Computer locks up on shut down, then can't be powered off by the power switch

[floslib]

All right, I have a weird problem I've never come across before: my computer won't turn off without doing a hard powerdown at the right time or removing/draining the battery.

If I choose to shut down (or restart) the computer, it will log off Windows, and the screen will go black to the point where it's almost off, but then it just locks up and fails to finish turning off. At this point, it is also impossible to turn the computer off by the power button, so the battery must be drained or removed to turn the computer off. If I turn the computer off in this manner, it usually takes a half hour to an hour before I can turn it back on.

If I use the power button before selecting shut down within Windows, it turns off fine. But, I would like to avoid doing this, since I'm pretty sure it's not good for the computer to do so frequently.

I've scanned for viruses and other forms of malware, don't have any. I've tried a system restore, which didn't work. I've hunted around online to see if I could find the Windows Vista shutdown files, but can't seem to find them, and I don't have a disk since Vista came with my computer and it uses a recovery partition rather than a cd.

In case it matters, here are my specs and computer brand and model:
Acer Extensa 4420
Windows Vista 32-bit
AMD Athlon Dual Core 1.9 GHZ
3 GB RAM (upgraded from 2 GB) (up to 896 MB shared video memory)
ATI Radeon Xpress 1250

So, short of resetting my computer to factory specs (which I'm not sure I can do since it uses a recovery partition and fails to restart on its own, and would like to avoid anyway due to the hassle involved in backing things up and moving them around) or buying a new computer, does anyone have any suggestions to fix this? Something I might have overlooked? If not, I probably will go the route of trying the reset, just trying to find any other options first. Thanks for any help you may be able to give.

[CoolBee]

(a) my acer aspire one has the same bad habits. I found an online solution which involves downloading a bit of software and flashing the bios. However, this is for a different model of acer.
(b) has yours always been like it or is this a new problem?

[floslib]

It's been a problem since about February or March this year. I have no idea what changed then to make it a problem now. Before that, it worked fine though, hadn't had a problem before then.

You really think it might be a BIOS problem though? I guess that would make sense, given it's after Windows shuts down though. And if so, is it really safe to flash the BIOS when the computer can't turn off or restart on its own? Or does the computer not need to restart when flashing the BIOS?

[CoolBee]

The flashing the bios procedure is for the Acer Aspire One - you have to download a bit of software, put on a bootable USB stick, take the battery out of the 'puter, then press a couple of keys as you reboot. (Full details on the net somewhere).

That said, my 'puter only does it from time to time and the power button is on, but it is 'the black screen of death'. It's the only way of bringing the 'puter back to life that I have found (with everything intact I hasten to add).

Mine has started behaving a bit more oddly, not hibernating properly and hanging in 'black space' since I added a power management thing called a1ctrl - I don't need it for power management but do need it for running software which complains or refuses to run on a 1025x600 screen res.

Don't know if any of those items ring any bells with you?

[floslib]

Well, I found instructions on updating the BIOS for my computer, and tried that, but it didn't work. But, when I was looking for that info I came across some other stuff, one of which did work, though I don't know which it was.

Since it sounds like you're having a similar problem in some respects, what I did was to do a hard power down, then unplug the computer from the outlet and take out the battery. After that, I held the power button down for 30 seconds, which is supposed to disperse accumulated charges that can mess up the shutdown/startup process. Then, I also did a memory scan for problems while I was at it from the safe mode window. After those two things, it worked. Don't know if that will fix your problems or not though.

One thing I read while I was looking, since you mentioned a power management tool, was to make sure the power management tool is set to never let your hard drive sleep. If it sleeps while the computer is still on, it can prevent the computer from waking up from hibernation or something. Don't know if that's true, it sounds a little off to me, but it seemed to help some people using those tools.

Thanks for your help, and hope this might help you.

[CoolBee]

Thanks for that piece of info - shall adjust accordingly

[domjt]

Is the laptop hot (and i mean very hot or alot hotter than usual) when your shutting down.

If the answer is yes then there is no doubt in saying its a problem with the GPU. The laptop will be getting so hot it melts the solder from the GPU causing the laptop to turn off. And this usually requires waiting a while for solder to dry again before starting.


When you press power button are you holding the power button down for about 30 seconds or more, as this is a common way for all computers to cut power without removing the power source.


The only other thing could be there is an error in the system registry. Has it always had this problem or is it only recent.
If recent then go to all programs---accessories--system restore
then restore the system to a date which you know it worked.

Let me know how this helps if not helpful i have more solutions for you. Just try these first.

[Tonhikoppar]

Yes, we can do it... if we should our pc password mentioned than started and shut down time so every person should do this.....

[Barcs]

It's most likely a hard drive issue, but could also be Vista related. Also, using the power button to shut down is not bad for the system as long as you don't hold it down to instantly shut it off. If you just press it once while in windows and it goes into shutdown mode, this is perfectly safe for the computer.

Try the following:

Run a disk check on C:. (in "My computer" right click on C: and go to properties, go to Tools then "check for errors" It will ask you to schedule the disk check. reboot)

When it boots back up and finishes clean the temp files and registry using CCleaner (located at Piriform - Download CCleaner, Defraggler, Recuva, Speccy - Millions of users worldwide!)

Next run a defrag.

If you haven't installed all the windows updates (including the latest service pack) please do so in Windows Update.

If you have Vista on there, I'd honestly recommend upgrading to Windows 7. It's faster and has way less issues than Vista.