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Windows 98 won't shut down 6

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JennyW

JennyW

Technical User
Mar 1, 2001
323
CA
Hiee,
I’m having a problem with Windows98 (Second Addition).
My PC won’t shut down after it’s been running for a while.
I have to re-start it, and then shut it down.

This only happens when…
- I move and delete files on my PC
- When I open a lot of programs

It doesn’t happens when…
- I don’t move too many files or open programs
- When I turn my computer on for a short period of time

What can I do to get rid of this problem?

Also, is it true that shutting down, booting and re-starting is bad for the PC?

Please help,
Thanks,
Jenny
 
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Start with a scandisk, and defrag.
Empty out the c:\windows\temp folder.
Boot to DOS, and at the c:\ prompt, type: scanreg /fix
Again, at the C:\ prompt, type: scanreg /opt
See if that helps.
What applications are you running just before the problem?
Are you on the net, surfing?
Do you access the net through DSL, cable, or modem (dial-up)? If using a modem, what modem and driver version?
What ISP?
What browser and version are you using?
Cheers,
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Moderator at Staff at Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:
 
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Hi Comtech,

I'll give what you wrote a try.

Applications I'm running just before the problem...
Dreamweaver 2.0
Photoshop 5.0
Illustrator
Internet Explorer 5.5
Flash 4.0
Winamp
napster
ICQ
and more...

I'm using Cable.

Jenny

 
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OK, the problem arises with so many programs running, and some of them are NOT releasing the RAM when they are closed. It's a result of poor programming, and even the big expensive software packages are somewhat lax.
As a test, after you've used all the programs, and want to shut down, hit CTRL+ALT+DEL once, and see what's still running. The non-shutdown could be as simple as getting the SE shutdown patch from microsoft, but there could be something else holding it back.
Are you running a firewall? Is this on a LAN, or standalone?
If you have a firewall, it may not be releasing it's hold on unauthorized access (a blocked port scan or somesuch), if you don't have a firewall, and you're on cable, it's time to get one!

If you're not on a LAN, disregard this bit: Make sure each client has the correct IP and protocall and it's NOT TCP/IP, unless each has it's own IP from your ISP.

Graphic intensive programs like Dreamweaver and photoshop can cause video overload. The video card drivers may need updating, and/or some more cooling may be called for. An overheating video card or CPU would lock things up nicely.
Check all fans to see if they're working, and consider purchasing an extra case fan to help dissipate some extra heat.

ICQ is a notoriously bad program for hogging RAM, and not releasing it, consider using a different messaging program.
Napster can hang, especially if you're allowing too many uploads from your HD.

Let us know how it goes, we've got more X-) Cheers,
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Moderator at Staff at Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:
 
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Hi Jen!
If you fancy seeing what has "gone before", have a squint at this thread -
Hope you have a spare couple of hours just to read em all, BTW check out the latest tip (from me!)..thats now fixed 4 when nothing else made much difference...good luck
Darklite s-)
 
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Hi,
Thanks for the reply’s guys!

I guess I’m on a standalone. But I’m not too sure what that means. Can you explain?

Commtech (or anyone else),
Why do you say it’s good to have a firewall on a personal PC?
What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Also, I have a cable connection to the internet.

Thanks again,
Jenny
 
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If you have a cable connection, you most likely have a "static IP", that is, your computer is known by a number, and that number never changes. Without a firewall, anyone with a little knowhow can access your computer via the internet, and do any number of nasty things, and you won't know until you try and boot the next day.
A firewall prevents (almost) all access to the computer by anyone over the internet. Some things you WANT to have access, others you definitely do not. A good firewall can allow the right things, and will stop, then prompt you if anything else is happening.
Go to and look for firewalls, there are a bunch. ZoneAlarm ( is free, and a couple others may be as well (Tiny personal...). Download a bunch, and try them out, one at a time, and keep the best.
Standalone, means just that, one computer, NOT hooked up to any others at the same location on a network, just the internet. Cheers,
Jim
reboot@pcmech.com
Moderator at Staff at Windows 9x/ME instructor.
Jim's Modems:
 
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As far as firewalls go, I've run the gamut and the best one I've found so far is Zonelabs. Personally I prefer the Pro version rather than the free version, but it's truly a preference issue.

I didn't care for Norton Internet Security as it's simply a slightly updated version of AtGuard. The automatic rule generation was, in my opinion, way too lax. And the fact that any application with the name of an "authorized" app would immediately be granted access bugged me to no end.

PGP Desktop Security has an integrated firewall and IDS (Intrusion Detection System) but it's not exactly user-friendly.

Tiny was ok, but some people find it confusing.

BlackIce Defender isn't a firewall, to contradict their site. It's simply an IDS, nothing more. There is ZERO outbound security, which leaves you totally vulnerable to many trojan attacks, including the latest Sub7 which can be configured to use ANY port.

