Windows unexpected Shutdown?

I get this message just about everytime I turn on my Dell Inpsiron 1721:

Windows has recovered from an unexpected shutdown.

I log off of my computer and then shut it down. Am I doing something wrong? This is my first laptop and I'm not sure what to do. I've noticed if I close the lid before it has completely powered down that I get an error too.

 

Let it shutdown completely and then close the lid. Closing the lid typically triggers either sleep or hibernate modes which results in the improper shutdown.

 

I do believe that it has shutdown completely, but I still get that error. I have had an error before by closing the lid while it hadn't shutdown completely, but now it seems I get that error even when I do wait until every light is off on the computer. I wait a couple minutes usually and still get that error.

 

Do you shut down by holding the off button or pressing the turn off computer button in Windows?

EDIT: Are you using XP or Vista?

 

When did this start happening?

 

Mattireland, I hit the SHUT OFF button, I don't push the power button down unless the computer freezes for some reason. I am using Vista.

Kegobeer, I got this computer at the end of October and it started happening right away I believe. I just thought I was doing something wrong everytime. If I don't log off and then shut down I get the error everytime. If I log off and then shut it down it happens often but not everytime.

 

try and see if u can remove some unneeded startup processes (recommending cCleaner for this) and turning off ur disk indexing. Something must hang the shutdown process or wrongly self terminating while windows tried to shutdown

cheers ...

 

Your laptop is still under warranty. I'd contact Dell and ask for assistance.

 

You are not using ZoneAlarm, are you?
Only asking because that software seemed to have caused a lot of people that problem.

 

Thank you for your replies.

I don't think I'm using ZoneAlarm, I'll have to look into that. My husband set up the computer, I am pretty new to the whole computer world and don't understand a lot of it. ha

I can contact Dell, just really don't want to as we spent over 10 hours on the phone with them trying to get this computer to go wireless. All we needed was a different router but they didn't tell us that. We had to wipe out the computer and start all over. ughhh pain!

 

A different router? I've never heard of a computer shutting down due to a router. What router did you have, and what was wrong with it?

 

lol no, she was talking about another problem she had and why she wants to avoid calling Dell.

Here, I knew I had run into this kind of problem before:
http://www.codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=126022
Read the last 3 posts on that thread, the problem was fixed by letting Windows scan the hard drive at least once right after starting it up. I don't know if it's going to prompt you to do the scan, or if it will do it by itself.

If nothing that looks like a scan happens, do the following:
Open Windows Explorer(press and hold the Windows key on the keyboard, and press E)
Right click the 'OS(C ' drive, and click properties.
Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check Now
A small window will pop up, just click start

Hope it works