Slow Shutdown after Windows 8.1 Upgrade

AlanH
AlanH Member Posts: 27 New User

I got my Gateway One ZX-6980 back from being fixed and spent yesterday evening getting it updated and ready to return to service.  In preparation for the Windows 8.1 upgrade, I updated the BIOS, device drivers, windows 8, and the antivirus software.  All of the updates seemed to go smoothly and the computer was running well before the Windows upgrade.  The 8.1 installation went well and I haven't seen any issues with running programs.

 

However, shutdown time is now painfully long . . . as in several minutes.  "Restart" has the same problem. If I shut it down soon after start-up, it shuts right down, but if I wait until all of the services are running, then the shut down seems to take forever.  The display turns off quickly but I can still hear fan or HDD noise and the power light stays on for a long time.  Boot-up is very quick though, probably quicker than before. 

 

My guess is that some process no longer wants to terminate right away, and Windows is waiting for it to close.

 

1) Any suggestions on how I can figure out what's holding it back?  Can I try to shut down some services ahead of time to troubleshoot? . . . or stop some things from running in the background?

 

2) Is there some software like Itunes that might need to be upgraded?  Suggestions?

 

3) Would turning off "Fast Start" help with forcing a quicker shutdown?  Would there be ramifications for doing this?

 

4) Is there some pending Windows update that might help?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Answers

  • AlanH
    AlanH Member Posts: 27 New User

    Well, if anyone is interested, last night I uninstalled and/or updated a number of programs and experimentd with settings.  By the time I was done the computer still took forever to shut down, but it wouldn't actually shut down anymore.  It would always restart.

     

    Before work this morning I used Gateway Restore to put it back to the original factory state. The computer behaved normally again.  After I get it all updated and de-crapified I'll try 8.1 again on a basically barebones installation . . . before I spend a lot of time installing software and transferring files.  If it doesn't work the next time, I'll just go back to 8.0 again.

     

    Any further suggestions or warnings from someone more experienced would be appreciated.

  • AlanH
    AlanH Member Posts: 27 New User

    Second reply to self:  It worked.

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