PC doesn't shut down when asked to reboot

[theroman84]

Today I discovered my PC doesn't shut down when I tell it to reboot (Start > Restart). Windows 7 shuts down fine, but the PC keeps running after that. However, if I simply shut it down through Windows, there's no problem.

I've looked through Event Viewer and enabled verbose messages to be displayed during boot up and shutdown, but all seemed fine there. I also changed my power profile to "high performance", since I read certain power saving options can result in similar issues. That didn't help either.

Since I normally don't reboot my PC - just boot it up and shut it down -, I don't know how long this problem has existed. Tracing it back to a Windows update or some piece of software I installed will therefore be a problem.

Does anyone have an idea what could be the cause of this?

 

[Archaic59]

Last time that happened to me windows 7 update was stuck for some reason. I turned automatic updates off completely and never looked back. That was over 2 years ago. No updates since. No problems since. Something else may be hanging. Look at task manager before you reboot to see what's running that maybe shouldn't be.

 

[theroman84]

I don't see anything suspicious/weird in Task Manager (and I did expand the list to include processes for all users), but Windows Update could be an issue, I suppose. Since it takes forever for it to find any updates, I haven't really bothered with it for a while. It's still strange that my PC has no problems shutting down completely when I tell it to shutdown, but refuses to do so when I want it to reboot.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

I would HIGHLY suggest you would follow the Windows 10 Update install process, as Windows 7 for consumers is NO LONGER SUPPORTED, and many 'drivers' and other things are NOT Windows 7 compatible, only for Windows 10. W10 is just like W7 (as compared to W8 - EWWW!!!) but it is the current and ONLY supported Consumer Windows.

Otherwise I would do the following:

This is my monthly "to do" list when I service computers and what I recommend. 95% of all issues usually are 'underlying' things that suddenly 'kick in' when applying these methods. I would also recommend checking for any BIOS updates to the Mobo (check at Gigabyte's Website), just to make sure nothing is 'hiccuping' in the background that may cause 'some' of the over all issue (every little bit helps right???).

Did you install all Windows Updates? Including OPTIONAL except BING? Check them and repeat till ALL are installed.

Download and run Slim Drivers, install all the latest updates but you don't need to reboot until you do the last update

Go to www.filehippo.com, download Malwarebytes, go to CUSTOM Scan and set it to do a full system scan (by DEFAULT IT DOESN"T DO THAT, and AntiVirus doesn't pick up alot of malware) - this resolved almost ALL other similiar posts to date as most had Malware the AV didn't pick up.

Remove whatever AV your using and download AVIRA, AVG, Comodo or Panda go to CUSTOM Scan and set it to do a full system scan (by DEFAULT IT DOESN"T DO THAT) - this repeatedly has resolved alot of people issue relying on MS Essentials.

Repeat the AV/Malware scans till the system comes up clean.

Download and run SPECCY, copy and paste the first tab to show your idle temps

Download AUTORUNS and turn off anything NOT critical on startup, so you don't need to run JAVAScheduler to check for Java updates everytime you start your computer for example. BE CAREFUL AND KNOW WHAT YOUR TURNING OFF BEFORE YOU DO IT.

Open Computer, Can Air dust out the bunnies and use paint brush on the vents, coolers, fans, etc.

Go through and provide a response on each point, don't SKIP IT because "I ALREADY DID IT" , just try doing it again as of THIS post so we know NOW what is happening as compared to BEFORE you posted.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Last time that happened to me windows 7 update was stuck for some reason. I turned automatic updates off completely and never looked back. That was over 2 years ago. No updates since. No problems since. Something else may be hanging. Look at task manager before you reboot to see what's running that maybe shouldn't be.

