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This page was last updated on February 09, 2010

Normal way of shutting down Windows (no matter if it is XP, Vista or 7) is clicking on Start Menu button (or orb in Vista and 7) and selecting to shutdown. This way of shutting down may take a considerable time because it waits for all programs to close. You can create a shortcut on your desktop for a faster shutdown using the process described below:

1. Right-click on an empty area on your desktop and select New → Shortcut.
   
2. In the Create Shortcut dialog, type shutdown -s -t 01 as shown and click Next.
   
3. In the next dialog, type Shutdown Windows and click on Finish.
   

Now you can click on this newly shortcut on your desktop and the Windows will immediately shut down and power off. Be careful, not to accidentally double-click on this icon. It is a better idea to keep this shortcut in a different corner of your desktop.