How to Troubleshoot Windows 98 Shutdown Problems

ID: Q202633

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 98

SUMMARY

This article describes troubleshooting steps that may help you solve problems that occur when shutting down Windows 98. This information is also available in the Windows 98 Startup and Shutdown Troubleshooting Wizard. Microsoft recommends using this wizard, but this text-based article is available for your convenience. The Windows 98 Startup and Shutdown Troubleshooting Wizard is located at the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/tshoot/default.asp

MORE INFORMATION

Shutdown problems in Windows 98 can be caused by any of the following:

Incompatible, damaged, or conflicting device drivers.

A damaged exit sound file.

Incorrectly configured or damaged hardware.

To troubleshoot these issues:

Determine whether a program in the Startup folder conflicts with the startup process:
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Click Selective Startup, click the Load Startup Group Items check box to clear it, click Apply, click OK, and then click Yes to restart your computer.
3. Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, skip to step 2. If your computer shuts down correctly, one of your startup programs is probably causing this issue. To determine which startup program is causing this issue, continue to the next step.
4. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
5. On the Startup tab, click a check box to select it, click OK, and then click Yes to restart your computer. Test to determine if the startup program you disabled caused the issue, and if not, repeat steps d-e, but select a different startup program to enable in step e. When your computer does not start correctly, you have determined that the last startup program you enabled is the cause of the issue.
  
  NOTE: If disabling startup programs does not resolve the problem, re-enable the startup programs by repeating steps a-b, and then click to select the Load Startup Group Items check box.

Disable fast shutdown. For additional information about how to disable fast shutdown, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q187607 How to Disable Fast Shutdown in Windows 98
Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, continue to step 3.

Determine if the shutdown problem is caused by a command or driver that loads automatically from the Win.ini, System.ini, Autoexec.bat, or Config.sys files:
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. Click Selective Startup, and then click to clear the following check boxes:
  - Process Win.ini file
  - Process System.ini file
  - Process Autoexec.bat file
  - Process Config.sys file
  NOTE: If any of these items are unavailable, that particular file does not contain any items to load.
3. Click OK, and then click Yes to restart the computer. Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, repeat steps a-c, but in step c, click to select the check boxes, and then continue to step 4.

Disable some device drivers. Some of the most common device drivers that may be problematic are sound cards, video adapters, and network adapters. To disable device drivers:
1. Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then click the Device Manager tab.
2. Double-click a device type, for example, Sound, Video, and Game Controllers.
3. Click one of the listed devices, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Disable In This Hardware Profile check box to select it.
  
  IMPORTANT: Record all of the devices you disable in this manner so that you can enable them again later.
5. Click OK, click OK, and then restart your computer.
  
  Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, repeat steps a-e, but disable a different piece of hardware in step d. Also, to test your display adapter, click Start, click Run, type msconfig, click OK, click Advanced, click the VGA 640x480x16 check box to select it, and then click OK. If you disable your sound card, video adapter, and network adapter, but the issue is still not resolved, re-enable these devices by performing steps a-e, but in step d, click the Disable In This Hardware Profile check box to clear it, and then continue to step 5.
  
  NOTE: If you are unable to change the video adapter using the preceding steps, change your video adapter driver to Standard VGA with the following procedure:
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.
  2. Click the Settings tab, click Advanced, click the Adapter tab, and then click Change.
  3. Click Next, click Display a list of all the drivers in a specific location, so you can select the driver you want, and then click Next.
  4. Click Show All Hardware, click Standard Display Types in the Manufacturer box, click Standard Display Adapter (VGA) in the Models box, and then click Next.
  5. Click Yes, click Next, and then click Finish.
  6. Click Close, click Close, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
    
    If changing your video adapter to the Standard VGA driver resolves the issue, contact your video adapter manufacturer to inquire about the availability of an updated Windows 98 video adapter driver. For additional information about how to troubleshoot display problems, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    Q127139 Troubleshooting Video Problems in Windows

Determine if the shutdown problem is being caused by a damaged exit sound file:
1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Sounds.
2. Record the name and location of the Exit Windows sound, click Exit Windows in the Events box, and then click None in the Name box.
3. Click OK, and then restart your computer.
  
  Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, repeat steps a-c, but restore your original Exit Windows sound in step b, and then continue to step 6. If the issue is resolved, your Exit Windows sound file is damaged and should be replaced.

Determine if Advanced Power Management (APM) is causing the shutdown problem by disabling it:

NOTE: Not all computers have APM features.
1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the Device Manager tab.
2. Double-click the System Devices branch to expand it.
3. Double-click Advanced Power Management in the device list, click the Settings tab, and then click to select the Force APM 1.0 Mode and the Disable Power Status Polling check boxes.
4. Click OK until you return to Control Panel, and then restart your computer.
  
  Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does not shut down correctly, repeat steps a-d, but click to clear the Force APM 1.0 Mode and the Disable Power Status Polling check boxes to clear them, and then continue to step 7.

Determine if shutdown problems are being caused by virtual device driver (.vxd) files:
1. Restart your computer, and while your computer restarts, press and hold CTRL until the Windows 98 Startup menu appears.
2. Choose Step By Step Confirmation from the Startup menu, and then press ENTER.
3. Press Y for each of the following prompts, and press N for all other prompts:
  - Load Doublespace driver
  - Process the system registry
  - DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
  - DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
  - Load the Windows graphical user interface
  - Load all Windows drivers
4. After you load all Windows drivers, you are prompted to load all static .vxd files, one at a time. Note each static .vxd file name, and respond with No to avoid loading each file. The following is a partial list of Microsoft static .vxd files:
```
      Name of static .vxd file   Provides support for
      -----------------------------------------------
      Vnetsup.vxd                Microsoft Networking
      Ndis.vxd                   Microsoft Networking
      Ndis2sup.vxd               Microsoft Networking
      Javasup.vxd                Microsoft Java
      Vrtwd.386                  Clock
      Vfixd.vxd                  Video Phone helper
      Vnetbios.vxd               Microsoft Networking
      Vserver.vxd                Microsoft Networking
      Vredir.vxd                 Microsoft Networking
      Dfs.vxd                    Microsoft Networking
      Ndiswan.vxd                Microsoft Networking
      Msmouse.vxd                Microsoft Mouse 
```
  Test to determine if the issue is resolved by restarting your computer. If your computer does shut down correctly, repeat steps a-d, but respond with Yes to each of the files in the list above, one at a time. If the problem no longer occurs, it is related to one of the static .vxd files listed above.
  
  Check the properties of the incompatible static .vxd file to determine which program it is associated with. Uninstall and then reinstall the program to replace the .vxd file with a new copy. For additional information about System Configuration Utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  Q181966 System Configuration Utility Advanced Troubleshooting

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv kbtool kbtshoot win98 winapm
Version : WINDOWS:
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto