Stubborn Computer wont turn off

When you say it won't turn itself off, does it come up with the screen "It is now safe to turn off your computer"?
If it does, it is possible that your pc is not ACPI compliant and so, Windows cannot turn it off. If this is the case, then there is nothing you can do except possibly a bios update that includes ACPI for your mainboard. Otherwise, buy a new pc is the only solution.

Wait! Are your BIOS settings correct? If they are not correct for ACPI functionality, Windows will not be able to shut down your pc. Also, 'tis possible that win98se's ACPI commands are not supported by your system (win98se too old) or vice versa (your pc too old). In the former, upgrade to win2k/winxp and in the latter, upgrade your pc.

hi vphoto

Maybe this should be posted in the win98 area ?

Especially when 98 se was introduced a lot of people experienced that windows would not shut down.

A few bugs was corrected in windows, but a lot of faults was caused by defective devicedrivers.

Have you installed anything new hardware recently ?

Try to update drivers to all your hardware- Graphic , netcard & soundcard especially.

Whats ACPI, so that I can Check It?

ACPI is short for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface, a power management specification developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba. ACPI enables the Windows to control the amount of power given to each device attached to your pc. This allows Windows to turn off devices, such as a CD-ROM players, when they're not in use (for example). Also ACPI allows computers to automatically power up as soon as you touch the keyboard, as and when the BIOS supports it and this feature is enabled.

ACPI is therefore the method by which Windows shuts down your pc. If Windows or your hardware are not both ACPI compliant and compatible with respect to ACPI versions, Windows will NOT be able to shutdown your system and instead you get your lovely screen which says "It is now safe to turn off your computer".

1. Check to make sure win98se supports ACPI
2. Check your BIOS settings to ensure ACPI is enabled
3. If ACPI is already enabled but win98se still does not shutdown your pc, either:
a) Try the manufacturer's website for a bios update that addresses the problem OR
b) Get a fix or patch for win98se from the Microsoft site which fixes this problem OR
c) Try another [RECENT] operating system

Good luck!

P.S.-Although having Windows turn off your pc is quite nifty, it is not a "biggie" worth going to a lot of trouble for i.e. don't fix it if it ain't broke or else you may screw up a system that works perfectly for want of such a minor improvement

Here's a site with Win98 shutdown problems listed, which you should read to see if you have a similar situation: http://aumha.org/win4/kbshtdwn.php

If the above doesn't work, please post your system specs (brand of pc / brand of mainboard / cpu / vidcard / amunt of ram / date purchased / ...) - this way we can determine if the board should be ACPI compliant and/or if there are some issues with that specific hardware.

Glenn

I thank you, but I've solved the problem by buying a new hard drive. After I took my old computer apart, thinking I didn't need it, my old hard drive would not run. I brought a new one, and I'm still trying to make my old one work. If you have any suggestions I'm all ears.

                                                                                               Thanks

Get the tools from the site of manufacturer (maxtor -> maxtools, seagate -> seatools, ...).
There is an explanation there on how to use it, but in short:

-Download the program
-Put an empty floppy in drive
-execute program (it copies some files to floppy - DONT put any files MANYALLY on floppy!)
-shut down computer
-attach ONLY THE FAULTY harddrive to IDE1, no other IDE devices (the floppy is, of course, still connected)
-set your BIOS to boot from floppy (if it isn't already set to do that, if you don't know about BIOS just try to boot up)

Now you will get into the tools. You can run all kinds of tests there from, and the tools can repair quite some problems, but they can't repair physical damage.

Good luck!

I'm like the Borg - I assimilate everything, and then when it needs to be used, I bring it back.  ;-)

But I keep a copy of things I might find useful - most experts here do the same.  Ideally, there should be a FAQ that everyone contributes to.  This cuts down a lot on searching, and posts take a few seconds.

>>> I'm like the Borg <<<  I Knew you were cheating. : P

Where do you people find the time. Do you have "regular" jobs like the rest of us? I only get time to go on the net at night because during the day i'm very busy. Just as well though, because night time here is day time in the U.S.

I'm an IT manager @a company that delivers multimedia audio systems, and I give support to existing IBM compatible hard& software, and research a lot of new stuff.
So, I got to go on the web quite often / day - especially on wed&fri, those are my R&D days. And, after 3h of non-stop searching the webby and calling ppz, this is kind of relaxing :)

It really feels good discussing issues with people that know what they say, and I learn a lot from how my responses differ from other people's responses. This way I can improve my language skills (I never really took English classes to learn it, got it all from the web), response time, coverage of answers, ...
And it's direct rewarding, when I just joined I immediately posted in 8 questions, and by the end of the week 4 were the 'good answer'.
Makes me think I'm not that bad with PC as I thought (I'm a perfectionist, chaotic, and in constant search of a way to control my chaotic nature - it's like I got 50 000 little cupboards in my head, and I'm trying to get them organized & inventorisized - this community does help!)
Oh, and in case u didn't notice: I really type a lot. Maybe I should write a book or something... ^_^

Callandor : how do u get yourself organized? I try to divise all in categorys, starting with
1.hard & 2.software, then 1.1.IBM compatible; 2.1.MS; 2.2 Linux, ...

Still, so many topics just lap eachother and I'm tired of having like 200 Word and Excel documents, and trying to find my way in my own 'organized mess' :p

Goodness!

Well, I do have an IT job, as a consultant in an office, so most of the time i'm either in meetings with clients or preparing reports.

As you can see, my job is not very "browsing-the-net-looking-for-nothing-in-particular" friendly. Any net time at work is research for one or other client.

I develop software for traders, but many times I have to wait for a test run to finish, which gives me time to post.  When an interesting question comes up, I jump on it - sometimes, somebody is there already, but I know who those people usually are. :-)

coral47: not quite like using steroids in the Olympics, but a good memory helps!

Gaud-wo: I actually let the subjects organize themselves into groups.  At the front is what are the possible causes why systems don't boot up - you may have seen my trademark list in places.  I also deal with Windows problems, disk problems, audio/video problems, performance comparisons, and where to get parts.

No comment has been added to this question in more than 21 days, so it is now classified as abandoned..
I will leave the following recommendation for this question in the Cleanup topic area:
split between callandor and gaud-wo

Any objections should be posted here in the next 4 days. After that time, the question will be closed.

Compfixer101
EE Cleanup Volunteer