We all have read articles online about speeding up our Windows computers. Today I am focusing on one item that can cause your Windows computer to shut down or start up slowly – and those are Windows Services. If some Service refuses to terminate or takes a long time to terminate, then the system shutdown gets delayed. Many times you just wait in front of your computer for it to either startup or shut down. This is irritating at times. But at the same time, during a shutdown, it is necessary for your computer to properly close all the programs and processes just to make your next startup better.
Identify Windows Services that delay Shutdown
Some Windows Services might be causing delays in shutdowns while running in the background. If they delay startup, it results in Boot degradation.
To find these delaying Services we might have to use the Event Viewer. To open Event Viewer, right-click on the Start Button and click on Event Viewer.
Now, navigate to the following section inside of the Event Viewer,
Applications And Services Logs\Microsoft\Windows\Diagnostics-Performance\Operational
On the left panel, right-click on the Operational log and then select Filter Current Log.
In the field labeled as <All Event IDs> enter 203.
Now click on OK. This will open a new section where only the Events triggered during the shutdown are shown.
Now, if you look closely through the list, you will find events saying “This service caused a delay in the system shutdown process.”
In the field for Friendly Name and File Name, you will find the offending service.
Identify Windows Services that delay startup
Similarly, to identify and locate Services that are delaying Windows startup, you need to search for Event ID 103. It will list the Services that result in Boot Degradation experience.
You can then log on to the web to learn more about that Service and then can check if that is safe to be Disabled, delay the loading of specific Services or have it stopped.