEM Broadband is 512/128

Since I last posted to you, I set "Checked the Volume for errors before my last reboot - On reboot I only got *explore.exe* shutting down" so I "ended the process" and computer started with 38 processes running in no time at all. I had disabled *Ctfmon.exe* but it put itself back in startup tab on reboot!

Tallin, ctfmon.exe file "should be" located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder When you view ctfmon.exe in your MSCONFIG, please check to verify its location as above. If it has an other file address location it may very well be a chunk of Malware. Let us know where MSCONFIG says ctfmon.exe is located. I know you are racing and chasing with your "fix". Take your time. TomCoyote Forums will be here tomorrow, too. What part of AussieLand do you Hail from? I sure hope you and yours are safe from the Hurricane problems they are having, I think up on the North East Coast? My HomeForum is PCPitstop.com Forums. I've met and become acquainted with many fine people form your Country/Continent who belong to PCPitstop. In all cases, I'm glad I've met them. It's early evening here on the West Coast (California) and I'll probably be on-and-off the computer to attend to Family matters as the goings and comings of Friday nite proceed and eventually people bed down. If I don't catch your replies this evening, don't worry. Someone more knowledgeable is likely to come along and solve this for you. And if not, I've set the Thread to notify me by email when you reply. I'll check in as your replies get notified to my machine. Best Regards

For a more permanent fix regarding ctfmon.exe:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=282599

Tallin,

"ctfmon.exe file "should be" located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder

When you view ctfmon.exe in your MSCONFIG, please check to verify its location as above.
"If it has an other file address location it may very well be a chunk of Malware."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It is in the above folder. I read the article, did the fix and on reboot I still got the minute flickback after clicking restart, but none of the other I first told you about. Then 38 processes on bootup (which incidently did not take long), but a thud, the same as when a file finishes downloading. *Ctfmon.exe* is in Task Manager (again) PID 2804 Mem.Usage 4116.
I am from Queensland, Toowoomba, and no, the Cyclone is right up north, I am near the N.S.W. border, west of the capital of Qld Brisbane, high on the Great Dviding Range, 200 kilomteres inland.
I read where to get rid or disable *ctfmon.exe* you have to go to the following site, but that is too complicated for me I am afraid
"•Ctfmon.exe – This is a service that comes with Microsoft Office XP and Windows XP to activate the Alternate User Input Text Input Processor and the Microsoft Office XP Language Bar. As long as the Text Services & Speech are enabled in the Control Panel this service will continue to run. It provides support for speech and handwriting recognition keyboard and translation and other alternative user input technologies. If you do not use or need Text or Speech services, eg, you are able to input and read text normally, you can turn this off. This Microsoft web site tells you how; http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?…b;EN-US;q282599

I tried to do the above, but could not succeed I am afraid so I tried through msconfig, but it keeps coming back on each reboot. Thanks so much for all your help and hope you will soon get back with a fix for the flickback if that is indeed not normal. thank you for caring about me downunder!

"Disabling the “restart on system failure” feature may permit the exact cause to be isolated: Right-click on My Computer, click Properties, click the Advanced tab. Under “Startup & Recovery,” click Settings. Under “System Failure,” uncheck the box in front of “Automatically restart.” I did the above quote, I looked at the event log, no shutdown warnings at all, in fact no warnings or errors. I am now about to restart so here hoping. Yes I realise I have given my computer lots of changes, and I agree with you that it may take awhile for it to settle down. I don't seem to catch on to the way you quote either although it looks simple!…….thanks again.

Tallin,

Let's take advantage of the "Full Test" over at my home PCPitstop Forum… http://www.pcpitstop.com

When you click on Full Test, you will be asked to register, using a valid email address (that will remain hidden and no one except the Admin who registers will ever see it.)
You'll then get a reply, verifying your registration.

Now you can use the Full Test, which will give us a comprehensive view of the hardware, OS, and installed configuration of your machine.

The first time you run Full Test, you will be asked to accept an ActiveX component that allows the Full Test to function.

When you complete the Full Test, please Post the address found in TechExpress so that we can have a better look at the system you are dealing with here.

Best Regards

TechExpress link for your current results:
http://www.pcpitstop.com/techexpress.asp?id=X4LP0WCJYSJS8W7Q

God I am clever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My broadband is 512/128k You did not have that option for me to fill in Dough……………. I think you are marvellous……service second to none………

Dough -I rebooted after doing all the above tasks you suggested - I had no flickback. nothing to close after clicking on restart, my computer rebooted like a dream with 37 processes running before opening anything……………..I sent you the test results, read them myself, nothing looked too scary I thought, however will look forward to your analysis of my beast. I can't thank you enough for all your help.

The Pit Test makes recommendations. I suggest you Defragment files (Drive C) and Adjust IE browser cache size as recommended.

You've got a fine system. You could improve your machines function remarkably by Adding another stick of RAM. You have 512mb now, with 32mb being used for onboard graphics. Windows XP itself takes about 384mb, which leaves you 96mb of RAM to run your application programs….. Not good.
Add another 512mb RAM. It will be the best "bang for the buck" hardware improvement you can make.

I think adding RAM is "very" appropriate your you on this machine, especially since you're running two very labor intensive programs as "background". (Ghost and CounterSpy) I like them both, but either one can drag down a machine all by itself.


Change this one power setting.

