PC won't power down after Windows 7 shutsdown

Problem is in the title thread. Windows turns off, screen goes into power saving mode, but lights are still on and fans are still whirling. When I try to turn it off in save mode, it freezes on "shutting down computer".

It will restart although it takes ~30 seconds to do so.

Problem started last Friday. I haven't installed any new hardware since Wednesday, when I installed my HDD. I might have updated a driver, but I can't recall.

I've reset the BIOS back to original settings also, but that's had no luck.

Also, sometimes it takes very long to boot up - up to 2 minutes. Most of the time it takes ~20 seconds though.

Any suggestions?

Hello ET and welcome to Seven Forums.

Providing this isn't a hardware issue you may be able to roll back your computer prior to last Friday (when the problem started) by using a restore point.

System Restore

You could also check for damaged or corrupt system files by running a system file checker scan from an elevated command prompt (option two.) If problems are found, run the scan 3 times and reboot the computer after each scan.

SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

One of the Forum experts prepared this troubleshooting guide:

Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7

And this Microsoft forum thread may help:

Windows 7 after shutdown will not power off - Microsoft Community

I don't believe it's a hardware issue since the PSU is supposed to be quite good + it restarts fine (albeit takes ~20 seconds after Windows actually shuts down).

Unfortunately I've disabled System Restore as I've been advised to do so on an SSD to conserve space.

Sfc scan reveals nothing.

Going through that guide, Malwarebytes scan is clean but for the last time I turned off my PC this event appeared in my EventViewer:

The server {60A90A2F-858D-42AF-8929-82BE9D99E8A1} did not register with DCOM within the required timeout.

Event ID: 10010, Source: DistributedCOM

What does this error mean?

Also, when I just booted my PC, the Error that came up in the Event Log is:

The attempt to install printer Fax into an offline operating system image failed with Win32 error code 87 (0x57). This can occur if the printer driver requires user input or displays a user interface (UI) during installation.

Event ID: 359.

However, I've never tried to install a Printer (nor have one connected)..

Thoughts?

Whilst uninstalling the Drivers for my Graphics Card, the screen went dark and the system "screamed" instead of playing music. I gave it a minute to turn off, after which time I powered it down manually. When I restarted my PC, it could not longer detect my SSD which had Windows installed, but could detect my HDD.

I've installed Windows onto my HDD now, but I still can't see my SSD in the Bios, under Device Manager etc.

It seems to me that this confirms that it's a hardware fault, most likely the PSU.

Thoughts?

ExodusTerminal said:

Whilst uninstalling the Drivers for my Graphics Card, the screen went dark and the system "screamed" instead of playing music. I gave it a minute to turn off, after which time I powered it down manually. When I restarted my PC, it could not longer detect my SSD which had Windows installed, but could detect my HDD.

I've installed Windows onto my HDD now, but I still can't see my SSD in the Bios, under Device Manager etc.

It seems to me that this confirms that it's a hardware fault, most likely the PSU.

Thoughts?

Was the SSD the drive you installed last week? I would be pointing a very big fat finger at that . Try removing the data and power cable to the SSD and see if the computer returns to normal. Bad drives can lock machines up and cause all kinds of weird issues. That fact you cannot see it in the bios or device manager is I suspect because it just died.
You need to RMA it under warranty.

SSD was installed 2 weeks ago as it arrived first.

ExodusTerminal said:

SSD was installed 2 weeks ago as it arrived first.

Does your system work normally without the SSD, if so you have figured out the cause of the erratic behaviour over the last few days?

No it's still unable to shutdown.

ExodusTerminal said:

No it's still unable to shutdown.

Can you try another Power Supply? Borrow one from a friend. What is the power supply? If it is an El Cheapo Brand it may have fried your SSD. Or vice versa.

I use Enermax in my machines but Corsiar and Silverstone are also good.

It's a Corsair.