Windows Restart Command in Windows 7/Vista/XP

If you need to turn off Windows OS but you cannot use the regular procedure, maybe you need a special Windows restart command (available in DOS) which, in a matter of a couple of seconds and without waiting for applications to close, will let you shutdown your computer in breeze. This solution is especially useful in those cases where your Windows User Interface (UI) is stuck and/or the turn off button located under the Start menu doesn’t work anymore while the DOS commands available in the Command Prompt window are still available. Other times instead you might wish to use such a procedure because, for example you have got a virus which has disabled certain Windows features. Whatever the reason, here is a quick trick which will let you put your computer at rest in two steps thanks to a simple Windows shutdown command!

1. Click Start.
2. In the Search field, type cmd and press Enter (if you are on Windows Vista and XP, you’ll have to type this command under Run…).
3. Now, simply type Shutdown /r
4. This simple Windows command will let you restart the system after a 60 seconds countdown.
5. If you wish to tweak and customize such command, under the CMD, press the following command: shutdown/?
6. The above command will show you all the sub-commands available. Play with the different settings and find out which is the best solution to shutdown your system from the command prompt!