OS Problem?

[rustico]

I have T42 2379DXU that I purchased in January of this year. I am running Windows XP Professional SP2. This laptop has performed flawlessly up until several days ago. For some reason it is now taking forever and ever to log off and shut down. I am getting, for example, "End Program SMax4PNP" messages, followed by "This Program not Responding" messages, when I try to log off. If I get past these messages then sometimes the screen will freeze. I am forced at times to cut the power completely in order to shut the laptop down.
Is this a serious enough problem that I should take it to someone to fix or is it possible to correct this on my own with some help? I just do not know where to start or where to look.
Thanks.

[GomJabbar]

I had this problem twice in the past on a 600E with Windows 2000. After doing a windows update, the problem occurred. If I uninstalled the update using Add or Remove Programs, the problem went away. If I reinstalled the update, the problem came back. Eventually Microsoft release a service pack that covered the update, but didn't have the problem.

The problem stems from a registry hive not unloading. You can check the file userenv.log in the C:\Windows\Debug\UserMode directory. Open the file in Notepad to view. If this file doesn't exist, then that is not the problem.

If you have installed any Windows Updates, updates to any other software, or installed any new programs in the last few days, they would be the suspects. Try uninstalling the updates or software, if possible, and your problem may go away.

You can also download and install UPHClean from microsoft.com. This will unload the files that will not release themselves from memory on their own, and allow a faster shutdown.

[cruzlite]

Thanks to GomJabbar...

I have been concerned about 'losing unsaved information' due to my power settings forcing a shutdown @ 5% battery charge...
(In my case Norton 'ccApp' is 'lingering..)

This looks like the solution!

EDIT: No change in shutdown time on my machine....(30 secs +)....
(I am not on a network....

[leoblob]

You can also download and install UPHClean from microsoft.com. This will unload the files that will not release themselves from memory on their own, and allow a faster shutdown.

What a GREAT tip! My WIN2K takes (took) forever to shut down, and I assumed that was just the way it is. I downloaded the program found in your link, and what a difference... instead of about a minute to shut down, it's less than 5 seconds. Thanks!