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When shutting off

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by tdangat

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I'm on Windows XP.

When shutting off the computer, the system auto-closes every application currently running, without prompting, resulting in loss of data of all those applications.

How can I make so that, when shutting off, the system waits for the applications to close before shutting off? (so the data is not lost when shutting off)

20 replies

by purpleskys

I save all changes and turn off all my apps manually before shutting down a pc to prevent that exact thing from happening.

by santeewelding

To his one makes us a majority, and no longer a matter of personal opinion.

by tdangat

I meant as a way to save time. Sure I can close the antivirus and other programs before I shut down, but it would be much easier to just press the shut down button and move on with life.

I have another computer that waits a few seconds before closing programs when shutting down, giving a time so they close safely. I want that on my computer, which doesn't wait at all when shutting down, making the antivirus always display a "antivius didn't shutdown correctly" message.

by tobif

Computers may get problems if the power suddenly is turned off.

1. If data is being written to the hard drive, a bad sector is created, resulting in data loss and need to analyze the contents of the hard drive in order to recreate as much as possible of the data.

2. The processor can only work with data in the RAM. However, this data is volatile and disappears when the computer is turned off. For persistent storage, data needs to be written to the hard drive. When programs are closed, they will typically request remaining unsaved data to be written to the hard drive. If power is turned off unexpectedly, the latest changes to your data may not be properly saved.

Most modern computers will not turn off power when the power button is pressed. Instead, they trigger a shutdown process, which will request running programs and processes to exit.

If your computer simply turns off the power immediately when you press the on/off button, then I strongly suggest you follow the instructions for Windows, to use the "shutdown" command, and turn off the power only when Windows tells you to do it.
This will cost you some 30 seconds, but you won't need to scan the disk for errors next time you start the computer, and you run less risk of damaging data and installed programs.

by tobif

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q305788

By default, the applications get 20 seconds to finish, but the article I link to tells you how to adjust that.
Now: Even though I found and supplied this link, I support the three statements above: Don't let Windows call the game when it comes to closing applications. Do it yourself.

by ansugisalas

I guess that could be done... but it's easier to do it by hand, as above.

Or to hibernate instead of shutting down fully, although that's another can of worms.

by nexs

Close all your programs manually before pressing shutdown.

Though I have a question for you:
Why would you press the shutdown button when you know you have unsaved data running?

by oh smeg

That is the way that this poster wants things to work so it should be possible to do it their way.

Doesn't matter how silly that way is they should have a way to do it to suit themselves.

It's no good telling that isn't how things work and that they need to use the computer properly, they want it to do something it was never designed to do so you should help them do it. Simple really.

Under no circumstances tell them to [b]RTFM.[/b] :p

Col

by boxfiddler

you're not supposed to let out that there's a FM.

typo

by nexs

Knowledge is the best defense against idiocy.
These people are not our clients, these people do not need babying. They need to be told what the problem is and how to fix it.

I did not tell them to RTFM, instead I'll explain to them what the FM so they don't have to read it.

What did Steve Jobs say when people asked Apple about the bad network signal?
"Hold the phone this way."

by oh smeg

People don;t know how to hold their Apples. Personally I would have thought it was a simple thing but then again I don't ask silly questions. :p

I've just escaped from a very highly Qualified Doctor [i]meaning she's a complete idiot[/i] who was telling me that this new Windows 7 isn't very user friendly. It's not intuitive as it doesn't do things the way that she wants to do them.

Now she's not my client as such and I didn't sell her this NB to begin with but when I left I had her reading the Users Manual. May or may not do her any good but hell it's not my problem either. :D

Col

by nexs

People just need a little bit of incentive to do the right thing. How you decorate that incentive is directly related to how much you get paid from any given source, but the outcome should always be the same; Making The World Less Stupid, One User At A Time.

by oh smeg

Knew what FM Radio was. :p

Some of my clients now when they ask me a question take one look at me and say [i]Yes I Know [b]RTFM.[/b][/i]

And that's the last I hear of that complaint. I've got it to such a fine art now that I don't even need to say anything. :^0

Col 0:-)

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