How often have you been frustrated by the ‘speed’ with which Windows shuts down. It seems to take ages, especially when you are in a hurry.

If you normally shut down Windows from the ‘Turn Off Computer‘ on the Start menu, then here is an alternative that works almost like magic.

Instead of shutting down from the Start menu, press ‘Ctrl+Alt+Del‘ to bring up the Windows Task Manager. Click on ‘Shut Down‘ to pull down the menu. Now press down the ‘Ctrl‘ key and while the key is down click on ‘Turn Off‘ on the menu. Now watch Windows shut down at an amazing speed. No more frustration waiting forever for your computer to shut down.

If instead of Shutting Down you want to Hibernate, you could do that, but remember to press the Ctrl key as you click on ‘Hibernate‘. The system hibernates in less than 10 seconds.

All said and done, I really don’t know how this works and if shutting down Windows this way could harm your computer in any way, though I have been using the method for quite some time now without noticing any negative effect. If you know of any ill effects of using this method please do share your knowledge by leaving a comment.

This may interest you: How to add a Windows Shutdown shortcut on your Desktop