Fix: Toshiba Flash Cards Preventing Shutdown in Windows

This problem appears when either restarting or shutting down your Toshiba laptop or PC. The error message says that Toshiba Flash Cards are preventing the shut down. They can be forced to terminate by clicking the Shut down anyway button but this can be problematic and annoying since your PC won’t shut down if you forget to click this button.

There are a few useful methods you can use in order to resolve this problem which have worked for other Toshiba users. Simply follow the instructions we have prepared in this article and the problem should be gone in no time!

What Causes the Toshiba Flash Cards to Prevent Windows 10 from Shutting Down?

There are a few distinct causes for the problem:

Solution 1: Disable the Toshiba Function Key Main Module from Starting Up

The whole concept of flash cards consists of assigning hotkeys which can be executed by clicking the Fn key and some other key at the same time. This can be useful but it’s sometimes also not fully compatible with your operating system. It can directly cause the problem in the article and we can suggest this method as it will almost certainly work.

Note that this will prevent you from being able to use flash cards but it shouldn’t be a problem if you never used them before.

1. Open Startup either by navigating to the Startup tab in System Configuration and clicking on the “Open Task Manager” option or by simply opening the Task Manager by using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination.

2. Make sure you navigate to the Startup tab in Task Manager either way.
3. Locate the Toshiba Function Key Main Module entry under the list of programs being launched at startup and click the Disable button located in the bottom right corner.

4. Apply these changes and restart your computer.
5. If the error messages stop appearing after you restart your computer, it was the real cause of the problem. If it doesn’t resolve the problem, you can re-enable the module if you wish to use it.

Solution 2: Uninstall the Software

There are users who have reported that they don’t have the Toshiba Function Key Main Module option is the Startup tab of Task Manager yet they still receive the same error code. There are other users who have followed the instructions from solution one yet they still failed to resolve the problem.

The next step is to simply uninstall the Toshiba Function Key software completely which should definitely resolve the problem but it will also prevent you from using flash cards until you reinstall it.

1. Click on the Start menu and open Control Panel by searching for it. Simply type with the Start menu window open. Alternatively, you can click the gear icon in the lower left section of the Start menu in order to open the Settings app if you are using Windows 10.
2. In Control Panel, select the View as: Category option at the top right corner of the Control Panel and click on Uninstall a Program under the Programs section.

3. If you are using the Settings app, clicking on Apps should immediately open a list of all installed programs on your PC so wait for a while in order for it to load
4. Locate Toshiba Function Key in Control Panel or Settings and click on the Uninstall button located in the window. Follow any instructions which appear afterwards in order to uninstall it completely.

Solution 3: Install the Newest Version of the Software

With constant new updates being released via new drivers and new changes to your Windows operating system, it’s quite possible that the new versions simply don’t cooperate well with your Flash Cards module and you might want to consider updating the module in order to avoid further problem. Do so by following the steps below! This method is great as you won’t lose the function key functionality.

Note: Before starting this method, it’s recommended you firstly uninstall the previous version of the software before downloading and installing the new version. Do so by following the steps from Solution 2!

1. Visit this link using any of your favorite browser and enter the model or the serial number of your computer or your laptop. If you are unsure how to find it, you can find a helpful link just below the bar where you need to enter the information.

2. After selecting the correct serial number, you will also have to select your operating system before a list of available downloads for your setup appears.
3. Keep the Applications filter checked in the Filter By screen and scroll down until you see the Toshiba Function Key entry. Click on its name and click the DOWNLOAD button which will appear afterwards.

4. Run the file you just downloaded and follow the instructions which will appear on-screen in order to install it properly. Restart your computer and check to see if the same problem appears during shutdown.

Solution 4: A Registry Fix

The final method is more of a universal one as it will allow you to resolve these problems with almost every other app which may report the same error. When Windows is about to shut down, it sends a signal to running apps to save their progress and exit but it’s not that necessary if you always close them manually first. This method can actually skip this part and them without waiting.

1. Since you are going to delete a registry key, we recommend you check out this article we have published for you to safely backup your registry to prevent other problems. Still, nothing wrong will occur if you follow the steps carefully and correctly.
2. Open the Registry Editor window by typing “regedit” in either the search bar, the Start menu, or the Run dialog box which can be accessed with the Windows Key + R key combination. Navigate to the following key in your registry by navigating at the left pane:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

3. Click on this key and try to locate an entry named AutoEndTasks. If you fail to find it, create a new String Value entry called AutoEndTasks by right-clicking at the right side of the window and choosing New >> String Value. Right-click on it, and choose the Modify option from the context menu.

4. In the Edit window, under the Value data section change the value to 1 and apply the changes you have made. Confirm any security dialogs which may appear during this process.
5. You can now manually restart your computer by clicking Start menu >> Power button >> Restart and check to see if the problem is gone. This will effectively automatically and hanging tasks without requiring you to press the Shut down anyway button!