Showstopper (Windows Shutdown Utility)

Recall --

A few weeks back, Infopackets Reader Ian B. asked if there was a way to make his Windows 98 computer shut down and power off:

" I have a win 98 computer that used to shut off the power after a Start -> Shutdown command was clicked, but now it just stops at that the 'It is now safe to shut down your computer' screen. Can you advise if this is a hardware or software fault, please?"

I responded to this question by writing 2 articles.

In part 1, I commented on a number of reasons why Windows 98 might not shut down (I.E.: BIOS, device drivers, Power Management, and APM) and provided a few suggestions. In part 2 of the article, Infopackets Reader Kathie T. provided me with a Microsoft download which could fix shutdown problems for Windows 98 Second Edition (SE).

Was there a better solution?

A few days ago, Infopackets Reader Alec H. notified me of a program that can gracefully 'force' windows to shut down -- no matter which version of Windows is running on your PC. Alec writes:

" First of all many thanks for your superb articles! For some time, I have been using a freeware program called Karen's Showstopper, [which is able to 'forcefully' shut down a Windows PC] ...

Showstopper works on Windows 95 / 98 / ME / NT/ 2000 and XP ... Showstopper will hibernate, standby, shut down with power on, shut down with power off, and force shutdown (without having to close your own programs first).

Personally, I haven't had a glitch yet (I use Windows XP, and my partner uses ME) ... My Partner's computer in particular was very awkward to shut off, but [Showstopper] seems to do the trick. There is also a very informative article [on Karen's site] which explains how and why [Shutdown does / doesn't work for some folks, and it's written] in easy to understand terms. "

http://www.karenware.com/newsletters/2003/2003-01-28.asp

http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptstopper.asp

http://www.karenware.com/compatibility.asp

Thanks Alec for a great find!