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Program Prevents Shutdown for A Split Second

Hello everyone, currently I have a problem with my laptop.

Frequently, but not always, when I try to restart or shut down my laptop, a window pops up for a split second showing that a program prevents the process, then it immediately shuts down without further notice. It shows up without a name. I've been having this problem for a week now.

I tried turning on and then wait for a minute to turn off, but it still shows the window.

I've also tried to find the culprit through Event Viewer but to no avail.

I'm concerned that this is caused by malware or virus.

I've done Microsoft Defender's full scan and offline scan but it shows nothing.

Hello there! I am Charity, I'm an Independent Advisor. I'm glad to help you today!

My apologies about that. Please try doing a clean boot.

Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter to open the System Configuration window.

Go to the Services tab, check "Hide all Microsoft services" to prevent disabling essential services, and then click "Disable all."

In the Startup tab, click "Open Task Manager." In Task Manager, disable all startup items by right-clicking each one and selecting "Disable."

Return to the System Configuration window, click OK, and restart your computer. Your system will now boot with minimal drivers and startup programs.

After performing the clean boot, test the problem. If the issue doesn’t occur, re-enable services and startup items one by one or in small groups to identify the cause. To return to normal boot, select "Normal startup" in the System Configuration window and restart your computer.



Please let me know if this works for you. I'll do my best to respond as soon as possible.

Kind Regards,
Charity (Active hours 10PM~10AM GMT+08:00)

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I know this sounds a bit too much, but will resetting solve the problem?

I feel concerned that this could be caused by a virus or malware, even though Microsoft Defender scans shows nothing.

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Thank you for the information. How did the clean boot go? Are you still having the issue? This is for me to determine if resetting will solve the problem.

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Actually, I've tried clean boot and activate the services one by one.

It went without any problems for few days, then yesterday before I posted this, I used my laptop for a long period of time (only for about 2 hours), it showed up again.

I haven't tried using my laptop for more than an hour since yesterday. I've done several quick turn on and off since though and it hasn't shown.

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Thank you for the information. If it did work, then it's safe to say resetting will definitely solve the problem.

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Why does the window appear for only a split second?

I find that others have at least a few seconds to click either the Shut Down or Cancel button, whilst the window is like flashing when shut down for me.

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The shutdown window appears for only a split second because the process causing the delay terminates quickly after shutdown is initiated. This fast termination leads to the shutdown warning flashing briefly on the screen, unlike in other cases where the process takes longer to close, giving users more time to interact with the shutdown prompt. This rapid behavior can also be influenced by system settings like Fast Startup or by background processes that don't require user interaction. This would also depend on how fast your computer is.

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How likely is it to be caused by virus or malware compared to normal background services where both Defender's Full and Offline scan shows no threats?

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Given that both Defender's Full and Offline scans have shown no threats, it's less likely that a virus or malware is causing the shutdown issue. Typically, if a system is infected, these scans would detect some indication of malicious activity, especially in the case of well-known or actively running malware.

The issue is more likely caused by a normal background service or process that is briefly delaying the shutdown. Windows and various third-party applications often have services or tasks that may need to complete their operations before shutting down, and these can sometimes cause the brief appearance of the shutdown window.

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Last updated April 17, 2025 Views 149 Applies to: