diff --git a/internal/endpoint/kafka.go b/internal/endpoint/kafka.go
index d0a04f6a..d84e0f72 100644
--- a/internal/endpoint/kafka.go
+++ b/internal/endpoint/kafka.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ type KafkaConn struct {
 	mu   sync.Mutex
 	ep   Endpoint
 	conn sarama.SyncProducer
+	cfg  *sarama.Config
 	ex   bool
 	t    time.Time
 }
@@ -47,6 +48,8 @@ func (conn *KafkaConn) close() {
 	if conn.conn != nil {
 		conn.conn.Close()
 		conn.conn = nil
+		conn.cfg.MetricRegistry.UnregisterAll()
+		conn.cfg = nil
 	}
 }
 
@@ -72,6 +75,7 @@ func (conn *KafkaConn) Send(msg string) error {
 			log.Debugf("building kafka tls config")
 			tlsConfig, err := newKafkaTLSConfig(conn.ep.Kafka.CertFile, conn.ep.Kafka.KeyFile, conn.ep.Kafka.CACertFile)
 			if err != nil {
+				cfg.MetricRegistry.UnregisterAll()
 				return err
 			}
 			cfg.Net.TLS.Enable = true
@@ -103,10 +107,12 @@ func (conn *KafkaConn) Send(msg string) error {
 
 		c, err := sarama.NewSyncProducer([]string{uri}, cfg)
 		if err != nil {
+			cfg.MetricRegistry.UnregisterAll()
 			return err
 		}
 
 		conn.conn = c
+		conn.cfg = cfg
 	}
 
 	// parse json again to get out info for our kafka key
diff --git a/internal/server/aof.go b/internal/server/aof.go
index c8ed7b6c..73cdfcf3 100644
--- a/internal/server/aof.go
+++ b/internal/server/aof.go
@@ -483,8 +483,16 @@ func (s *Server) cmdAOF(msg *Message) (res resp.Value, err error) {
 }
 
 func (s *Server) liveAOF(pos int64, conn net.Conn, rd *PipelineReader, msg *Message) error {
+	s.mu.RLock()
+	f, err := os.Open(s.aof.Name())
+	s.mu.RUnlock()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
 	s.mu.Lock()
-	s.aofconnM[conn] = true
+	s.aofconnM[conn] = f
 	s.mu.Unlock()
 	defer func() {
 		s.mu.Lock()
@@ -497,13 +505,6 @@ func (s *Server) liveAOF(pos int64, conn net.Conn, rd *PipelineReader, msg *Mess
 		return err
 	}
 
-	s.mu.RLock()
-	f, err := os.Open(s.aof.Name())
-	s.mu.RUnlock()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	defer f.Close()
 	if _, err := f.Seek(pos, 0); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -552,11 +553,13 @@ func (s *Server) liveAOF(pos int64, conn net.Conn, rd *PipelineReader, msg *Mess
 			// The reader needs to be OK with the eof not
 			for {
 				n, err := f.Read(b)
-				if err != io.EOF && n > 0 {
-					if err != nil {
+				if n > 0 {
+					if _, err := conn.Write(b[:n]); err != nil {
 						return err
 					}
-					if _, err := conn.Write(b[:n]); err != nil {
+				}
+				if err != io.EOF {
+					if err != nil {
 						return err
 					}
 					continue
diff --git a/internal/server/aofshrink.go b/internal/server/aofshrink.go
index be01af89..7aa7b331 100644
--- a/internal/server/aofshrink.go
+++ b/internal/server/aofshrink.go
@@ -237,6 +237,18 @@ func (server *Server) aofshrink() {
 			server.mu.Lock()
 			defer server.mu.Unlock()
 
+			// kill all followers connections and close their files. This
+			// ensures that there is only one opened AOF at a time which is
+			// what Windows requires in order to perform the Rename function
+			// below.
+			for conn, f := range server.aofconnM {
+				conn.Close()
+				f.Close()
+			}
+
+			// send a broadcast to all sleeping followers
+			server.fcond.Broadcast()
+
 			// flush the aof buffer
 			server.flushAOF(false)
 
@@ -291,10 +303,6 @@ func (server *Server) aofshrink() {
 
 			os.Remove(core.AppendFileName + "-bak") // ignore error
 
-			// kill all followers connections
-			for conn := range server.aofconnM {
-				conn.Close()
-			}
 			return nil
 		}()
 	}()
diff --git a/internal/server/server.go b/internal/server/server.go
index a9b72498..2f531d78 100644
--- a/internal/server/server.go
+++ b/internal/server/server.go
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ type Server struct {
 	hookCross  rtree.RTree      // hook spatial tree for "cross" geofences
 	hookTree   rtree.RTree      // hook spatial tree for all
 	hooksOut   map[string]*Hook // hooks with "outside" detection
-	aofconnM   map[net.Conn]bool
+	aofconnM   map[net.Conn]io.Closer
 	luascripts *lScriptMap
 	luapool    *lStatePool
 
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ func Serve(host string, port int, dir string, http bool, metricsAddr string) err
 		lcond:    sync.NewCond(&sync.Mutex{}),
 		hooks:    make(map[string]*Hook),
 		hooksOut: make(map[string]*Hook),
-		aofconnM: make(map[net.Conn]bool),
+		aofconnM: make(map[net.Conn]io.Closer),
 		expires:  rhh.New(0),
 		started:  time.Now(),
 		conns:    make(map[int]*Client),