For some reason it seems to take my PC a long time to shut down.  So much so that I've actually TIMED it.

From the time I hit Start/Turn Off Computer, the computer shutoff window takes 1:50 minutes to show up.  After clicking on Shut Down it takes another 2:00 minutes to finally turn off.

I am sure there are extra programs doing something behind the scenes, but is there anything I should be looking out for and eliminating to expedite this process?

e.g. I do have several Microsoft NET Framework entries on my Add/Delete Programs list as well as several Microsoft Visual C++ entries dating back to 2005.

Thanks for your help, as always.

Here are some steps you can take to try to speed up Windows Shutdown. Before editing the registry, be sure to either create an image of your system partition or backup the registry. If you don't know how, please ask.

 1) Make sure "clear pagefile at shutdown" is not enabled:
start - run - regedit
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management]

Set ClearPageFileAtShutdown value to 0


2) Start - Run - Regedit
Navigate to the following Registry key:
HKEY CURRENT USER\Control Panel\Desktop
Double click on the AutoEndTasks entry and replace the 0 with a 1 in the Value data text box

For the next two, if the dword value indicated does not exist, create it:

Double click on the WaitToKillAppTimeout entry in the right pane and change the Value data to 2000

Double click on the HungAppTimeout entry in the right pane and change the Value data to 1000

Reboot

3) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
Right-click on WaitToKillServiceTimeout and change it to 2000

Sorry, but it didn't work.

I cloned my C drive, which is the only way I know to save the registry...at least I know it works.

I made the changes you suggested.  Only two needed to be changed...AutoEndTasks entry and the HungAppTimeOut.  The others were already at those values.

Any other ideas?You can see if something starting / running is CAUSING the delay. It may be a time consuming process, but you'll know immediately if you need to go through all the steps:

Open msconfig and on the General tab choose "selective startup" (uncheck all three items) and reboot. Does the problem still occur? If not, start adding items back to msconfig one or two at a time, rebooting after each change, until the problem reappears and you'll have identified the offending process. This is clearly a time consuming procedure, but it is the best way to determine if some process loading with the system is the cause of your problem.

After you've isolated the cause, do not use msconfig to permanently disable the process. Instead, if it is a service go to START - RUN and type: SERVICES.msc (then press enter) and disable the service OR, if it a program, you can download & run a simple app such as Mike Lin's Startup Control Panel (http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml) to enable, disable, or otherwise MANAGE startup programs.
There are five options under Selective Startup:

Process SYSTEM.INI file
Process WIN.INI file
Load System Services
Load Startup Items
Use Original BOOT.INI

I assumed you meant uncheck the first three, which I did.  However upon booting up I was unable to connect to the internet.

Were these three the ones you wanted me to uncheck?Uncheck all except "Use original boot.ini". And don't worry about the internet, we're diagnosing a shutdown problem.OK, so once I've done that, do I activate programs from the Services tab in msconfig?My instructions are pretty clear.  While you are performing the diagnostic you use msconfig. Once you identify the problem process you use services.msc and Startup Control Panel to permanently disable it / them.