Shutdown Event Tracker

Shutdown Event Tracker is a functionality in Microsoft Windows, which tracks the shutdown activity of a computer. If activated, it asks the user for a reason why the computer is about to be shut down any time the Shut down option is invoked. It also asks the user for a reason why the computer stopped unexpectedly after a improper shutdown or a Stop error.

It was introduced in Windows 2000 build 1946, but it was not activated by default for the Advanced Server/Enterprise Server SKU until Windows Server 2003 build 2267.

Shutdown Event Tracker is enabled by default only for server releases, but it also can be enabled for client releases by using the following registry edit:

Alternatively, the group policy "Display Shutdown Event Tracker" in  can be set to Enabled.