This is exceptionally BAD advice. I get and know 'back in the day' of NT, 2000, and XP there were glitches CAUSED by Microsoft, but that was decade ago and they have not been the 'cause' of problems. The majority of issues is because of Malware or other 'I didn't know I was supposed to' issues/ You may not 'realize' you have problems with a system, because you have taught yourself to 'live with' or 'work around' things,

Think of it this way, PCs are like cars, you hear a noise, you feel it do something 'different' and you adjust and ignore the problem because "it always starts up and drives everyday without fail". Well that isn't true, it is trying (just like the PC) to tell you there IS a problem and it needs to be properly serviced, and without that service to 'fix' or mend the issue, the small problem (a crack in the drive shaft causes that noise) then becomes '2 years later' the whole thing breaking suddenly and unexpectedly and VERY EXPENSIVELY.

Please, also follow the advice I gave the OP and properly maintain your system.

 

[theroman84]

Did you install all Windows Updates? Including OPTIONAL except BING? Check them and repeat till ALL are installed.

I installed everything except Bing and IE updates, since I don't (want to) use that browser.

Download and run Slim Drivers, install all the latest updates but you don't need to reboot until you do the last update

Malwarebytes found 30 issues all related to this program, so used Driver Booster instead. Updated drivers for my Wlan stick, didn't update AMD drivers, since my HD6770 is no longer supported by latest drivers.

Go to www.filehippo.com, download Malwarebytes, go to CUSTOM Scan and set it to do a full system scan (by DEFAULT IT DOESN"T DO THAT, and AntiVirus doesn't pick up alot of malware) - this resolved almost ALL other similiar posts to date as most had Malware the AV didn't pick up

Did a full scan with Malwarebytes and found 30 issues, all of them related to the Slim drivers program.

Remove whatever AV your using and download AVIRA, AVG, Comodo or Panda go to CUSTOM Scan and set it to do a full system scan (by DEFAULT IT DOESN"T DO THAT) - this repeatedly has resolved alot of people issue relying on MS Essentials.


Scanned with Avast, no issues found.

Repeat the AV/Malware scans till the system comes up clean.

Malwarebytes found 7 issues (Slim drivers again). After the reboot it needed to remove all components, I scanned again and found no issues.

Download and run SPECCY, copy and paste the first tab to show your idle temps

Speccy screenshot

Download AUTORUNS and turn off anything NOT critical on startup, so you don't need to run JAVAScheduler to check for Java updates everytime you start your computer for example. BE CAREFUL AND KNOW WHAT YOUR TURNING OFF BEFORE YOU DO IT.

Removed some entries for which files could not be found. Also disabled update services for Adobe, Java and Skype.

Open Computer, Can Air dust out the bunnies and use paint brush on the vents, coolers, fans, etc.


Removed some bits of dust, but nothing much, since I already cleaned it last month.

Go through and provide a response on each point, don't SKIP IT because "I ALREADY DID IT" , just try doing it again as of THIS post so we know NOW what is happening as compared to BEFORE you posted.

Since I needed to reboot anyway to let Malware Bytes remove all of the Slim driver components, I can now say all of the things I've tried to solve my issue did not work. The PC still keeps running when I want to reboot, but it shuts down fine when I want it to shut down.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Did you install all Windows Updates? Including OPTIONAL except BING? Check them and repeat till ALL are installed.

I installed everything except Bing and IE updates, since I don't (want to) use that browser.

While you may not want to use IE, the way it is integrated into the OS, you have to update all the IE updates, or your 'Internet' code that needs to be updated (i.e. TCP / IP, Transport Layers, etc.) is the only way these get corrected and applied as well. Please install ALL updates except BING. I would suggest AGAIN that you do the FREE upgrade to Windows 10, as Windows 7 for consumers is NOT supported any more, and patches, fixes and drivers are NOT being issued for W7 for years now. W10 is NOT like W8 (reason I never upgraded either) and is more like W7, plus it is LIMITED TIME OFFER of being FREE.

Download and run Slim Drivers, install all the latest updates but you don't need to reboot until you do the last update

Malwarebytes found 30 issues all related to this program, so used Driver Booster instead. Updated drivers for my Wlan stick, didn't update AMD drivers, since my HD6770 is no longer supported by latest drivers.

