Re: xp is *NOT* flushing disk cache before shutdown

From: Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\) (user_at_#notme.com)
Date: 04/03/04 

Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 22:40:55 -0800

First, you might try running the compatibility wizard again, it's easier
than formatting and it might just turn something up.

Saving wpa generally will not work to get around activation and it isn't
necessary. You can activate as often as you want as long as it is the same
machine. 

-- 
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
<anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:14daf01c41934$8eaad290$a601280a@phx.gbl...
> No.  At the time, I had Win98 on there and was using it
> for basic web surfing.  I had very little installed.
>
> The only things the compatability wizard complained about
> were drivers (video, etc.)  I did a fresh installation of
> XP with freshly downloaded drivers (and have updated
> since.)  So other than a few minor programs (winamp, etc.)
> there are no programs that were installed on both W98 and
> XP on this system.
>
> Since installing XP, it's become my main machine (it's not
> fast enough to run the kid's games, so they took over the
> fast one.)
>
> So I do have a lot of stuff on here now that I didn't have
> before.
>
> I guess the only thing I can think of (since nobody seems
> to know how to extend the shutdown flush cache delay) is
> to wipe the C: partition, install XP fresh, re-activate,
> and install one or two things at a time.
>
> A lot of trouble.  And I can't do it too many times
> because of the activation.  (I had heard that if you save
> the wpa files, you can simply restore those if you re-
> install, but a friend says he's tried that repeatedly and
> they unequivocally do not work with sp1.  They always get
> rejected.)
>
> I guess I can run it for a while without activating it,
> but it's still going to be a lot of trouble tracking it
> down.  Especially if it turns out to not be an install
> program causing the problem but just some quirk of my
> hardware.
>
> Thanks for the effort though.  Oh well.
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>When you run the compatibility wizard, aside from XP, was
> everything that
>>you have installed on the system now, hardware and
> software, installed on
>>the system then?  Just trying to cover all
> possibilities.:-)
>>
>>-- 
>>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>>Windows Shell/User
>>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>>
>>"Shutdown" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> message
>>news:14d7301c41925$9bfc15d0$a601280a@phx.gbl...
>>>
>>> No viruses, and I have both Adaware & Spybot Search &
>>> Destroy.
>>>
>>> I've tried a couple different versions of my chipset
>>> drivers and video drivers (for different reasons) and
> the
>>> problem exist regardless.
>>>
>>> I have already removed the 'reboot after error' setting
>>> because I dislike that on priciple.   And the problem
> I'm
>>> having isn't that xp is rebooting, but that it's not
>>> shutting down properly (or rather, it is shutting down
>>> properly but before all the disk I/O is completed before
>>> XP turns off the power.)  (And because of that,
> sometimes
>>> has problems booting.)
>>>
>>> I did look through the event viewer and I didn't see
>>> anything related to shutdown.  I do see an ACPI problem
> at
>>> boot though, although it's not fatal.  (I've checked
>>> Micrsoft's link and it's not fatal.) I didn't know that
>>> issue existed, although there's nothing that can be
> done.
>>>
>>> Since this is a used computer, I did download the "XP
>>> compatability" program from microsoft before I even put
> xp
>>> onto it, and it said it was okay.  And since then, I
>>> haven't had any other issues.
>>>
>>> So, unfortunately, none of your suggestions helped, but
> I
>>> do appreciate the effort.
>>>
>>> It just seems that after XP shuts down all the tasks,
> and
>>> then it saves my current settings, that it doesn't wait
>>> long enough for the disk I/O to complete before turning
>>> off the power.  It almost waits long enough, but not
>>> quite.  Sometimes there's enough disk writes and head
>>> movements that it's not quite done when XP turns off the
>>> power.  And that last little bit of data gets corrupted
>>> and occasionally is important enough to cause boot
>>> problems at the next boot.
>>>
>>> That is a hardwired value, and maybe this system is just
>>> odd enough to slightly exceed that built in time delay.
>>> Back when they issued the Win98 patches for this, they
>>> clearly said that the issue applied to all OS's and that
>>> it's not windows specific.  So maybe when they increased
>>> the delay for XP, they didn't do it quite long enough.
>>>
>>> I've run disk scans and surface scans, and there aren't
