Can't restart. Re-start circle(?) just goes round and round endlessly

The only way for me to do a re-start is by pressing the re-start button on my PC or do a Shutdown. This used to work but it stopped working about a couple of months ago. I have no idea if it is because of a Windows upgrade or some other upgrade (which I don't track).

Incidentally, does Windows have an automatic logging of some sort which tracks what software installed in a PC has been upgraded recently? Thank you.

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Edition Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H2
OS build 19044.2846
Motherboard Gigabyte Z370 with i7-8700k, nVidia PNY GTX 1070-ti
32GB RAM and almost 1 TB of free space in an NVMe system drive
Startup programs: PIA VPN, Snag-it (Screen cap), Plex Media Server, Steam, Brother printer driver, Microsoft OneDrive

There's the Event Viewer
(Windows Logs -> Application & System)

You're gonna find so much stuff in there though.


And regarding the Restart problem, open a Command Prompt as an admin, and paste this:
sfc /scannow
Press Enter.

Refer to:
Run SFC Command in Windows 10
for more info

Wait for finish, and try restart...

Done. No difference. No change. I still cannot do a re-start.

You can check out the Event Viewer for this too. Maybe it logs something down.

Get another portable device that tells time, with seconds, and restart the computer. Keep track of the time you do the shut down, give it a few seconds... 10 seconds... then press the reset button on your computer. Once the computer starts up, look in the two sections that I mentioned in my previous post, and maybe it has a log of what's lagging the restart.

It's just an idea; I just came by to help/

I cleared the event log, did a re-start, waited 3 minutes while the re-start ball kept circling round and round, gave up after 3 minutes, pressed the re-start button, booted up to Windows, and checked the event log. The Error you see is Windows complaining that I rebooted the machine without properly shutting down.

See below:

Comments welcome...
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Details of Warning #140:
The system failed to flush data to the transaction log. Corruption may occur in VolumeId: K:, DeviceName: \Device\HarddiskVolume18.

Failure status: A device which does not exist was specified.

Device GUID: {fb502be2-e221-11ed-929b-e0d55e84b8cd}
Device manufacturer: Seagate
Device model: Backup+ Hub BK
Device revision: D781
Device serial number: NA9QYLG8
Bus type: USB

Adapter serial number:

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Oh! It's possible your computer is trying to create a PageFile. I've had a small bug with that in the past, where my restart took forever. Let's disable the PageFile temporarily, if it's enabled.

Right click Start -> System
On the right, scroll down to: Advanced system settings
In the Performance location, press Settings...
Press Advanced tab
Press Change... button

Do similar, and for every drive. Uncheck top checkbox, select: No paging file, AND press the Set button.
Do this for all your drives.

Press OKs and stuff. Then look at your computer, and wait till you see the busy light turn off, (if it's on).
Then try the restart.

More of a tutorial with more pictures:
How To Manage Virtual Memory (Pagefile) In Windows 10 | Tom's Hardware.

I disabled and deleted paging. No effect. The problem still exists.

I took an additional step.

I disabled and deleted hibernation. Whereas shutdown worked previously, now it's behaving like the re-start issue. It just hangs.

From the frying pan to the fire. Blaming myself.

Try doing a System Restore to go back to where you didn't have the additional problem.

But also, afterwards, go to Folder Options, at the top, press the View tab

1) Select that
2) Uncheck that
Press OK

And open C:\

This is my C:\ drive:


Do you see any huge file at the bottom?

EDIT: In Folder Options, also uncheck: Hide protected operating system files

I've actually done those suggestions already. Thank you.

For some reason my restore points have disappeared. I had them on C:\

The Windows Explorer suggestions is my default preference. I've always done it done way. I've always exposed system files and file types.

I've also deleted all large files on the root of the system drive.

I see. Okay that's good practice to see every single file that's located on your drive, hidden or not. Good practice.

So I did more research online, and some sites suggest to turn on the paging file. Check out this tutorial, and enable the paging file. It 'could' ... 'hopefully' fix the Restart problem?
How to Solve — An error was detected on device \Device\Harddisk2\DR2 during a paging operation | MOBITEK System Corporate Blog