HP Split 13-m121sa X2 does not power off after shutdown

[DJTerrum]

I will quickly start by saying I am very tech-savy when it comes to computers so I do not need any answers dumbed down or lacking detail - so go as technical as you wish on me! 🙂

I have a HP Split 13-m121sa x2 with Windows 8.1, however there seems to be an issue with it where I simply attempt to shut it down, it does not power off.

So it logs off Windows and performs the shutdown as normal to a black screen, but I can still hear the fan whirring inside the screen. I have to hold down the power button in order to get it to turn off.

I tried disabling 'USB selective suspend setting' in the advanced power options on the according plan and this did not solve it. I can confirm that the issue still persists when trying to shutdown the laptop with the screen undocked from the keyboard. I can also confirm that putting the device onto sleep mode instead of shutdown works as normal (fan turns off etc as expected).

I can however perform a full shutdown (not a hybrid shutdown) and it WILL turn off and power off as normal, but obviously the laptop not being able to perform a hybrid shutdown is concerning and would like it fixed.

I suspect it is a hardware fault but this is the 2nd time I would have to return a laptop if I can't fix it myself, so I really would hope I can fix it with a simple BIOS update or something. Hope someone can help! Many thanks.

[MechPilot]

Hello @DJTerrum,

I have read your post on how your notebook computer is not able to power off normally, and I would be happy to assist you in this matter!

According to wes_notebooks, an expert on the forums, "Windows 8 does not perform a full shutdown by default.  It uses a hybrid shut down to increase boot time." I recommend following the steps below to remove the option of a hybrid "shut down" mode:

1. Right click on the desktop

2. Select New

3. Select Shortcut

4. Type in:

• Shutdown.exe /s /hybrid /t 0   (If you want this to be a full shutdown, don’t type “/hybrid”)

5. Click Next

6. Type Shutdown in the Name box

7. And click Finish.

8. On the desktop, Right click the shortcut

9. Select Properties

10. Select Change Icon, click OK on the error message.

11. Select the Power icon from the list and click Ok.

12. Right click the shortcut and select Pin To Start.

reference: http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-and-Software/windows-8-not-shut-down/m-p/197...

Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!

Regards 🙂

[DJTerrum]

Hi, if you read my post you probably would have seen that I had already disabled hybrid shutdown, which performs exactly the same way as this. What I want is a fix to allow hybrid shutdown as it was working on previous HP Split x2 laptops I had owned.

[MechPilot]

Hi again DJTerrum,

Thank you for the clarification!

Since you are looking to shut down your system in hybrid mode, I recommend following the steps below to view any services that are blocking a sleep or shut down request:

Step 1. Click the Start button
Step 2. In the search box, type "Command Prompt"
Step 3. Right-click Command Prompt

Step 4. Click Run as administrator
Step 5. At the command prompt, type powercfg.exe /energy and press Enter 

Once the service is identified, disabling this application should enable your computer to shut down in hybrid mode.

reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1961359/computer-windows-shut.html

If you are still not able to power down your notebook completely in hybrid mode, I recommend restoring the default schemes of your system's power plan:

Step 1. Click the Start button
Step 2. In the search box, type "Command Prompt"
Step 3. Right-click Command Prompt

Step 4. Click Run as administrator
Step 5. At the command prompt, type powercfg /restoredefaultschemes  and press Enter 

reference: http://superuser.com/questions/669571/windows-8-1-64-bit-power-schemes-gone

Should the computer still hang when shutting down, I recommend returning your system back to a previous restore point when your computer was able to power off successfully in hybrid mode. This can be done by following the steps in this document on Using Microsoft System Restore (Windows 😎.

If the same issue occurs, I recommend performing a backup and recovery of your computer's operating system. This can be done by following the steps in this document on Backing Up Your Files (Windows 😎, as well as Performing an HP system recovery (Windows 😎. This should help return your system back to factory defaults.

If the issue persists, please call our technical support at 800-474-6836. If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region.

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-phone-assist.html

I hope this helps!

Regards

[DJTerrum]

Hi, thank you for that information. I tried the 'powercfg.exe /energy' feature you described and the generated file didn't seem to show any obvious services that were stopping it shutting down. I can provide the file here if need be.

System restore didn't fix, so I'm willing to try a full factory restore and remove all data. However in the process of doing this, it asks me to insert media to perform the factory restore, even though there is a recovery partition. Is there a way to fix this or an ISO I can use to 'burn' onto a USB drive as the necessary media? Thank you

[MechPilot]

Hi again DJTerrum,

It is good to hear from you again!

If you are going to use the RECOVERY partition to recover your system back to factory defaults, you can follow this resource on using F11 to recover from the partition.

Alternatively, you can use a CD or USB drive to recover your system by following this document on Creating a Recovery Image on Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive (Windows 😎.

Please re-post with the results of your troubleshooting, and I look forward to your reply!

Regards