Restart or Shut Down the Local Computer and Document the Reason
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
When Shutdown Event Tracker is enabled, you will be required to provide a reason when you restart or shut down the computer.
Membership in the local Users group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure.
To restart or shut down the local computer and document the reason
Click Start, click the arrow to the right of the Lock icon, and click Restart or Shut Down.
If you did not anticipate having to restart or shut down the computer at this time, clear the Planned check box.
In the drop-down list, select the appropriate reason for the restart or shutdown, and then click OK.
Note
If a comment is required, the OK button will not be available until you type at least one character in the text box.
Important
If your computer does not turn off automatically, do not turn off your computer until a message appears telling you that it is safe to do so. Windows Server 2008 stores important data in memory while the system is running and needs to write the data to the hard disk before you turn off the computer. After the data is saved, the operating system either turns the computer off itself, or notifies you that it is safe to turn off the computer.
Additional considerations
You can also restart or shut down your computer and document the reason from the command line. For help using the shutdown command, type shutdown /? at the command prompt.
Another way to restart or shut down your computer and document the reason is to press ALT+F4 when the desktop is selected.