Shutting down other computers with command prompt windows 7

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Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Type cmd. This searches for the command prompt and displays it at the top of the Windows Start menu. Right-click Command Prompt. It has an icon that resembles a black screen with a white prompt.

Right-clicking this icon displays a menu to the right of the Command Prompt icon. Click Run as administrator. This opens the Command Prompt with administrative privileges. You must be signed in to Windows using an administrative account in order to run the Command Prompt as an administrator. Type shutdown in the Command Prompt. This is the first line to shut down a computer.

Type this one space after "shutdown" on the same line. Replace " computername " with the actual name of the target computer. This forces all programs to close on the remote computer. Note: The user may lose unsaved work if programs are forced to close without saving. Continue to the next step to learn how to alert the user and give them a few seconds to save their work before the computer or shuts down or restarts.

Continue to the next step to add a timer with a comment. This allows to you send a message to the target computer. Type a message in quotation marks. The message should alert the user of the remote computer that the computer will shutdown. For example, you could type "This computer will restart. Please save all work". Make sure the message is in quotation marks " ".

This goes one space after the message in the previous step. This is how you can give the user a few seconds to save their work before the computer shuts down.

This executes the command. Please save all work. If you receive a message that says Access Denied , make sure you are signed in to an administrative account and that you have administrative access to the target computer. See Method 3 to learn how to enable File and Printer Sharing on both computers and allow it through the Windows Firewall. If you are unable to connect to the registry on the target computer, see Method 4 to learn how to edit the registry on the target computer.

Method 2. This opens the Remote Shutdown Dialog window. Less known is the fact that computers can be shut down in highly variable and very different ways by entering specific shutdown commands in the prompt. As an operating system shell, this enables an interaction between the user and Windows. The Windows command prompt is a powerful tool from the old days of MS-DOS which today still accepts countless commands for special purposes.

Behind the designation there is ultimately an executable program: the cmd. Detours across the Windows user interface are avoided. Should one issue a shutdown command, the computer can be shut down directly and quickly. Other advantages include flexibility and adaptability. One can select from various shutdown options and as a result proceed in a number of various ways.

A fine adjustment of the desired mode occurs through the addition of further control parameters. Each mode is intended for a specific use case.

Due to their adaptability, shutdown routines play an important role in the administrative field. This means that geographically-remote PC and servers are remotely time-controlled via manual command entries. Also, special shutdown scripts are used for the automation of routines that are at times relatively easy to prepare. Below, we will show you where one enters CMD commands and the specific syntax that one must observe.

Furthermore, we will provide info on several shutdown options. If one would like to use cmd. As you can see in the screenshot, there are various options. In the latter case, the cmd. However, one requirement is that administrator rights in the active user account must be expressly permitted.

For a shutdown command, the default mode is normally sufficient. The administrator mode is recommended if desired commands cannot be run in the normal mode.

In doing so, however, one should always bear in mind that through the use of administrator rights, programs receive extensive authorizations. Should these become infected with viruses, for example, damage to the system can occur. This returns to the Network and Internet menu of the Control Panel.

Click System and Security. It's in the sidebar menu to the left. Click Allow an app through Windows Firewall. It's the second option below "Windows Defender Firewall". It's at the bottom of the Control Panel window.

This saves and applies the changes you have made. Method 4 of Type regedit. This displays the regedit Registry Editor app. Warning: Editing or deleting items in the Registry Editor can cause permanent damage to your operating system. Proceed at your own risk! Click Regedit. This opens the Registry Editor app. Navigate to the "System" folder in "Policies". You can use the folders in the sidebar to the left to navigate in the Registry editor.

Double-click the Microsoft folder. Double-click the Windows folder. Double-click the CurrentVersion folder. Double-click the Policies folder. Double-click the System folder. Right-click a black spot in the window to the right of the folders in the sidebar. Hover over New. This displays a menu to the right of the value. Click Modify. Change the value data to "1". The following instructions work only for a legacy Windows computer that already has the Resource Kit installed. If the remote computer you're attempting to shut down is running a Home edition of Microsoft Windows, you need to enable guest remote shutdown privileges before the above steps work.

To do this, follow these steps.