How to Schedule Server Restart

Last Review: August 7, 2010
Product(s): Windows Server 2003 / 2008

The following examples show how to remotely restart a server and/or schedule a restart of a server.

To shut down the local computer in two minutes and display a "The computer is shutting down" message, use the following line in a batch file or type it at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

shutdown /l /t:120 "The computer is shutting down" /y /c

To cancel the shutdown process, type the following line at the command prompt, and then press ENTER:
shutdown /l /a /y

To shut down and restart a remote computer named "Support," use the following line in a batch file or type it at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

shutdown \\support /r

To schedule the local computer to shutdown and restart at 10:00 P.M., type the following line at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

at 22:00 shutdown /l /r /y /c

To schedule the local computer to shutdown and restart at 6:00 P.M. every weekday, type the following line at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

at 18:00 /every:M,T,W,Th,F shutdown /l /r /y /c

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