How To Perform an Emergency Shutdown in Windows Server 2003 (325343)

SUMMARY

This article describes how to shut down Windows Server 2003 in an emergency situation.

The method described in this article is not the recommended way to shut down your computer, but you can use this method under extreme circumstances when you either cannot shut down your computer in the standard manner. Note that this method is less damaging than turning off the power to your computer (hard restart).

WARNING: If you follow these steps, your operating system may shut down quickly without prompting you to save any currently open documents. Any unsaved information will be lost.

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Perform an Emergency Shutdown in Windows

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. When the log on information screen appears, press TAB to select the Shut down option. Press and hold down CTRL, and then click Shut down or press ENTER.
3. When you receive the following message, click OK to continue with the emergency shutdown:

   If you continue, your machine will reboot and any unsaved data will be lost. Use this only as a last resort.

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