XP Registry - Speed up shutdown time

Do you any problem on Windows shutdown time? Ok, here are a couple of steps you can take to speed up your Windows XP shutdown process.

Step 1

Paging file (pagefile.sys) - Don't have XP clear at shutdown.

The paging file is used to store temporary files and data, but when your system shuts down, information stays in the file. Some people prefer to have the paging file cleared at shutdown, because sensitive information such as unencrypted passwords sometimes ends up in the file. However, clearing the paging file can slow shutdown times significantly, so if extreme security isn't a high priority, you might not want to clear it. To shut down XP without clearing your paging file, run the Registry Editor and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Change the value of ClearPageFileAtShutdown to 0. Close the Registry and restart your computer. Whenever you turn off XP from now on, the paging file won't be cleared, and you should be able to shut down more quickly.

Step 2

Reduce the amount of time Windows will take to kill open applications on shutdown.

Part 1 - Go to :

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\


Change the value of WaitToKillAppTimeout to 1000. And then,


change the value of HungAppTimeout to 1000 also.


Part 2 - Go to :

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop

Change the value of WaitToKillAppTimeout to 1000. And then,

change the value of HungAppTimeout to 1000 also.


Part 3 - Go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\

Change the value of WaitToKillServiceTimeout to 1000.

Step 3

Non-responsive applications - Allow XP to close it automatically upon shutdown

Go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

Change the value of AutoEndTasks to 1.

So, how was it for you? I hope you find this tips really useful. On next entry, I will show you how to speed up XP boot time. Yeahhhh!!!!!!!!!!