Methods below require changes in your registry so better back up your registry by creating a restore point before implementing the methods show below.

To open registry in Vista press the Windows key, type regedit, and press Enter; in XP, click Start > Run, type regedit, and press Enter

Method 1:

In the left pane of the registry window navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER / Control Panel / desktop (or Desktop). Now in the right pane find the key WaitToKillAppTimeout and change its value to 2000 (this is milliseconds) if you are actually in a hurry or else something higher if you want them to take some time before they are dead.

Here you can let the system wait a little before the hung application is killed. Search for the key HungAppTimeout in the same right pane and change its value to 2000 (or whatever time in milliseconds you want the application to take before it is killed).

Making these changes in HKEY_USERS / .DEFAULT / Control Panel / Desktop path will add the changes to every users profile and not just yours.

Method 2:

In same registry path shown above in right pane check the key AutoEndTasks and change the value to 1. Now go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control and change the value of key WaitToKillServiceTimeout to 1000 and click ok.

Your system should show some improvements in shutdown speed.