Zonelabs also works great if you've got a home network and want to use ICS - there's a specific setting just for that purpose.

There's a complete review section on that will give you some more ideas, and you can scan your own machine while you're there so you know just how badly you're exposed to the script kiddies and other little haxor wannabes out there.

also has a port scanner you can use to see what's being exposed on your machine - and those of you running Windows 2000 will be AMAZED at what's open.

If you've got a drive shared and you're on cable/DSL, to not have some kind of firewall protection is suicidal.

I had a little script kiddie one day decided to sub7 ping my box. My firewall caught it and alerted me. Since I was sitting at the box I decided to run my handy dandy network sniffer to see just what Junior Hacker was running on his own machine.

Within 30 seconds I got quite a surprise. The person on the other end not only had a myriad of ports open on their machine, but was open enough that I was able to get a machine name AND HIS NAME. He lived in Montreal, CA. A search in the Canadian 411 website showed only 1 person with that last name.

A quick edit of the hosts file and a net send later and a nice little message pops up on junior's screen with his own name, phone number, address, and a second cute little note regarding his peril should he continue his trojan scanning.

Pinging his machine less than 10 seconds later showed he'd completely shut his computer down.

The logs were sent to his provider and he no longer has that expensive DSL connection he paid for. They were curious about just how I knew their customer's name. When I explained how that one was accomplished there was a goodly amount of laughter.

The entire exchange lasted maybe 5 minutes, including the time it took me to reverse-engineer the information to a point where I could positively identify him.

Scary, huh? I was actually able to narrow him down to a single user, name, address, and everything, to the exclusion of all others, in less than 5 minutes. Now just think about that happening to you by someone who has darker motives.

Zonelabs url one more time:
And no, I will NOT tell you what network tools I used, so don't ask :)
 
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Hi,

you may wish to use this step if you want to kill this problem fast.

1) Minimize all the windows.
2) Right-click on the desktop
3) Click NEW
4) Click SHORTCUT
5) Type in this: "rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows"

Of course, please type in the full command minus the opening and closing quotes.

This shortcut icon will be created in your desktop.

From now onwards, just click on this icon to shutdown.

It works.

Cheers,
libroos :D
 
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I concur with the use of ZoneAlarm - it's certainly the most functional of the user-friendly packages - and the most user-friendly of the functional packages! I, too, have caught a few L337 haXors sniffing around my home network.

Good tip, libroos7!

In response to the original posting:

"What can I do to get rid of this problem?"

Adding more RAM would be a good start. Then consider a fast graphics card with plenty of memory and an on-board cooling system. GeForce-based cards are a good choice - and there are plenty of varieties. Keeping the file system defragmented is another good idea - especially if you work with lots of files and programs simultaneously. Tips on this below.


"Also, is it true that shutting down, booting and re-starting is bad for the PC?"

Not physically - discounting the total, sudden removal of power by unplugging the box.


The worst thing that really happens is that data is fragmented - particularly if you're allowing Windows to manage virtual memory and not forcing your own settings.

Symptoms of data fragmentation manifest themselves as anything from system slow-down to corruption of files leading to peculiar error messages.

With Windows 98 you can schedule in a defrag cycle to happen at night, so there is no reason not to keep a healthy system!


Hope this helps!
 
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Hey all, and thanks for the posts.
CitrixEngineer,
How do I get Win98 to go through a defrag cycle?

Thanks,
Jenny
 
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Hi CitrixEngineer,

Think nothing of it. Good things must share..

Cheerios,
libroos :D
 
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Jen,

Go to Start, Programs, Acessories, System Tools, then choose Defrag. It'll ask what drive you wish to defrag and click the command button named Start. ::)

 
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While the built-in defrag program will defrag the computer to some extent, aftermarket defrag programs are far more effective and much faster. The big 3 that I utilize in various environments are Norton Speed Disk (part of Norton Utilities/Norton Systemworks), Diskeeper, and my recent favorite, PerfectDisk 2000. Trials should be available for all 3 so you can pick your personal preference. As with all products that make changes to your hard disk I recommend backing up your system prior to running them the first time. Of the three I prefer PerfectDisk, but everyone has their own preferences.

Norton:

Diskeeper:


PerfectDisk 2000:

 
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Lets not get so complicated here. Have you tried any of the shutdown patches available from microsoft? These apply to Windows 98 second addition only. If this doesn't work theres another patch that fixes a shutdown issue w/ mapped network drives. I've also seen many a junk pc-chips or various other crap motherboards w/ integrated sound and/or sound codecs, causing this same problem. Keep it simple, there's no reason to jump into a conclusion that it's due to poor programming. We're all forced to used poorly coded software, its called windows!
 
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Heres another link that may help you. By the way, the mapped drives shutdown patch is applicable to windows 95 and 98, whereas the shutdown supplement is for windows 98se only. Hope this helps.
 
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