As of January 14, Windows 7 no longer receives support and security updates. Therefore, any issues discovered in the system will not receive an official fix from Microsoft. However, users have encountered two different issues in Windows 7 after the end of support, one of which makes it impossible to shut down the computer! The other leads to the desktop background turning black when using the Stretch mode for the background. Microsoft has already sent out a new update to address this issue as it was caused by a previous update from the company. So, if you are still using Windows 7, you may face a problem when shutting down the device using the “Shutdown” option, where a message “You don’t have permission to shut down this computer” as shown in the image below.
Since Microsoft no longer sends any updates to Windows 7 computers, this specific “strange” issue will remain in the system without any official fix at all. However, fortunately, there are two different methods to solve this problem, one can only be used on Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise editions. The other works on all versions of Windows 7 without exception. So, let’s review the steps starting from the following lines.
The first method only works on Windows 7 devices that have the Group Policy Editor tool, which works in Professional and Ultimate and Enterprise editions. So, the first step is to run this tool by clicking Win + R together on the keyboard, then typing the command “gpedit.msc” in the Run window and pressing Enter.
After opening the Group Policy Editor window, follow the path:
Computer Settings > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
Then look for the setting called: User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin approval where you double-click on it to change the mode and turn it to Enabled instead of Disabled.
Now you need to update the settings embedded in the Group Policy Editor tool so that the change we made is applied. To do this, press Win + R again to open the Run window but this time type the command “gpupdate / force” and press Enter to open the CMD window… Wait a few seconds until the message “User Policy update has completed successfully” appears and then close the window and try shutting down the computer by typing the command “shutdown” in the Run window or through the Shutdown option in the Start menu.
As for the second method of solving the problem, it is considered easier as the required steps are fewer, and it works on any version of Windows 7 without exception. All you need to do initially is to run the “Registry Editor” tool by pressing Win + R and typing the command “regedit” in the Run window. After launching the tool, follow the path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
When you reach the System folder and select it, go to the right side and double-click on the value named “EnableLUA” to change the value to 1 instead of 0. You can then click OK and close the window and try shutting down the computer again.
Since Windows 7 has already become an obsolete operating system like Windows XP, it is only a matter of time before more of these complex issues are discovered, so you should consider transitioning to a newer version of Windows or any other supported system as soon as possible. Here you can refer back to our previous article on the best available alternatives.
Microsoft recommends upgrading to Windows 10, but Windows 8.1 still receives security updates and support until 2023. So, if Windows 10 is not a suitable option for you and you do not want to deal with another operating system, Windows 8.1 may be a more optimal choice for another two years at least.
In the meantime, if you are sticking with Windows 7, keep in mind that in addition to these system functionality-disabling issues, you can also expect security issues that leave your data vulnerable to attacks and security threats. In this case, you can refer to the article on how to use Windows 7 after January 2020 without being exposed to hacking.
