Making an icon for shutdown.exe

[vhawk]

as a one-handed cripple i needed to make an icon for task manager and did so, but i cannot remember how i did it.

i'm using windows xp home. it would be very handy if i could make a clickable icon for shutdown.exe which, i think, lives in c: windows\systemy32

people on tech spot are so kind and helpful to me, a stupid on old fool.
i am amazed and happy at how decent such very clever people are to their dumber brethren.

 

[Archean]

You need to follow these simple steps:

1. Right Click on your desktop (anywhere on empty space)
2. Go to New
3. Then select 'ShortCut'
4. Browse to C:\windows\system32\taskmgr.exe
5. Click on Ok

You will have Task Manager's short cut icon on your desktop now.

Repeat these same steps for shutdown icon, only this time select shutdown.exe

You need one further step to make that shutdown icon to work, i.e.:

1. Right Click on shutdown icon you just created
2. Select 'Properties' from the context menu
3. Then in 'Target' Box type /p switch after pressing space bar once at the end of shutdown.exe
4. Click on OK

Let us know if you need any further assistance. Regards

 

[vhawk]

that's very kind of you, sadly my eyesight is failing in mine old age and although i can do the browse bit, i can't find shutdown. exe in system 32, if only i could type something in, but i don't know what to type. the list of things in system 32 is in tiny type and it is impossible to see shutdown.exe in that list,if it is there.

it really is jolly decent of you to take the time and trouble to try to help me and i thank you very much for it.

 

[Archean]

Well once you are inside Windows, and then system32 folder, just touch 's' key until you find shutdown.exe. I hope that will be helpful, and you are most welcome.

 

[vhawk]

great stuff, found it,now i have the icon , thanks to you.

the only trouble is, that if a click on it, i get a flash of a black box and nothing actually happens, it does not shut down.
maybe i did something wrong.

probably

 

[Archean]

Have you added the /p as I suggested above in the second part of instructions?

 

[vhawk]

oh, what a fool i am, i'm so sorry i did not notices that, can i edit it and add the/p?

what difference does it make if it is \ or/? so i must be sure to add /p?

i know i am obtuse; in mitigation, my brain got damaged in a stroke and some things i just don't notice. they won't let me drive a car either for obvious reasons i really am sorry to be so stupid, what does the /p do? just to add to my general understanding

 

[Archean]

The /p switch tells the OS that it is a planned shutdown event, and it is necessary that you put it correctly as I described in the above post (# 2). I hope that helps.

 

[vhawk]

yes, thank you, can i change what i have, ie edit it or should i just delete it and start again?

 

[Archean]

You can edit it as i described above.

 

[vhawk]

i can't seem to find anything that says, to edit it , do this.
i'm so sorry.

 

[Archean]

1. Right Click with your mouse on shutdown icon you just created
2. Select 'Properties' from the context menu (should be at the bottom)
3. Then in 'Target' Box type /p switch after pressing space bar once at the end of shutdown.exe
4. Click on OK

That should fix things for your.

 

[vhawk]

thanks, just out of interest, what is the flash of the block box/window?

 

[Archean]

Flash of the block box/window? I'm sorry I couldn't get what you mean by that.

 

[vhawk]

ah, sorry, i've added the space/p but when i click on it all i get is a sort of very brief black box of the type you get whenever you ok a 'run' command. it appears and disappears in a flash, it has a little flashing white cursor in the top left hand corner, as far as i can see anything at all.

 

[vhawk]

now it says there is no such thing as /p , or something like that, picky things computers could almost have been 'designed' to confuse

 

[Archean]

Ah I guess this time around I messed things up a bit, because I am using Win7, so I ended up giving you slightly different switch.

Please follow these steps (again) :

1. Right Click with your mouse on shutdown icon you just created
2. Select 'Properties' from the context menu (should be at the bottom)
3. Then in 'Target' Box delete everything which is there, and simply type or copy / paste this in it:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -s

4. Click on OK

Unfortunately I am starting to forget things about XP anyway, atleast this forced me to download and reinstall XP Mode in Windows 7 which I had been avoiding to do for a while .

I hope that will do the trick, please do give us feedback about this. Take care, Regards

 

[vhawk]

thanks, you're a star, but one tiny problem, it only restarts the computer and does not actually switch it off altogether.

 

[Archean]

Do you have Norton Anti Virus running on your computer?

 

[vhawk]

no, i use Microsoft security essentials, norton have annoyed me in the past so i don't touch it.

i have yet to see how security essentials reacts to a test virus. i used to use kaspersky but it was no good and took up acres of my hard drive and screwed things up(not sure i trust russians anyway

 

[Archean]

Alright, another thing which can be issue is the user account type you are using, if it doesn't have required privilege level, that can stop shutdown.exe from performing that task. You can check your user account type, by going to Control Panel, User Accounts, and there it should tell you what sort of account it is, e.g. there will word 'computer administrator'.

Can you please tell me upto which service pack your OS is up-to-date, Service Pack 3 is the last major update for XP by the way.

Also, can you please tell me what exactly is written in your shortcut's target box.

 

[vhawk]

thanks, i am the computer administrator. i don't even know to find out which if any, service [pack i have, let alone what it is. sorry to be so clueless

 

[vhawk]

this is what is in the target box:


C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -d p , as copied and pasted from your last kind message

 

[Archean]

Now please delete whatever is in that target box, and replace it with the following:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 10

or, if that doesn't work then to:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\shutdown.exe -s

You can simply copy the syntax given here and paste it.

You can check which service pack you have by opening My Computer, then going to Help Menu, and clicking Help About

 

[vhawk]

gosh that's brilliant! it works perfectly.
in the dark night sky of a cold, hard indifferent world, 'you' are a shining star of human decency.
how can i ever thank you enough for all your kindness and patient help?
best

pete