Quick Ways to Shut Down Windows

What method do you use to shutdown your windows PC ?  The normal procedure for shutting down Windows goes through the Start button and involves several steps. The exact number varies, depending on the version of Windows, but there are enough steps that I am frequently asked if there isn't a quicker way. This tip will describe several shortcuts. This will be very useful and save your time.

Create a shutdown shortcut

Here is how to construct a shortcut that directly shuts down the system. The shortcut makes use of a Windows system file called "shutdown.exe".

1. Right-click on an empty spot on the Desktop
2. Choose “New-Shortcut” from the context menu
3. In the line labeled “Type the location of the item” enter:
      %windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 0  
4. Press “Next”, give the shortcut a name and choose “Finish”

As written, the command with "shutdown.exe" does not time out for other things to finish. This is not usually a problem unless you have a process that is very slow or has a lot of cleaning up to do. If your system requires it, you can change the command to wait a certain number of seconds. Replace the "-t 0" with something like "-t 30". Then it will wait 30 seconds for processes to finish. Then the command becomes:

%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 30

This procedure applies to Windows XP, Vista, 7.

Command lines that perform all the options typically associated with terminating an active session

Command	Command line
Restart	Shutdown -r -f -t 00
Shut Down	Shutdown -s -f -t 00
Hybrid Shut Down	Shutdown -s -f -t 00 -hybrid
Sleep	Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState Sleep
Hibernate	Shutdown -h
Lock	Rundll32 User32.dll,LockWorkStation
Sign Off	Shutdown -l
Switch Users	Switch Users

Keyboard shortcuts to close the system down  - Using a keyboard with programmable hot keys

The common method to shutdown is by pressing Alt and F4 and then press enter.

In Windows XP use the keyboard sequence:
    Windows key, u, u
In each case, release the key you have pressed before pressing the next key.

Windows Vista doesn’t have a short sequence to shut down but has the rather long procedure:
   Windows key, → (Right Arrow),→, →, u

For Windows 7, the keyboard sequence is:

Press Windows key( This will open Start button)
Press →(Selection will switched to shutdown )
Press Enter
For these three keyboard shortcuts, remember to press the keys one at a time.

What's your take?

As you can see, there are a number of different ways that you can shut down a Windows system fast. What method do you currently use? Are you interested in employing one of the keyboard or power button techniques shown in this article? As always, if you have comments or information to share about this topic, please take a moment to drop by the comment and let us hear from you.