WindowsXP has a program called SHUTDOWN.EXE which allows you to easily create icons to shutdown or restart your computer.

To create a shutdown shortcut on the desktop:

1. Right click on an open area of the desktop
2. Select New / Shortcut
3. Enter in “shutdown -s -t 00″ – no quotes
4. Press the Next button
5. For the name, enter in anything you like. I just use shutdown. Click on the Finish button.

For a reboot, enter “shutdown -r -t 00″

Shutdown [{-l|-s|-r|-a}] [-f] [-m [\ComputerName]] [-t xx] [-c "message"] [-d[u][p]:xx:yy]

Parameters

• -l – Logs off the current user, this is also the defualt. -m ComputerName takes precedence.
• -s – Shuts down the local computer.
• -r – Reboots after shutdown.
• -a – Aborts shutdown. Ignores other parameters, except -l and ComputerName. You can only use -a during the time-out period.
• -f – Forces running applications to close.
• -m [\ComputerName] – Specifies the computer that you want to shut down.
• -t xx – Sets the timer for system shutdown in xx seconds. The default is 20 seconds.
• -c “message” – Specifies a message to be displayed in the Message area of the System Shutdown window. You can use a maximum of 127 characters. You must enclose the message in quotation marks.