How To Prolong Shutdown Time so that Processes Close Properly

During system shutdown, each running process in the system is given 20 seconds to perform clean up work by default. If a process does not respond within this timeout period, the system opens the Wait, End Task, Cancel dialog box, which asks the user to either wait for another 20 seconds, terminate the process, or cancel the shutdown.

To prolong this timeout period, you must modify the Registry as described below.

WARNING: Modifying the Registry incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows to correct. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from incorrect modification of the registry can be solved.

The default timeout value, 20 seconds, is stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop registry key under the value WaitToKillAppTimeout. This value is expressed in milliseconds. You can use RegEdit.exe to modify this value, and restart for the change to take effect.

NOTE: The value of this timeout period for Windows NT 4.0 has been inadvertently moved to HKEY_USER\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop.

NOTE: In general, you should refrain from increasing the shutdown time. For example, if your computer loses power, it is possible that your UPS cannot provide backup power for the computer long enough to allow all the processes, as well as the Operating System, to shutdown properly.