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FAST EXIT | RESTART

How would you like to EXIT, SHUTDOWN, POWEROFF, LOGOFF, RELOAD, RESTART or REBOOT Windows 95/98/ME FAST, with 1 mouse click, without the pain of going through the default 4 steps procedure:

  click the Start button -> click "Shutdown" -> check the "Shut Down" or "Restart" box -> finally click the Yes/OK button? I know you would, 'cuz I did too... :) So here is how you do it:

 


1. Left-click on (highlight) an empty Desktop spot -> right-click on it -> choose New -> select Shortcut from the drop down menu.

 

2. In the Command line box copy & paste (Windows 98/ME only): RUNDLL32.EXE SHELL32.DLL,SHExitWindowsEx #

The # flag can be any integer number between -1 and 9. Depending on theparticular value substituted as parameter on the command line above, you canforce Windows 9x/ME to carry out one of the following actions:

 

* -1 = Reload Shell: close and then restart the Windows graphical shell [which by default is Windows Explorer (Explorer.exe), located in the main Windows folder] or whatever other (eventually 3rd party) shell executable you are using on the SYSTEM.INI "shell=" line, under the [boot] section.

 

This option may prove useful for recovering from an Explorer or Kernel crash, i.e. an irrecoverable GPF (General Protection Fault) or BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death).

 

* 0 = Logoff (similar to the Start Menu Logoff button): terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, then log off the current user and then restart the Windows graphical shell.

 

* 1 = Shutdown: terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, then shut down the Windows GUI to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode and then display the "It is safe to turn off the computer" graphical message on the screen, ONLY IF the Logos.sys file is present in the main Windows folder, otherwise it may [or may not :(] show

this message as plain text at the MS-DOS prompt.

 

* 2 = Reboot (similar to the Shutdown Menu Restart button): terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, then shut down the Windows GUI and then "cold" reboot the computer to the BIOS POST screen and then restart the Windows graphical shell, ONLY IF: the MSDOS.SYS "BootGUI=1" line is present under the [Options] section, or if the

WIN command is present in AUTOEXEC.BAT, or if the WIN command is run from the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS command prompt (Windows 98 ONLY).

 

* 4 = Forced Shutdown (unsafe: may generate data loss!): terminate unconditionally all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and all open programs without warnings, and without "flushing" the data from the memory

cache buffers back to the fixed disk(s), eventually powering off the computer if a supported ATX motherboard is detected.

Avoid using this option if possible!

 

* 5 = Exit To DOS: the "Exit To DOS.PIF" MS-DOS shortcut (Program Information File) is created ONLY IF using Windows 98 (Microsoft REMOVED completely native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode from Windows ME!), then close all running

processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, and then shut down the Windows GUI to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode prompt, which can be "unhidden" by running the MODE CO80 command. Read "2 DOS OR NOT 2 DOS" in MYTIPS95.TXT (this file) to learn how to do this properly.

 

FYI: You CAN regain access to MS-DOS mode if using Windows ME by applying the Unofficial Real DOS-Mode Patch [9 KB, freeware]:

 

http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/

which modifies COMMAND.COM + IO.SYS (from C:\Windows\Command\EBD) + REGENV32.EXE (from C:\Windows\System) to allow Windows ME to boot to native MS-DOS and use DOS mode startup files (AUTOEXEC.BAT + CONFIG.SYS), the Windows 95/98 style.

 

* 8 = Poweroff (ONLY IF a supported ATX motherboard is detected): terminate all running processes/threads/executables/TSRs and close all open programs, shut down the Windows GUI to the native/real/true/pure MS-DOS mode, then display the "It is safe to turn off the computer" graphical message on the screen (ONLY IF the Logos.sys file is present in the main Windows folder,

otherwise it may show this message as plain text at the MS-DOS prompt) and then completely power off the computer (the power cord may need to be unplugged and then plugged back in, in order to bring the power back on), ONLY

on PCs with APM (Advanced Power Management) enabled, but this feature needs to be activated beforehand (if supported) in the BIOS Setup menu.

 

NOTES:

- You can add up some of these actions by using two # flags at the same time for combined effect. Example: 1 + 8 = 9, therefore you can use 9 as command line parameter, in case you wish to perform a Shutdown followed by Poweroff.

 

- In all these cases except for option 4 (Forced Shutdown) Windows file cache routine safely "flushes" (writes) all data from the memory cache buffers back to the fixed disk(s) to avoid any information loss.

 

CAUTION: Older, cheap, low quality, incompatible and/or defective computer hardware components, poorly written software drivers and/or programs may sometimes be responsible for undesirable lockups or data loss during the

Windows shutdown/poweroff sequence.

 

3. Or you can use this line with all Windows 95/98/ME releases:

RUNDLL32.EXE USER.EXE,ExitWindows

and call it "Shutdown!" or "Poweroff!" if using Win95 B/C OSR 2.1 - 2.5 or Win98/ME, because these OSes perform also a complete poweroff on ATX motherboards supporting this feature.

 

4. For the Windows "Restart!" ("warm" reboot) shortcut (all Windows 95/98/ME releases) use:

RUNDLL.EXE USER.EXE,ExitWindowsExec

 

Note that you canNOT use RUNDLL32.EXE for this last command with Win98/ME because their GUI does NOT support this 32-bit DLL API redirect from the command line, and after all USER.EXE is only a "plain" 16-bit executable. :(

 

5. Click Continue, and name these new shortcuts whatever you like.

 

6. Click Finish.

 

From now on, double-click (if you have Win95/OSR2 without IE 4/5 installed, or with IE 4/5, or Win98/ME, but with the single click option disabled for shortcuts, links and executables) or single-click (on Win95/OSR2 systems with MS IE 4/5 installed or Win98/ME, and the single click enabled) one of the shortcuts created above, and you'll be taken to the plain DOS prompt, back to

the GUI, or stare at the black monitor screen in only 1 swift move. :)

 

Don't forget to SAVE your work and close ALL open programs FIRST, BEFORE shutting down or restarting Windows!

 

Have fun.

 

FYI: More info on Win9x/ME shut down switches using RUNDLL redirects: - Shutdown and Reboot:

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/shutdown.html

- "How to Exit Windows 98/ME Automatically Using a Batch File" MSKB article:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q234/2/16.asp

 

 

 

 

 


at:  http://hectorsolutions.com/PICT/registrytipsandtricks/FAST%20EXIT.htm

[ Sept. 2005  pcd ]