>>> any disk errors causing delays or such.
>>>
>>> I dunno... Maybe at some point some program changed some
>>> registry value and that's what is causing problems.
> Maybe
>>> I should try re-installing, but that's a lot of trouble
> to
>>> fix a Microsoft problem.
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks anyway.
>>>
>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>
>>>>First, be sure your antivirus software has the latest
>>> definitions and run a
>>>>virus scan.
>>>>
>>>>Second, download, install and run Ad Aware:
>>>>www.lavasoftusa.com
>>>>Note: you should always be well backed up before running
>>> an application of
>>>>this type.
>>>>
>>>>If your system is clear of viruses, open Control Panel,
>>> open System, go to
>>>>the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and
>>> Recovery, remove the
>>>>check from "Automatically Restart" under System Failure.
>>> This will cause
>>>>the system to blue screen instead of restarting on
> errors
>>> and the
>>>>information on the blue screen may give a clue as to the
>>> source of the
>>>>issue.
>>>>
>>>>Open Control Panel, open Administrative Tools, open
> Event
>>> Viewer, look for
>>>>errors corresponding to the crash, double click the
>>> error, the information
>>>>contained within may give a clue as to the
>>>>source of the problem.  If you don't understand the
>>> information inside, the
>>>>third button down in that dialog box will copy the
>>> information,
>>>>you can then paste it into a message and post it here
> and
>>> maybe we can
>>>>figure out what is going on.
>>>>
>>>>Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place
>>> the XP CD in the
>>>>drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check
>>> System Compatibility,"
>>>>the report it generates may point to problem hardware or
>>> software on your
>>>>system.  If you do not have an XP CD, you can download
>>> this application
>>>>known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
>>>>http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgradin
> g/
>>> advisor.asp
>>>>Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it
>>> might be best to
>>>>download using that as this is a rather large download.
>>>>
>>>>Check for the latest drivers for your hardware,
>>> especially your graphics
>>>>card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your
>>> system.  Do not use
>>>>Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's
>>> web sites and if
>>>>you install updated drivers, ignore the message about
>>> drivers being unsigned
>>>>by Microsoft.  *Before installing any drivers, be sure
>>> you are well backed
>>>>up and it's probably a good idea to manually create a
>>> restore point in
>>>>System Restore in case you have problems as a result of
>>> the driver update
>>>>and note, System Restore is not a substitute for a
>>> backup.  Start\All
>>>>Programs\Accessories\System Tools\System Restore
>>>>
>>>>-- 
>>>>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>>>>Windows Shell/User
>>>>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>>>>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>>>>
>>>>"Shutdown" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
> in
>>> message
>>>>news:1740501c41864$f9554dd0$a401280a@phx.gbl...
>>>>> What patch etc. do I need so that XP-pro sp1 will
> delay
>>>>> shutdown until the drive completely writes everything.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've noticed many times that during shutdown, it gets
> to
>>>>> the shutdown screen and there's a long pause by XP
>>>>> (presumably the delay to allow the disk caches to
>>> flush),
>>>>> then a lot of frantic disk head movement and then the
>>>>> drives shut down the instant that's done, or perhaps
>>> even
>>>>> before it's down.
>>>>>
>>>>> And occasionally when I boot up later, it says it
> didn't
>>>>> shutdown properly and checks my drive.  Proof that XP
>>>>> isn't waiting for the drive to flush its cache.
>>>>>
>>>>> And sometimes it wont boot at all.  I have to boot in
>>> safe
>>>>> mode, then shutdown, and then when it starts up it
> works
>>>>> okay.
>>>>>
>>>>> I know W98, W98se and Wme used to need a patch to
> delay
>>>>> shutdown until their cache & and the hard drive cache
>>> was
>>>>> flushed.
>>>>>
>>>>> XP shouldn't need that.
>>>>>
>>>>> But apparently it does.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is there a patch?  Is there a registry entry I can
>>> modify
>>>>> to increase the shutdown flush delay?
>>>>>
>>>>> Is there any way I can manually force everything to
>>> flush
>>>>> before I shutdown XP?
>>>>>
>>>>> I asked this question in here a few days ago and
> didn't
>>>>> get an answer, so I figured I should repost.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>.
>>>>
>>
>>
>>.
>>