Can't shut down my laptop or...

[solo]

even restart it. I've run an extra virus check and it says it's clear. I wanted to run a scan disc check, but it won't do that until I can restart the pc. I'm not good with computers, so I'd be glad of any help.

I'm going to bed now, so will have to leave it running until the battery runs out.

TIA.

...I let the battery run out on its own over night, but I need to sort it out longer term really. Thanks for taking the time to reply though.

If you ever need to shut down and can't wait overnight, hold the power button in for up to 15 seconds, it should shut down then. Not the best thing to do, but it works in an emergency.

Thanks BT, I try not to do that. The thing is, I don't know the reason why it's doing this in the first place at all...

Don't know much about laptops, but what exactly does it do or say when you tell it to shutdown and what OS is it? XP, Vista or something else?

Some shutdown problems are due to one program that's refusing to stop properly. You might try closing programs down first as a test.

Try unplugging the mains cable and taking the battery out. No need to wait for the battery to run down! This will clear all manner of ills IME.

Hmmm...I run XP onager and it says nothing at all when I try to shut it down. I click the shut down buttons as usual and the egg timer appears for half a second, disappears and then nothing...
Will try the battery thing BIWI.

This has sorted out most problems on my laptop, and it was a tip that came from someone who is a geek!

Hope it sorts you out.

Right, I'm taking battery out now...

Solo, next time close down any programs that are easy to close down then try it. If it gets stuck again press Ctrl-Alt-Del and see what's running on the Applications tab and if nothing there then look on the Processes tab.

There will be lots there with obscure names, but you might recognise some and it's ok to close those down (in an emergency) by selecting them and clicking the End Process button. One of them might be getting stuck.

Other causes are drivers so you might want to look for updated ones, but if they were working before then that's a slim chance.

Have you added or removed any hardware software lately?

Well, it actually allowed me to shut down, but then went on to scan disc(which I'd requested), but then at the lat stage, it started flying down the page really fast saying not enough space to allow something or other, but underneath those words I was trying to read something else which might have been saying deleting squillions of files. I quickly held in the on button and disconected the internet connection....think it could be a virus then...
Well, no money to buy an up to the minute virus murderer...bloody, bloody, bloody hell! Never rains, but it pours.

Thanks onager, but you could be speaking a different language....

So have you tried taking the power cable and battery out yet?

No, not yet...will try shutting down again, but worried a virus might be eating all my files etc...

Mutt, yes, the AVG free scan has just finished. Ran the whole system through. No virus' apparently, but quite a few warnings. Hopefully that will have sorted it out, though I don't see what was to sort if there was no virus.... Will see when I shut down later on I guess...
Thanks for all suggestions and help.

In fact, I'm going to do it all now...shut down, take battery out etc, then re boot. .

Seems ok thanks again...

Seems too simple, doesn't it?!

still ok by the looks of things. Thanks all!