There are rare occasions when the Windows power system commands are just not going to work for me and I need to immediately force Windows to stop, regardless of the potential for data loss, or risk that the PC might not boot again. Normally, to forcefully stop Windows or force reboot, I would either hold the power button down for > 10 seconds. Worst case, physically remove the battery from a laptop, or remove the AC power cord from a desktop.

Please train all your users to NEVER USE ANY of these methods, or understand the risks and how much time you might have to spend remedying the potential damage their choice caused.

Still, without removing power, I might need to force an immediate shutdown for a number of reasons:

• Lazy -- I don't want to waste time clicking 6 times to shut down.
• Windows can't shut down some process - It ignores any "Quit Windows" commands.
• System is so busy and slow, it will (almost) never finish shutting down because:
• ... ---> The mouse or keyboard is almost frozen and it takes 5 minutes to even get to and initiate any power commands.
• ... ---> Windows will likely take an hour to finish coordinated and safe shutdown or reboot.
• It is impossible to remove AC/DC power from PC - I'm remote and not at the PC.
• Malware of some type is actively encrypting files or popping up an infinite number of new windows.

Without writing a new program, how can I force a shutdown or reboot?

There are rare occasions when I'm not sitting at the PC, and the Windows power system commands are just not going to work for me. I need to programmatically force Windows to stop immediately, regardless of the potential for data loss, or risk that the PC might not boot again. Normally to forcefully stop Windows, I would either hold the power or reset button down for > 10 seconds, remove the battery or AC power.

Unless absolutely necessary, please explain to users that they should never force a Windows shutdown or reboot. Or, if they do, explain the risks of lost files or failure to boot.

When would I need this?

• Windows can't shut down some process - It ignores any "Quit Windows" commands.
• System is so busy and slow, it will (almost) never finish shutting down and:
• ... ---> The mouse or keyboard is almost frozen and it takes 5 minutes to even try to initiate power commands.
• ... ---> Windows will likely take an hour to finish a coordinated and safe shutdown or reboot.
• It is physically impossible to press reset or remove AC/DC power from PC, since I'm not at the PC.
• Malware appears to be actively encrypting files or popping up an infinite number of new windows.

Without writing a new program, how can I force a shutdown or reboot, when the normal powerCFG.exe command options fail?