Never had a previous problem with SLIMDRIVERS (from this link http://www.driverupdate.net/downloads/SlimDrivers-setup.exe) before with malware, though I do NOT use the DOWNLOAD.COM link as that has bundled adware stuff included (CNET sold out to those sorts so why I haven't downloaded from CNET/Download.com for years now). Sorry this happened, but good choice on Driver Booster!

The PC still keeps running when I want to reboot, but it shuts down fine when I want it to shut down.

As we removed all the normal suspects, let me ask a couple more questions.
Close all applications on your PC. Open Task Manager, make sure your seeing ALL the details (the little check box bottom left corner).
Do a CTRL ALT DEL and in the menu select to reboot. Watch Task Manager, and sit there for about 10-15 Minutes (no I am not kidding, time it with your clock / watch). Do the components shut down in the Task Manager list? Is there one or more that stay 'on' (as you note it won't actually reboot).

 

[theroman84]

While you may not want to use IE, the way it is integrated into the OS, you have to update all the IE updates, or your 'Internet' code that needs to be updated (i.e. TCP / IP, Transport Layers, etc.) is the only way these get corrected and applied as well. Please install ALL updates except BING. I would suggest AGAIN that you do the FREE upgrade to Windows 10, as Windows 7 for consumers is NOT supported any more, and patches, fixes and drivers are NOT being issued for W7 for years now. W10 is NOT like W8 (reason I never upgraded either) and is more like W7, plus it is LIMITED TIME OFFER of being FREE.

Installed all IE updates, but I'm not going to upgrade Windows 10. Since my PC - as you've seen in my Speccy screenshot - is ripe for a museum, I'll upgrade to either W10 or some Linux distro once I replace my system. Besides, even without patches/driver/fixes etc. a W7 PC should be able to reboot. It's not even that big of an issue in itself, but if some reason it's caused by something serious, like impending hardware failure, I'd like to know in advance.

As we removed all the normal suspects, let me ask a couple more questions.
Close all applications on your PC. Open Task Manager, make sure your seeing ALL the details (the little check box bottom left corner).
Do a CTRL ALT DEL and in the menu select to reboot. Watch Task Manager, and sit there for about 10-15 Minutes (no I am not kidding, time it with your clock / watch). Do the components shut down in the Task Manager list? Is there one or more that stay 'on' (as you note it won't actually reboot).

As soon as Windows starts shutting down, the Task Manager window isn't visible anymore, since it switches to the shutdown screen (logging off, shutting down messages, etc.). I did leave the PC running for a good 20 minutes, but nothing happens, not even HDD activity. Ended up having to reset the PC manually again.

By the way, thanks for taking the time to help me fix this.

 

[Tom Tancredi]

Okay so the symptoms isn't specific to 'Windows' not evoking the reboot command, the issue is some application of some sort is causing the program to 'hang' and refuses to let the OS finish the shut down sequence. This means we need to eliminate all 'booting' elements. Have you tried to boot to safe mode then try reboot and see if the same thing happens? If not, then it is specifically a program NOT hardware, IF the same issue does still happen then your down to two elements.. A) Windows needs to be wiped and clean installed B) hardware failure (most likely HDD) is slowly showing itself in subtle ways

 

[theroman84]

Okay so the symptoms isn't specific to 'Windows' not evoking the reboot command, the issue is some application of some sort is causing the program to 'hang' and refuses to let the OS finish the shut down sequence. This means we need to eliminate all 'booting' elements. Have you tried to boot to safe mode then try reboot and see if the same thing happens? If not, then it is specifically a program NOT hardware, IF the same issue does still happen then your down to two elements.. A) Windows needs to be wiped and clean installed B) hardware failure (most likely HDD) is slowly showing itself in subtle ways

When I try to reboot from safe mode, the system hangs on the "shutting down" portion. The circle next to the message stops spinning and there's no activity of any kind. I left it alone for 10 minutes before manually resetting again.

I'll just reinstall Windows - might as well upgrade to 10 now - and see if the issue persists.

Edit: Reinstalling Windows solved the issue.