Wes -> How to

How to create a Shutdown Icon

Requirements:
Windows XP
Basic computer knowledge

what this does: creates a nifty shortcut you can use to shutdown.
**alternate use: create a "prank" icon (see additional steps)**

instructions (you may want to print or save these):
1.) minimize any open windows so that only the desktop is showing (you'll obviously need to refer back to here, so don't close this out).
2.) right click the desktop.
3.) with the mouse, hover over New -> click "Shortcut"
4.) This should bring up a shortcut wizard. Where it says to type the location, paste this text [%windir%\system32\SHUTDOWN.exe -s] (without the brackets).
5.) Click next. It should then ask you to name it. Name it "Shutdown Button", or whatever you like (the name doesn't matter, as long as you remember what you called it).
6. Click finish. You should now have a new icon on your desktop with the name you gave it.
7.) Kind of ugly, isn't it? Right click icon -> click Properties
8.) With the Properties window open, the tab at the top that should be highlighted is "Shortcut". If not, click the "Shortcut" tab.
9.) Look to the bottom and click the "Change Icon..." Button.
10.) A window will pop-up saying that shutdown.exe contains no icons. Click OK.
11.) A new window with icons will appear. Choose the red one with the circle and the vertical line (aka the Shutdown Icon), and click OK. If there is a different icon you would like to use, feel free to use that.
12.) Return to the Properties window, Click Apply, then OK.
13.) Your icon should update, and look much nicer.

Thats it! You've sucessfully created the handy 'SHUTDOWN' icon!
When you double click your icon now, a thirty second timer will start**, which will shutdown your computer.

**If you want it to shutdown instantly add "-t 01" to the end of the shortcut's target field, in the properties window. This basically sets that countdown timer to zero.

**If you are mischevious or computer literate, continue reading**

So, you want to make a prank icon?

Follow these steps then, but bewarned, no one likes a jerk who shuts down people's computers at their expense...

1.) follow steps 1-10 from the original instructions.
2.) this is where you can get creative. Instead of choosing a simple shutdown icon, you can choose, perhaps, the Internet Explorer icon.
3.) Apply that, rename the icon "Internet Explorer", and you've got a pretty convincing prank IE icon.
4.) To make things more interesting though, you should make some "additions" to the shortcut.
5.) open up the icon's properties window again. Make sure the "Shortcut" tab is highlighted. In the 'Target' field, add this [-s -t XX -c "XXXXXXXXXXXX"] to the end (without the brackets).
6.)these extra commands make a popup window appear as the computer shutsdown, and adds a comment. Replace 'XX' with a number between 01-30. The number will represent the timer, in seconds.For example, replacing XX with 25 means that the computer will countdown 25 seconds.
7.) replace "XXXXXXXXXXXX" with a comment, up to 127 characters. For example "You should have used Firefox..."
8.) Apply, and hit OK. you now have a fake icon that will shutdown their computer in, say 25 seconds, with a message of "You should have used Firefox..."
9.) Enjoy your lame prank.