How to generate a Popup Window for User Confirmation with "Proceed" or "Abort" when user commands Shutdown or Restart?

Question

My team mostly works on shared files in our Workstations (Windows 11 Pro) connected in LAN. In the past we had problem of losing few Team members work due to Restart/Shutdown of Host Computer. In few cases it happened due to Auto Restart after Windows Update and in few cases due to Manual Restart/Shutdown by the User working in Host Computer.

Is there any way to Generate a Popup Window automatically when an user commands Shutdown or Restart the Workstation he/she is working which could be a Host Computer for some shared files?

If yes, the Popup Window must hold the Shutdown/Restart Process till the User confirms to "Proceed" or "Abort" it.

Can this popup hold the Auto Restart Process after Windows Updates?

Answer 1

Hi,

To generate a popup window for user confirmation when a shutdown or restart is initiated on a Windows 11 Pro workstation, you can use a combination of Group Policy settings and custom scripts. Here's how you can achieve this:

Step 1: Enable Shutdown Event Tracker

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System.
3. Double-click on Display Shutdown Event Tracker.
4. Set it to Enabled and choose Always.
5. Click Apply and OK.

This will prompt users to provide a reason for shutdown or restart, but it won't hold the process until confirmation.

Step 2: Create a Custom Script for Confirmation

You can create a custom script that prompts the user for confirmation before proceeding with the shutdown or restart. Here's an example using PowerShell:

Create the PowerShell Script:

$result = [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show('Do you want to proceed with Shutdown/Restart?', 'Confirmation', 'YesNo', 'Warning')
if ($result -eq 'Yes') {
    Stop-Computer -Force
} else {
    Write-Host 'Shutdown/Restart Aborted'
}

Save the Script: Save the script as ConfirmShutdown.ps1.

Create a Scheduled Task:

• Open Task Scheduler and create a new task.
  • Set the trigger to run the script when a shutdown or restart is initiated.
  • In the Actions tab, set the action to start a program and point it to powershell.exe with the argument -File "C:\Path\To\ConfirmShutdown.ps1".

Step 3: Prevent Auto Restart After Windows Updates

To prevent automatic restarts after Windows updates, you can use Group Policy or Registry Editor:

Using Group Policy:

• Open Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
• Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
• Double-click on No auto-restart with logged on users for scheduled automatic updates installations.
• Set it to Enabled and click Apply and OK.

Using Registry Editor:

• Open Registry Editor (regedit).
• Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU.
• Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers and set its value to 1.

These steps should help you create a confirmation popup and prevent automatic restarts after updates.

If you need further assistance or run into any issues, feel free to ask! How's your team managing with the shared files so far?

Answer 2

If you want to completely block shutdown/restart without confirmation, you can use shutdown.exe with the /a option, which cancels shutdown, and bind it to a service that monitors shutdown attempts.