Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Forcing Your Computer to Shut Down

When there are unsaved files, locked processes, or both, your computer will not log off and shut down immediately. Instead, you'll see a related prompt listing the files and processes that are causing the problem. With unsaved files, you'll usually want to save the open files and then exit the related program so that you can resume logging off and shutting down. With locked processes, you can wait for Windows to resolve the problem, either by getting a response from the program that allows Windows to close the program or by waiting until the timeout period has elapsed and stopping the program, which allows you to log off and shut down the computer.

That's the way your computer should work, but sometimes things go wrong. If you can't log off and shut down the normal way, you may need to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to display the Windows screen and then click Start Task Manager. In Task Manager, click the Applications tab and look for an application that is not responding. If you find one, click it, and then click End Task. If the application fails to respond to the request, you'll see a prompt that allows you to end the application immediately or cancel the end task request. Click End Now.

If this doesn't solve the problem, you can try shutting down or restarting the computer. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and click the Shutdown button, or click the Shutdown Options button, and then click Restart. If this still doesn't work, you can perform a hard shutdown by pressing and holding the computer's power button or by unplugging the computer. If you force the computer to shut down, the Windows Error Recovery screen should be displayed automatically the next time you start the computer. You then have the option of starting the computer in one of several Safe Modes or using normal startup. After you start your computer, you may want to run Check Disk to check for errors and problems that might have been caused by the hard shutdown.