Message when you try to shut down or to restart Windows Vista: "The following programs are still running: Explorer.exe Playing logoff sound"

When you try to restart or to shut down Windows Vista, you receive the following message:Note If you are trying to shut down Windows Vista, "click Shut down now" appears in this message instead of "click Restart Now."

If you click Restart Now or Shut down, as appropriate, Windows Vista restarts or shuts down as expected. This behavior also occurs if you just wait.

This issue occurs if the .wav file that is associated with the Exit Windows program plays for longer than 10 seconds.

To resolve this issue, configure the Exit Windows program to use a shorter-playing .wav file. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , type sound in the Start Search box, and then click Sound in the Programs list.
   
   
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   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
2. Click the Sounds tab, and then click Exit Windows in the Programs list.
3. Click Browse, locate a .wav file that plays for less than 10 seconds, and then click Open.
   
   Note By default, Windows Vista uses the following file for the Exit Windows program:
   %windir%\media\Windows Shutdown.wav
4. Click Apply, and then click OK.

To work around this issue, wait until the Exit Windows .wav file finishes playing before you shut down or restart Windows Vista.

Steps to reproduce the problem

1. Click Start
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   , type sound in the Start Search box, and then click Sound in the Programs list.
   
   
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   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
2. Click the Sounds tab, and then click Exit Windows in the Programs list.
3. Click Browse, locate a .wav file that plays for more than 10 seconds, and then click Open.
4. Click Apply, and then click OK.
5. Restart Windows Vista.

You receive the message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section.