Incomplete shutdown unless PC is first restarted

[BPTom]

Another Windows 10 PC shutdown issue:
A. If I shutdown the PC by any means it will shut down completely only 1/3 -1/2 the time.
B. BUT if I first Restart, then shutdown from the Login screen it shuts down completely 100% of the time.
Definition: Complete shutdown = fans stop & LED on power supply turns off at the same time as the screens go black.
When shutdown is incomplete, the fans and PS LED stay on and I have to hold the Power button for 5 sec. to kill everything.

I've tried all the usual tricks:
No sleep, no hibernate, used command line shutdown /s /f /t 0, Fast Startup is disabled, ran the Windows Power Troubleshooter, ran sfc /scannow, stopped Windows Delivery Update Optimization, and probably a couple other things I've overlooked.

System is Dell Inspiron 3650 with 2 monitors and a replacement motherboard. The only thing I've not tried is updating the 2017 BIOS that came with the replacement MB (the previous MB was bricked by a bad Dell BIOS update and I'm a bit gun shy).

Question: What (programs, services, etc.) does Restart terminate that Shutdown doesn't ? This might hold the clue.

 

[BigFeet]

Try turning off Fast Startup. Open the control panel. Open "Power options" then click on "Choose what the power button does" (left side). Then click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable". Then uncheck the box next to "Turn on fast startup", then click "save changes". Then reboot. See if that helps.

 

[BPTom]

Please note in my initial posting that Fast Startup has been disabled, along with all the other usual remedy items.

 

[Brian Fisher]

Try This. My windows 10 had serious shutdown issues. This remedy fixed the problem.
Create a SYSTEM Restore point first. Back up your Registry, in case there is an issue.
egistry fix
The corruption of registry files may the reason for the slow shut down issue. You can solve the issue by following the below steps:

Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run box.
Type “regedit” and press Enter to open Registry Edition.

Copy and paste the text into the address bar and press Enter.
“Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management“.
Double-click ClearPageFileAtShutdown, change the value to 0.

Copy and paste the text into the address bar and press Enter.
“Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control“.
Find WaitToKillServiceTimeout file in the right pane. Double click it and set the value between 1000 to 20000.

Click OK.
Reboot your computer to apply the changes

 

[BPTom]

Try This. My windows 10 had serious shutdown issues. This remedy fixed the problem.
Create a SYSTEM Restore point first. Back up your Registry, in case there is an issue.
egistry fix
The corruption of registry files may the reason for the slow shut down issue. You can solve the issue by following the below steps:

Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run box.
Type “regedit” and press Enter to open Registry Edition.

Copy and paste the text into the address bar and press Enter.
“Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management“.
Double-click ClearPageFileAtShutdown, change the value to 0.

Copy and paste the text into the address bar and press Enter.
“Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control“.
Find WaitToKillServiceTimeout file in the right pane. Double click it and set the value between 1000 to 20000.

Click OK.
Reboot your computer to apply the changes

Thanks for the suggestion, Brian. Unfortunately, ClearPageFileAtShutdown is already "0" and WaitToKillServiceTimeout was set at "5000". It seems, from comments on various forums, that there are often a number of different issues that result in the same/similar Windows misbehavior. This issue didn't occur prior to Dell bricking the old MB; it began with the replacement board, so I'm thinking it's either in the hardware or the 2017 BIOS.

 

[ubuysa]

I suspect that there is some process that fails to close properly on shutdown. Restart possibly works because you shutdown pretty soon after a restart(?) and the rogue process doesn't have time to start. You might want to try a restart and then use the PC normally for an hour or so and then try a shutdown. If that fails to shutdown properly it's a rogue process.

Before you shutdown, manually close everything that you can, especially background system tasks - they usually have icons in the system tray. The goal is to manually close everything that you possibly can and then shutdown Windows. If that works every time then it's one of those background processes.

It might also be a device that fails to stop, so manually stop those devices you can and disconnect them so that at shutdown the only things connected are keyboard, mouse and monitor. Again, see whether that allows an orderly shutdown every time.

 

[Walldoo99]

I would try updating the bios and it that doesn't help I'd try a restore to factory, have all your stuff backed up, pictures, docs, password and browser bookmarks unless you use a chrome acct.
Dells always have the strangest issues in their desktops. I never have a problem with their laptops but I had a desktop at one time, I went to deliver a laptop to a client, came back and it was asking for a BIOS password. I never put a password on the bios. Since the motherboard was proprietary I just bought a real nice one used for $150. Since then I started buying Lenovo's, always used. Their business class units are the Timex watch of computers.