Shutting down a computer that appears unresponsive

Sometimes Microsoft Windows will do something crazy and you can no longer get the Start > Shutdown process to work.  Most will push and hold the power button until the system halts, then restart.  There may be two other things you can do:

  1. Use the shutdown.exe command: This utility will send a remote (or local) shutdown command to a system. Entering shutdown /r /m \\servername /f /t 10 will send a remote reboot to a system. Shutdown.exe is current on all modern Windows systems; in older versions, it was located on the Resource Kit. For more details, read this Microsoft KB article on the shutdown.exe command.
  2. Use PowerShell Restart-Computer: The equivalent of the command above in PowerShell is:
    Start-Sleep 10
    Restart-Computer -Force -ComputerName SERVERNAME

Hope this is helpful.


Comments are welcomed below from registered users.  You can also leave comments at our Discord server

If you would like to see more content and articles like this, please support us by clicking the patron link where you will receive free bonus access to courses and more, or simply buying us a cup of coffee!

Leave a Comment

Contact Us Here


Please verify.
Validation complete :)
Validation failed :(
 
Your contact request has been received. We usually respond within an hour, but please be patient. We will get back to you very soon.
Scroll to Top