Windows7 claims that it did not shutdown properly, but it DID!

[Fynn]

Sometimes when I turn on my computer, it will tell me that Windows7 did not shut down properly. Since it's a laptop, I ALWAYS watch it to make sure it shuts down completely. Then it will run diagnostics (which takes forever!) and once it's finished starting up, some of my programs won't open.

Is this a software problem or a virus?

I have the most current Norton Antivirus. Is there something it's missing?

 

[TrainableMan]

Most likely a registry problem. You could first try is a system repair from the W7 DVD or repair disk (or system repair partition if it's a laptop that came with one).

If it is a registry problem then there is a small chance it is limited to your userid. To test that create another user account and then log on to that ID and see if you still have the problems running programs and the "not shut down properly" issues. If not, then copy your data over to the new ID and delete the old one.

But most likely it is in the computer portion of the registry and you will need to back up all your data and then format and reinstall W7, restore your data, and reinstall all your programs. Windows Easy Transfer is built-in to W7 and can help with backing up your UserID settings and data to an external drive for the back-up and then for the restore.

 

[Kougar]

In addition to what Trainable Man has suggested, I would recommend that you verify the system OS files are intact.

To run a disk check, follow these steps for your C: drive and don't worry about recovering bad sectors. Link

Only after the disk check, then follow this guide to verify all the Windows files are intact and not damaged.

Doing both will take maybe 20 minutes at most and will quickly rule out a slew of causes. They're usually good to do every so often just to check and prevent future problems from occurring anyway.