Disable the Log Off and Turn Off Buttons in Windows

Contributor Icon Contributed by Raj Date Icon October 13, 2004  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows security


Do you support users who, regardless of what you tell them, insist on logging off or shutting down public computers in common areas?

If so, you’ll be glad to know that you can disable the Log Off and Turn Off Computer buttons on the Start menu.

Follow these steps:

Open the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
Right-click the Explorer key, and select New | DWORD value.
Name the value StartMenuLogoff, and press [Enter] twice to access the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.
Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
Right-click the Explorer key, and select New | DWORD value.
Name the value NoClose, and press [Enter] twice to access the Edit DWORD Value dialog box.
Type 1 in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
Close the Registry Editor.

At this point, both the Log Off and Turn Off Computer buttons are still on the Start menu, so click the Log Off button and then log back on.

When you need to shut down the computer, launch the Registry Editor, and change the values to 0, or pull the plug if it has to be done in a hurry.

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  • Anonymous
    Pull the plug? Hope you have a good disk backup program!
  • Guest
    It is far better to enable auto-login for a restricted user instead.

    If using a protection program like Deep Freeze, restarting returns the system to default conditions.
  • Anonymous
    I'm wondering how many times to you have to go in and do a reformat due to corrupted files?
  • Anonymous
    good day

    The turn off button in start menu disapear ,I did what you write but i sill have same problem.

    please help me thank you
  • parul
    hello

    i have insttal windows xp ....but when i turnoff ....that is not working ...plz help .....
  • Ron
    You can click on the Start button and then click on Run then in the run open line type "Shutdown" with out the Quotation marks.
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