Information
This article will show you how to set the Wait to Kill time Windows 7 waits for programs to save data and close before shutting down. This process can be performed on Windows Xp and Vista as well.
Warning
You should always save and close all programs before shutting down the computer to help prevent any data loss.
Through the Registry
1. Open the Start Menu.
2. In the search box, type regedit and press Enter. (See screen shot below)
3. In regedit, go to: (See screen shot below)
Code:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
4. In the right pane, right click on WaitToKillServiceTimeout and click on Modify. (See screenshot above)
5. Type in a number between 2000-20000 (2-20 seconds) and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE:
The default time is 12000. I use 2000 (2 seconds) and have not had any problems. Your experience may vary depending on Xp or vista.
6. Close regedit.
NOTE:
If you have problems with programs shutting down too quickly, then repeat the above steps and increase the time (step 5) a bit and as i mentioned this trick works on Windows Xp as well.
