Speed up shutting down your PC! When you choose to shut down from the Start menu, Windows attempts to close any open programs and windows. Although this usually works well, a stubborn program or error condition may leave Windows hanging for a full minute before shutting down (or restarting).

By changing four Registry keys, you can speed the process up significantly. After you open Regedit:

Step 1: Change
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP\WaitToKillAppTimeout
from 20000 to 1000;

Step 2: Change
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP\HungAppTimeout
from 5000 to 1000;

Step 3: Change
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CURRENTCONTROLSET\CONTROL\WaitToKillServiceTimeout
from 20000 to 1000;

Step 4: Change
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP\WaitToKillAppTimeout
from 20000 to 1000.

I have experimented this on my system and works well.