help no help for shutdown keys

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>,

I've always used ALT+F4 - U to initiate a shutdown from Windows since
the Win95 days. I don't have a Windows 7 PC handy to make sure it
still works but I'd imagine it does. Since that key combination shuts
down the active application, you have to make sure everything else is
shut down first, or if you don't want to have to make sure all of your
applications are shut down first, then use WinKey ALT+F4 ALT+F4 U - the
WinKey brings up the Start menu, ALT+F4 kills the Start menu but leaves
the taskbar selected, the second ALT+F4 should bring up the Windows
shutdown dialog, and finally U to shut down.

Clever! I'll try it when I next have a 7 machine fired up.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

(If you are unlucky you may choose one of the old-fashioned ones [language
schools] and be taught English as it should be, and not as it is, spoken.)
George Mikes, "How to be Decadent" (1977).

 

[Andy Burns]

On Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:48:38 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"


I've always used ALT+F4 - U to initiate a shutdown from Windows since
the Win95 days.

WAS GOING TO SUGGEst it, but not easy for a visually impaired user to
know the target of the ALT-F4

use WinKey ALT+F4 ALT+F4 U - the
WinKey brings up the Start menu, ALT+F4 kills the Start menu but leaves
the taskbar selected, the second ALT+F4 should bring up the Windows
shutdown dialog, and finally U to shut down.

The U doesn't act as an accelerator for shutdown for me ...

 

[Zaidy036]

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Interesting. But I was (am? I've probably had a valid answer given me.)
looking for something (meaning a keyboard sequence) I could use on any
W7 computer I come across.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Gene E. Bloch wrote:

ok, must be 'cos I've disabled the search box and enabled the run command
instead.

Could be. I have no knowledge about that, since I don't need the run
box & hence don't use it

 

[Andy Burns]

Could be. I have no knowledge about that, since I don't need the run box
& hence don't use it

Since I can't find the setting to re-enable the search box, I can't test.

Actually I think I got totally fed up with windows search and removed
the feature, using Agent Ransack instead, so that's probably removed the
setting too ...

 

[Stan Brown]

Win, tab, tab, tab takes you there, you need to know what the default
action (shutdown/restart/logoff/etc) is set to, space will take the
default, right arrow then the relevant underlined letter will force a
non-default action.

Careful! I think it depends on how you have your start menu set up.
On my computer it's Win, tab, tab not Win, tab, tab, tab.

 

[Stan Brown]

On 3/26/2012, Andy Burns posted:

[after Win, tab, tab or Win, tab, tab, tab depending on your setup,
press the right arrow key and then ... ]

I don't want to shut down right now, so I'll just ask rather than try


If I press Windows and right arrow, will the above key work even if
it's the default and not displayed?

How about Windows and two right arrows, which brings up the menu? Will
that key then work as you would like?

No. My default is Sleep, and I tried S (both ways). Nothing
happened.

 

[Stan Brown]

So is there _any_ foolproof way of shutting down from the keyboard if
you don't know what the default is?

Yes. Open a command prompt and type
shutdown /s

Probably you can do it without actually opening a command prompt:
Win+R, then "cmd shutdown /s" (without quote).
But I haven't tried that, since I'm not ready to shut down.

 

[Stan Brown]

I've always used ALT+F4 - U to initiate a shutdown from Windows since
the Win95 days. I don't have a Windows 7 PC handy to make sure it
still works but I'd imagine it does.

IF the desktop has focus, as opposed to an application, then Alt-F4
in my Windows Home Premium opens the shut-down dialog. I didn't try
pressing U, however.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:29:39 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"

More keystrokes than I'd hoped for.

Perhaps, but this is looking like your best bet at the moment.

Desktop shortcuts aren't easy to use without the mouse: you have to
switch focus to the desktop, and then know how many shortcuts you have
that start with the same letter, _and_ know which one the computer is
going to select first (I'm not even sure if that's always the same).

Any reason for "/" or "-", or do both work?

Both -s and /s will work in Win7.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:08:36 -0400, "Stan Brown"

IF the desktop has focus, as opposed to an application, then Alt-F4
in my Windows Home Premium opens the shut-down dialog. I didn't try
pressing U, however.

Unfortunately, as I found out when I had a chance to test it, 'U'
doesn't work in Win7 (or Win8 for that matter) - yet another thing
they've changed for no good reason. 'S' cycles between the options
starting with S, but the number of times you need to press S to get to
Shutdown depends on which option is the default.

So as far as I can tell, WinKey then type 'shutdown -s' is looking like
the only consistent way to initiate a shutdown in Win7.

