As you install programs on your computer, it slows down - we all know that. However, what you may not know is that the programs install what we call services. Windows is “kind” enough to patiently wait for these services to stop when you shut down your computer. It really doesn’t pay off to wait, so lets shorten the courtesy period.
Click the start button and type regedit in the search bar.
Hit the enter key.
You will see a screen like the one below. Find your way to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control in the left menu.
In the right window you will see a key called WaitToKillServiceTimeout, with a default value of 20000 (20 seconds.)
Right click on the key and select Modify…
Change the value from 20000 to 5000
This can potentially reduce your shut down time by 15 seconds.
Please note: I do not advise setting this value to less than five seconds.
Further Reading:
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good info, thanks