You may have come across the following error message:

“The system is shutting down. Please save all work in progress and log off. Any unsaved changes will be lost. This shutdown was initiated by NT Authority\System

Time before shutdown: 59,58,57,….

Windows must now restart because the RPC service terminated unexpectedly.”

Unfortunately, this is a sign that there is a virus or a bug in the system file. There has been an access violation in svchost.exe, which caused the error message to appear.

To fix this, install the latest service pack (Start, All Programs, Windows Update) and see this Microsoft support page. There is a hotfix at the top of the Microsoft article that you can install. This should take care of the problem. You should also scan your hard drive for virus and spyware threats and remove them if you find any.

This is an old and familiar problem that has been solved since the introduction of service packs and other Windows updates; But it can still appear, especially if you have to reinstall your Windows system.

The solution applies to Windows 2000 and Windows XP professional.