I have Windows XP and it takes 10 MINUTES to SHUTDOWN!         

I've been running XP on this laptop for years now and everything's been FINE.  I had to reformat the whole THING and I reinstalled Windows.  Now, it takes 10 minutes to shutdown: the icons go away and the wallpaper shows, then 10 minutes later, it says - shutting down and it turns off.  It never did this before and I am running the same Windows and I have the same programs INSTALLED. 

Any ideas?This may shed some light on your problems........

http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.phpGo Start>Run (Start Search in Vista), type in:
msconfig
Click OK (hit Enter in Vista).

Click on Startup tab.
Click Disable all

Click Services tab.
Put checkmark in Hide all Microsoft services
Click Disable all.

Click OK.
Restart computer in Normal Mode.

NOTE. If you use different firewall, than Windows firewall, turn Windows firewall on, just for this test, since your regular firewall won't be running.
If you use Windows firewall, you're fine.

Same thing?Ok, this is what I have come up with after 4 months:

I have tried the things you guys suggested and no avail.

I figured it must be a driver or something I installed when I tried to get the drivers and software back ONTO my computer.

I viewed the EVENT VIEWER and and kept noticing a error every time I shut down.  It was the WLAN TRAY - I have been having issues with the Dell Wireless Card and drivers.

I then went to MSCONFIG and went to SERVICES and unchecked the WLAN TRAY from the list.

Last, I went to ADD/REMOVE Programs and uninstalled the BROADCOM modem and anything that said BROADCOM.

IT WORKED!!  I don't want to get my hopes up since I have tried things before and it started doing the 10 min. shutdown a few times later.  BUT, I have given it 5 days and it works instantly!!

I think I got it! 

I don't know if this can help anyone with the same problem, but I found that installing the DELL drivers (since a lot of PPL with the problem have Dells), that the WLAN TRAY is the problem.One more thing, this may speed it up even more in case you don't already have it:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B570-42470E2F3582&displaylang=en

User Profile Hive Service.
It surely sped my shutdown up.