Cancel Windows Shutdown?

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

It is probably a stupid question, but does anybody know if Windows Shutdown can be cancelled?

(Why would somebody want to cancel a shutdown s/he has just requested? I use an old backup software [PowerQuest DataKeeper]. It sometimes suddenly decides that it needs to back up some files. Fine. Today I needed to do a reboot, but DataKeeper has decided that it needs to back up 2,000,000 files before it can let the shutdown proceed. That takes a few hours to compress and back up all these files! So, in this situation I really wanted to be able to cancel the shutdown, let DataKeeper do its job in the background, and let me do some work in the foreground. But no, since I didn't know how to cancel the shutdown, I had to sit in front of the PC, watching the countdown from 2,000,000 to 0, and reading Saturday's, Sunday's, and today's newspapers.)

[CurlyWhirly]

Not a stupid question at all as I have often wondered this come to think of it!

Sometimes I select shutdown and then realise that I didn't want to shut the PC down just yet as I just remembered that I had to do something like for example go online again to check my online bank account.

Once the PC is shutdown, I have to restart the PC or wait until I switch it on again.

Sorry I can't help but I would be interested in the answer to your question :rolleyes:

[r4may]

Just a Thought

If shut down is waiting for processes to complete before atually shutting down, I guess you could try Crtl-Alt-Del and stop the shutdown process from the windows Task manager.

However I have never tried this so don't know if it works

Edit add a bit

[Guest be@vis]

Is this the sort of thing you mean ?

http://code.dreamincode.net/snippet98.htm

[-pops-]

Having experienced Windows throwing a fit when its startup is messed around with, I'd be very scared of interfering with the shudown.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Is this the sort of thing you mean ?

http://code.dreamincode.net/snippet98.htm

No, that is just one more confirmation.

Having experienced Windows throwing a fit when its startup is messed around with, I'd be very scared of interfering with the shudown.

You are probably quite right; not to mention that most services are also shutting down one by one, after which not much work can be done anyway.

So it was a stupid question after all. But at least I know now that I'm not alone...

[scuzzman]

If you still have access to the "Run" dialog, simply enter:

shutdown -a

there to abort a shutdown.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Aha - I will try that next time. Thanks!

[AlanHo]

Would it not be safer to abort your back-up programme - let the computer shut down normally - re-boot and get on with things.

You can take a back-up when you are then quite sure you are finished.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

It's a dynamic backup; DataKeeper detects when files have been changed, then backs up the new version (leaving a number that I've specified of older versions in the archive). If I interrupt it, then it will foget about the newly changed files.

On the other hand I don't believe that I've changed 2,000,000 files just before shutting down...

Maybe it's time for a new backup program. DataKeeper is no longer supported, as PowerQuest has been gobbled up by Symantec.

[-pops-]

I think Powerquest gave up on Datakeeper a long time before Symantec became involved.

There were loads of problems with it and I understand that with the widespread development, and almost universal use, of the NT engine by Microsoft (as in XP), the additional problems created in making the program fully compatible wasn't considered worth the additional effort, considering the program wasn't very well thought of anyway.

[AlanHo]

I use a programme called second copy - I have set it to carry out a back up of changed files at computer close down. It is easy to set up and has served me well for 3 years.

See here