Hi Pipexer

chkdsk /x -> no problems found.

sfc /scannow -> no integrity violations found.

That's a good sign at least!

What error message exactly are you seeing when shutting down? Are you saying Windows is not automatically closing down anything that is running, or are there specific things it says you need to force shutdown on?

The message on screen just at the last moment is 'waiting for background programs to close.

I have checked to make sure that no programs are running before shut down, but this message still appears.

Like this? http://www.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/blogbbbc297eca2...

Check both system and application event logs around the time you initiate shutdown. Try and go through every one around that time and see if anything stands out as reporting an error or something.

There will be something causing this, jsut need to get to the bottom of it.

The two logs indicated the following warnings on shut down:

system event log - WLAN-AutoConfig warning.

application event log - user service profile warning on shut down.

in MSCONFIG did you untick everything from loading on startup? and the issue still happened?

I have carried out a selected start up with everything not ticked. This solves the problem. I have tried to identify which start up item is causing the problem by ticking and not ticking each item. So far I have not ID'd the problem.

Start by selecting the top half, then the bottom half, that will eliminate 50% of them hopefully, then the top half of whichever half was the culprit... etc. Fingers crossed it is only 1 thing causing.

It's not necessarily a "shutdown message" but any error at the time you shutdown.

Shutdown at a precise time according to your PC clock and then note the time of any errors just after that time.

Errors are not uncommon as this is the way that the so called "Microsoft Support Centre" (usually Asian chaps) cold call and get unsuspecting people to part with their money to fix these errors, which all computers will have in some form or another.

I have been through every start up item individually to try and identify the problem. I thought the problem has been solved and the start up item removed.

But the machine will not still not shut down properly.