HOW TO: Make the Shutdown Button Unavailable in the Logon Dialog Box in Windows Server 2003 (816569)

SUMMARY

This article describes how to prevent users from shutting down the computer by using the Shut Down button in the Log On to Windows dialog box. This prevents unauthenticated users from shutting down Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

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Make the Shut Down Button Unavailable by Using Group Policy

You can use Group Policy Editor to make the Shut Down button unavailable in the Log On to Windows dialog box that appears when you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE on the Welcome to Windows screen.

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Edit the Local Policy on a Windows Server 2003-Based Computer

To make the Shut Down button unavailable on a standalone Windows Server 2003-based computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK.
3. Expand Computer Configuration, expand Windows Settings, expand Security Settings, expand Local Policies, and then click Security Options.
4. In the right pane, double-click Shutdown: Allow system to be shut down without having to log on.
5. Click Disabled, and then click OK.
   
   Note If domain-level policy settings are defined, they may override this local policy setting.
6. Quit Group Policy Editor. Restart the computer.

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Edit the Group Policy in a Domain

To edit a domain-wide policy to make the Shut Down button unavailable, follow these steps:

1. Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.
   
   To do so, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and Computers.
2. In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Group Policy tab.
4. Under Group Policy Object Links, click the group policy where you want to apply this setting.
   
   For example, click Default Domain Policy.
5. Click Edit.
6. Expand User Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, and then click Start Menu and Taskbar.
7. In the right pane, double-click Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down command.
8. Click Enabled, and then click OK.
9. Quit Group Policy Object Editor, and then click OK.

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Troubleshooting

Group Policy changes are not immediately enforced. Group Policy background processing can take up to 5 minutes to be refreshed on domain controllers, and up to 90 minutes to be refreshed on server or client computers. To refresh Group Policy immediately, use the gpupdate command-line tool.

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