 

[Zaidy036]

Interesting. But I was (am? I've probably had a valid answer given me.)
looking for something (meaning a keyboard sequence) I could use on any
W7 computer I come across.

Make an Icon for the action you want and assign a shortcut key.

Then you only have two key presses of your choice.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Yes. Open a command prompt and type
shutdown /s

Probably you can do it without actually opening a command prompt:
Win+R, then "cmd shutdown /s" (without quote).
But I haven't tried that, since I'm not ready to shut down.

It does look rather like that's the only foolproof way - getting on for
15 or more keypresses, as opposed to the three that would do it
foolproofly in most '9x and XP systems. But I suppose that's progress
for you (-:.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Make an Icon for the action you want and assign a shortcut key.

Then you only have two key presses of your choice.

I guess you missed the "on any W7 computer". Even assuming the owner of
the computer was happy for me to make icons on it, making an icon
involves a lot more than two keypresses.

 

[Char Jackson]

It does look rather like that's the only foolproof way - getting on for
15 or more keypresses, as opposed to the three that would do it
foolproofly in most '9x and XP systems. But I suppose that's progress
for you (-:.

What about starting with Ctrl-Alt-Del? Doesn't that bring up some
options, including shutdown? Is that also affected by the user's
default settings, and therefore also somewhat unpredictable? I can't
check right now, but perhaps someone else already knows.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Gene E. Bloch wrote:

Since I can't find the setting to re-enable the search box, I can't test.

Actually I think I got totally fed up with windows search and removed the
feature, using Agent Ransack instead, so that's probably removed the setting
too ...

I don't believe that Windows Search has anything to do with the Program
Menu.

The Program Menu does have a Properties panel available by right
clicking the Start Orb. The Run Command and the Search bar seem to be
in there.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:28:29 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"

What about starting with Ctrl-Alt-Del? Doesn't that bring up some
options, including shutdown? Is that also affected by the user's
default settings, and therefore also somewhat unpredictable? I can't
check right now, but perhaps someone else already knows.

Looks good here. Ctl-Alt-Del plus three presses of Tab (or two of
Shift-Tab) takes me to the Shutdown key on that screen. I *guess* Enter
will shut the PC down. I might try later

BTW, the next press of Tab gives me access to the shutdown pop-up menu.
It has Shutdown on it, which makes me think that menu is independent of
my settings. Yes: an experiment shows that to be true.

Actually, what I am calling the shutdown key looks like a power button,
so I assumed it to be Shutdown. Maybe its default is the same as my
other Start Orb power button, so I better look. OK, according to its
pop-up hint, it is a power button, even when my Start Orb button
default is Restart.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:08:36 -0400, "Stan Brown"

Unfortunately, as I found out when I had a chance to test it, 'U'
doesn't work in Win7 (or Win8 for that matter) - yet another thing
they've changed for no good reason. 'S' cycles between the options
starting with S, but the number of times you need to press S to get to
Shutdown depends on which option is the default.

So as far as I can tell, WinKey then type 'shutdown -s' is looking like
the only consistent way to initiate a shutdown in Win7.

Take a look at
Message-ID: <[email protected]>

which I just posted in reply to Char Jackson's question, which led me
to some experimentation.

If the pop-up hint (I just remembered: Tool Tip is the word) that says
Shutdown means what it seems to say, that is an installation
independent way.

Wait a minute though, we're talking Microsoft here. Is there any
assurance that it works that way on, say, 32-bit Windows Starter?

Time to try another test...

I'm back. The Netbook layout was the same, and even though I changed
the Start-Menu power option to Restart, the computer shut down. Or
would have: I seem to have a program which came up with a null-pointer
exception. Well, what do you expect for freeware? Anyway after I
manually killed that one, the shutdown completed OK.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

In message <[email protected]>, Gene E. Bloch

If the pop-up hint (I just remembered: Tool Tip is the word) that says
Shutdown means what it seems to say, that is an installation
independent way.

Wait a minute though, we're talking Microsoft here. Is there any
assurance that it works that way on, say, 32-bit Windows Starter?

Time to try another test...

I'm back. The Netbook layout was the same, and even though I changed
the Start-Menu power option to Restart, the computer shut down. Or
would have: I seem to have a program which came up with a null-pointer
exception. Well, what do you expect for freeware? Anyway after I
manually killed that one, the shutdown completed OK.

Thanks. So it's:
Ctrl-Alt-Del
Tab, Tab, Tab (or shift-tab, shift-tab)
Enter

A lot more to remember than the three strokes that worked in '9x and XP
(-:! I'll try.