Prologue
I tested these tips one after the other on my Windows 7 netbook
(which shut down significantly faster after upgrading to 2GB RAM). I
booted into Windows, started some standard programs, including Skype and
Chrome with several different tabs open, waited until they had fully
loaded, and then shut down the computer. In its native state, the
shutdown took 32 seconds from clicking the ‘Shutdown’ button until the
laptop had fully shut down.
Initial shutdown time on test machine: 32 seconds
1. Reduce Timeout To Kill Service Or App
Before Windows shuts down, it attempts to properly close all running
processes. If a service doesn’t close immediately, Windows waits for a
few seconds, until it prompts the user that the service is not
responding to the shutdown request. The amount of this waiting time is
defined by registry keys and you can reduce it.
These are two fairly harmless registry hacks. If you follow the steps
outlined in this article, it should in no way harm your system.
Nevertheless, I have to issue a
warning:
Editing the registry can damage
your operating system! I or MakeUseOf take no responsibility whatsoever!
Make a backup of your registry before continuing.
For the first hack, click the key combination >
[WINDOWS] + [R], type >
regedit into the text field, and click >
OK to launch the registry editor.
In the registry editor, navigate to this folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
Within that folder (on the right) find and double-click the string >
WaitToKillServiceTimeout.
In the >
Edit String window, change the >
Value data from the default of 12000 (12 seconds) to 2000 (2 seconds). Click >
OK to save the change.
For the second hack, navigate to the following location via the registry editor:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
On the right, find and double-click the string >
WaitToKillAppTimeout.
If this entry does not exist, you can create it. Right-click into the folder and click through >
New >
String Value, and name it >
WaitToKillAppTimeout.
Set >
Value data to 2000, click >
OK.
In the same registry folder, if you see an entry called >
AutoEndTasks, set its >
Value data to 1, then close the registry editor.
Shutdown time: 27 seconds
2. Create a Fast Shutdown Shortcut
As of Windows 2000, Windows has come with a remote shutdown tool to
shut down and restart Windows. You can control this tool through the
command line, but a much faster alternative is to create a shortcut.
- Right-click your Windows 7 desktop and select > New > Shortcut.
- Enter > shutdown.exe -s -t 00 -f in the location field, click > Next, give the shortcut a descriptive name, e.g. Shut Down Computer, and click Finish.
The letters (options) added above tell the tool to shut down (-s)
with a timeout of zero seconds (-t 00), and to force running
applications to close without forewarning the user (-f). Basically, it
unites the registry hacks from the first tip in the shutdown process.
You can see a full list of options when typing >
shutdown.exe into the command prompt, which you can open via >
[WINDOWS] + [R] then type >
cmd into the text field and click > OK.
You can move this shortcut from the desktop to your quick launch bar
or pin it to the taskbar. Double-click the shortcut to instantly shut
down the system.
This trick is courtesy of
Seven Forums.
Shutdown time: 24 seconds
3. Brute-Force Method
This method is also known as hard boot, as it is typically used to
shut down and immediately reboot the computer. It should be used with
extreme caution!
If you’re in a hurry and cannot wait for 20 seconds or if your
computer responds slowly or even froze, simply hold the power button for
several seconds and Windows will shut down immediately. Since this
method literally kills not only the operating system, but also the
hardware, it should not be used as a routine way of shutting down your
computer. In a worst case scenario, it could cause your hard drive to
crash.
Shutdown time: 5 seconds
