How to Shut Down Networked Computers Remotely

On a networked computer system, there will periodically be times when you need to shut down all of the computers, such as when a business is upgrading their system. It can be time consuming to go around to each individual computer and shut them down, especially if you are not in the same location. Shutting down networked computers remotely would be much more convenient, and the steps for doing so are listed below.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Click on the "Start" menu in the lower-left corner of your desktop screen and select "Run." Type "cmd" in the box provided and hit Enter. A DOS window should appear.
2. Type "shutdown -i" in the DOS window and hit "Enter." The Remote Shutdown Dialog box should pop up.
3. Choose the "Add" button and type in the name of the computer(s) you want to shut down as "\\computername" (substitute the correct name for the computer in place of "computername"). If you wish to shut down multiple computers, hit "Enter" after typing each, keeping each of them on a separate line.
4. Check the "Warn Users of the Action" box and adjust the seconds accordingly. This produces a pop-up on each computer so the user is aware that her computer will shut down in a given amount of time. Deselect the box if you don't want to provide the user with a warning.
5. Indicate any message to the user--such as why his computer will shut down--in the Comment box at the bottom of the Remote Shutdown Dialog.
6. Select "OK" to start the remote shut down process.

Tips & Warnings

• To find the name of a computer (for Step 3), right-click on "My Computer" on the desktop, select "Properties," followed by the "Computer Name" tab. Find the computer name next to "Full Computer Name."
• The computer(s) you wish to shut down must have a network connection to the computer from which you are initiating the shut down command remotely.
• You must have administrative privileges for any computer to shut it down remotely.

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