Computer will not power down.

I've seen various Windows machines do this or something very similar over the years and I wish I knew why!
My laptop does it now - I have to shut it down twice because the first time it just carries on working. Fine in every other respect; no viruses, no spyware, no instability, works perfectly fine - just won't shut down.
Its wierd.

I will advice u scan ur system for viruses, spywares and trojan horses and delete them if any is found. If no change is evident, then try reparing the operating system using the Operating system CD u have for the system.

cookies, spyware, and adware can cause this problem I have had it before. I cleaned the systme using a program and it worked fine afterwards. It can also be your network connection if you are connected to the internet. I use an HPNA adapter and it sometimes causes it to hang up upon shutdown. I have yet to find a fix for this.

sounds like maybe defective security software. I would uninstall reinstall all security software and any additional programs if you have not already.

I will advice u scan ur system for viruses, spywares and trojan horses and delete them if any is found. If no change is evident, then try reparing the operating system using the Operating system CD u have for the system.

Why do you all suspect viruses?!?!?!?!?!

It amazes me that some are so quick to suspect viruses when they see "abnormal" behavior on a computer. What happened to troubleshooting the basics and using the fundamentals of computer troubleshooting?

If Skepticals were an inexperienced user (demonstrated by his low number of posts and knowledge on the other threads), then yeah, you could suggest viruses, spyware, blah blah blah.......but obviously this isn't the case here.......

Assuming that this computer is identical to the other thirty nine computers and hasn't been manipulated much, my comments and suggestions are the following:

Start the computer in safe mode and try to shut. Shutting down successfully shows that some kind of service or software is keeping the computer on (when the computer is in normal mode). From there do troubleshooting to determine which one. If the prob persists, try the harddrive on a different computer (since all the computers are identical, the OS won't know the diff) to determine if the problem is possibly the computer hardware or the OS. I remember reading somewhere that computers that don't shut down automatically (request that you turn them off yourself), may have ACPI problems or no ACPI capabilities. Since that is what controls power management on the OS, it may not be forcing the hardware to shut down properly.

What troubleshooting have you done, so we don't suggest the stuff you've already done?

N

Thanks for the information KiLLaBeE. I have not had a great deal of time to troubleshoot this problem. The last thing I tried was chaning the ACPI settings and other power settings in the BIOS. I will put more time into this problem today and report back with more details...

Well, all the virus/spyware scans came up empty. I could not shut down the computer in safe mode either. I looked into stopping services, changed/updaded drivers, ACPI settings, etc. In the end, I decided to go with the one-size-fits-all answer: format and reinstall. I know this doesn't help me find eht exact problem, but I also do not waste a great deal of time for this was a new machine that wasn't in use yet. I believe the problem was due to malfunctioning/conflicting Gateway specific power management software. I did not install this software again.

Thanks for everyone's help! I was able to at least tell if I needed to format. Everything is working at this point. I still have to install some additional software that may cause a problem. We will see.

Why do you all suspect viruses?!?!?!?!?!

It amazes me that some are so quick to suspect viruses when they see "abnormal" behavior on a computer. What happened to troubleshooting the basics and using the fundamentals of computer troubleshooting?

If Skepticals were an inexperienced user (demonstrated by his low number of posts and knowledge on the other threads), then yeah, you could suggest viruses, spyware, blah blah blah.......but obviously this isn't the case here.......

Assuming that this computer is identical to the other thirty nine computers and hasn't been manipulated much, my comments and suggestions are the following:

Start the computer in safe mode and try to shut. Shutting down successfully shows that some kind of service or software is keeping the computer on (when the computer is in normal mode). From there do troubleshooting to determine which one. If the prob persists, try the harddrive on a different computer (since all the computers are identical, the OS won't know the diff) to determine if the problem is possibly the computer hardware or the OS. I remember reading somewhere that computers that don't shut down automatically (request that you turn them off yourself), may have ACPI problems or no ACPI capabilities. Since that is what controls power management on the OS, it may not be forcing the hardware to shut down properly.

What troubleshooting have you done, so we don't suggest the stuff you've already done?

Because the moment you connect a pc to the net or any other machine it can become corrupted by otehr viruses on pre-exsisting systems or via internet or an email application.