Mystery app preventing Windows 10 shutdown after update.

did you do this first:

Open Command prompt as administrator then stop the fallowing windows services ( windows update and BITS ) using command below.

net stop wuauserv

net stop bits

THEN DELETE THE FILES

AND THEN:

net start wuauserv

net start bits

What you are describing is exactly what was happening to me.  It turns out it was an update that didn't complete and by deleting the contents in the Software Distribution folder did the trick.

Thanks for the help, and confirming it was the same symptoms, Craig. I copied the Software Distribution folder onto the desktop, then deleted the contents of the original. I then went through the re-installation process, and that went OK. I rebooted and was looking forward to the computer shutting down OK, but sadly, the app message is still there when shutting down. I have just had a message that a Dell update is available, so I will get back if that has made any difference. but I can't see that helping.

Atkinra:  What you are describing is exactly what was happening to me.  It turns out it was an update that didn't complete and by deleting the contents in the Software Distribution folder did the trick.

Thanks for the replies Atkinra and Craig53, but the problems that you are describing as fixed are not the same problems that I, and others seem to be experiencing. Perhaps, the original title, ’Mystery app preventing Windows 10 shutdown after update’ may be a bit misleading, as I am not sure if my problem started after an update, so perhaps we should forget the bit about ‘after update’ and just concentrate on:-

Mystery app preventing Windows 10 shutdown.

When I go to shut the computer down, it says it is shutting down, and a message appears saying, ‘Closing 1 app and shutting down’, with a message below stating ‘This app is preventing shutdown’. It doesn’t give any indication of what app is preventing shutdown, and no apps appear to be running when checked.

If left alone for a few seconds, the computer does shut down by itself, but it does this every time at shutdown, when it clearly should not.

There is another message that appears saying, ‘To go back to your work, click Cancel, and finish what you need to’, but there is no work to finish, no apps are open.. If I click on ‘Cancel’, during the shutdown process, and just restart the shutdown process again, the computer shuts down properly, this time without any apps warning.

The problem, (for me), is not stopping the computer fully shutting down, but the warning message that comes up every time on shutdown is infuriating, as it shouldn’t be there.

Hi

Just to say that I cured the problem on my pc... I physically removed my wireless network card and hey presto all updates including the big ones updated very smoothly and quickly. I replaced the card and suddenly problems updating returned.  I didn't need the wireless card as i had a wired connection available and so have left it out. Unfortunately the card is unbranded and so I can't help with make and model, just that it was in an Acer desktop.

Hope this helps

Bob