Setting name ……………………….Value
Video acceleration disabled ……………….No
Paging of kernel disabled ………………….No …..More about this later. You can make improvement here
Screen saver running during tests ……….No
NOIDE key found in registry……………… No
Running 32-bit code on 64-bit Windows…No
System Restore disabled…………………. No
Large System Cache enabled …………….No
Has batteries …………………………………Yes Change this is Power Settings
Hibernate enabled …………………………..No
HIBERFIL.SYS present ……………………..No
Hibernate policy in use ……………………..No
Sleep/Resume policy in use ………………Yes
Running on battery power …………………No

I realize that these are "legitimate" but I'd recommend you at least google and think about disabling some.
You'll see them in your Pit Test shaded in Gray and Purple.

File Name ……………………………………………………..Description
C:\Program Files\D-Link\DSL-200\dslagent.exe ……….DSL Agent
C:\Program Files\D-Link\DSL-200\dslstat.exe …………..DSL Connection Status
C:\Program Files\Norton Ghost\Agent\GhostTray.exe …….Ghost
C:\Program Files\Norton Ghost\Agent\VProSvc.exe …….Ghost
C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe ………….Outlook Express
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe ……………………..Office XP speech
C:\Program Files\Diskeeper Corporation\Diskeeper\…….DkService.exe
C:\Program Files\Sunbelt Software\CounterSpy\ … \……..SunProtectionServer.exe

Ultimately it is probably the Ghost and CounterSpy that contribute to the 7% CPU load at startup.
If you've completed all the steps here: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=282599 tp disable "Alternative User Input", then the ctfmon.exe will still "appear" in StartUp but will not be consuming much in the way of resources.
You don't "need" DiskKeeper at Startup, but it will probably keep putting itself back in each time you use it manually anyway.
Absolutely, you don't need Outlook Express at startup. Run it manually and then close it when you're finished. Have you considered a Spam Filter? I run "MailWasher" and like it. It gives you the opportunity to sort/filter/delete email, even before it gets to your Outlook Client…. and that's a good thing.

I'd dump (uninstall) the SpyCatcher Express 2006, and then go Update your SpywareBlaster and re-Enable all protection. SpyCatcher Express 2006 may have "removed" some of the protective items of SpywareBlaster and that's not a good thing.

Dough -
Thanks for the report - I will make some comments as I see it
Firstly Diskeeper is programmed to keep my hard disk defragged automatically, so how could it need defragging?
I have changed IE cache size to 100k.
I will add another stick of RAM at your suggestion, although I have never had notice that RAM is shorton. Would you suggest a further 512 in the only slot available?
Next you say:

"Change this one power setting".

Setting name ……………………….Value
Video acceleration disabled ……………….No
Paging of kernel disabled ………………….No …..More about this later. You can make improvement here
Screen saver running during tests ……….No
NOIDE key found in registry……………… No
Running 32-bit code on 64-bit Windows…No
System Restore disabled…………………. No
Large System Cache enabled …………….No
Has batteries …………………………………Yes Change this is Power Settings
Hibernate enabled …………………………..No
HIBERFIL.SYS present ……………………..No
Hibernate policy in use ……………………..No
Sleep/Resume policy in use ………………Yes
Running on battery power …………………No

I have no idea how to do any of the above or even know what you mean. Could you direct me please?

This next lot (below) I will make comment on as I understand your advice.
I would not touch anything re D-Link as I understand that to be related to my broadband connection.
Also anything to do with my Ghost 10 has to be enabled to attend to the daily increments and the once a week recovery of my system.
Outlook Express I could not disable as my whole reason for this computer, or nearly all of it is emails and I would be without them automatically. I understood as I manually opened Outlook Express after boot-up it could not be in startup. It certainly is not in Allprograms/startup.
Diskeeper has to be enabled otherwise it cannot work as it is meant to do. I now have changed the schedule of it to run every four hours on the weekends as another forum advised me not to over run it.
Yes I can run Counterspy manually, but one always has to be home to do these things.
It is ctfmon.exe that I would like to see gone altogether - I have tried to remove it through http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=282599 tp but with no luck as the steps it tells me to take are not there for the taking. I see it in start/msconfig/ startuptab…Would it disappear if I unchecked it there. I have had a fight with realsched.exe in msconfig, but it keeps putting itself back everytime I reboot.

"I realize that these are "legitimate" but I'd recommend you at least google and think about disabling some.
You'll see them in your Pit Test shaded in Gray and Purple.
File Name ……………………………………………………..Description
C:\Program Files\D-Link\DSL-200\dslagent.exe ……….DSL Agent
C:\Program Files\D-Link\DSL-200\dslstat.exe …………..DSL Connection Status
C:\Program Files\Norton Ghost\Agent\GhostTray.exe …….Ghost
C:\Program Files\Norton Ghost\Agent\VProSvc.exe …….Ghost
C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe ………….Outlook Express
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe ……………………..Office XP speech
C:\Program Files\Diskeeper Corporation\Diskeeper\…….DkService.exe
C:\Program Files\Sunbelt Software\CounterSpy\ … \……..SunProtectionServer.exe "

Talking of starting up, this morning it took 1 min.37 sec. with 40 processes running and the *new* thud I told you about in a previous post, which is new since I did all the changes you advised.

I will download Mailwasher again, I had it for a minute, but if I remember correctly I couldn't get on with it!
okay I will dump Spycatcher, and I have updated Spyblaster and re-enabled all protection.

Please. if I have mis-interpreted any of the above don't hesitate to tell me as I am a newbie compared to you and all the the other volunteers on the site. Many thanks