PC help: Prolonged shutdown

Q My computer takes a very long time to shut down; I have time to make a coffee between clicking on Start, then Shut Down, and waiting for the Close down dialogue box to come up on the screen. It then takes several minutes before the computer actually closes down. Can anything be done?
Brian Wadsworth

A Lengthy shut-downs are often caused by rogue programs clogging up the computer or by a single program failing to shut down properly. These rogue programs could be spyware or adware, or they could simply be genuine software that is clashing in some way with another piece of software.

Firstly, make sure that the computer is free of viruses, adware and spyware by running full scans with your anti-virus program and the appropriate cleaning tools. Try Ad-Aware and SpyBot if you don’t have your own programs already.

The next thing is to get rid of any programs that you’re not using. Click on Start, then Control Panel (or Settings, then Control Panel) and select Add or Remove Programs. Browse through the list and select a program that you installed but no longer use. If a program looks unfamiliar, it may be a system program, so it’s best to leave it as it is.

However, once you find any programs suitable for removal, click on Remove and follow the prompts. Do this for any similar entries.

Finally, check the Notification Area at the bottom-right of the screen for icons you might not need – right-click any you don’t need and click on Close or Exit. Do this one at a time, and if the PC shuts down quicker after this, that indicates which program is holding things up. This can be removed, or contact the maker for a possible fix.