Are you wondering what happens when your computer shuts down and after it restarts? Many things happen within that period, and thankfully, Windows helps track the entire process and keeps a record in the system log.
With the built-in Windows Event Viewer, you can monitor the activities that occur on your computer before, during, and after it shuts down or restarts.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to do that, but first, what is the Event Viewer?
What Is the Windows Event Viewer?
The Event Viewer records application and system messages on a Windows 10 PC and logs every action taken while working on the computer.
That said, if many users operate a computer, you can use the Event Viewer to monitor each user’s activities while the device is running.
Also, it helps users discover errors, such as blue screens of death (BSODs), information messages, and warnings on their PCs. What’s more, you can’t alter, stop, or disable the activities of the Event Viewer altogether because it’s a core Windows service.
In many cases, you can start troubleshooting any issue on a Windows computer from the Event Viewer. However, as a rule of thumb, you don’t need to panic even if there are alarming messages or warnings in the system log.
Unfortunately, some fraudsters take advantage of messages in the Event Viewer to scare and defraud people. They can manipulate it to display error messages and warnings even if your computer is working correctly.
Without much ado, let’s show you how to track what happens when your computer shuts down or starts using the Windows Event Viewer or the Command Prompt.
Most Common Windows Reboot and Shutdown Event IDs
There are many identified events related to shutting down and restarting a PC. However, we will show you the most common four in this article, and they include the following:
- Event ID 41: This Event Viewer restart event ID shows that your Windows computer didn’t shut down completely and restarted.
- Event ID 1074: When a certain app forces your laptop or PC to shut down or restart, you’ll see this shutdown/restart event ID reflected in the Windows restart log. It will also show you if the PC was shut down (or restarted) using the Ctrl + Alt + Del combo or directly from the Start menu.
- Event ID 6006: This one is the Event Viewer shutdown event ID that shows that your PC shut down properly.
- Event ID 6008: You will see this event in your Windows shutdown log if your PC shut down unexpectedly.
How to See PC Startup and Shutdown Logs in Windows 10/11?
Using the Windows Event Viewer, you can quickly determine the shutdown or reboot event IDs on your computer after shutting down or restarting. You can also access some of the events using the Command Prompt, as we will show you below.
Generally, there are two methods to check the reboot or shutdown event IDs on your computer. The steps for both methods to view the Windows shutdown log (or the restart one) on Windows 10 and 11 are absolutely the same.
Method 1: View the shutdown and restart log from the Event Viewer
Follow the steps below to view shutdown and restart activities using Event Viewer:
This information is handy for Windows users who upgraded their OS to the recent release.
You can avoid this Windows update issue by doing the following:
- Adding a unique Shut Down context menu to the desktop to restore the classic behavior.
- Seeing the last shutdown time using the Command Prompt.
Also read: A Problem Has Been Detected and Windows Has Been Shut Down
Method 2: View the shutdown and restart log using the Command Prompt
If the first method is not convenient for you, you can use the Command Prompt to check the Windows restart log (or the shutdown one if that’s your case) by following the steps below:
That’s all!
You can use the Command Prompt to view the Windows shutdown and startup log on Windows 10 and 11. However, I recommend using the Event Viewer, mainly because it’s simple and straightforward.
Moreover, you don’t have to copy-paste codes, which fraudsters can take advantage of to hack into your computer.
If you have computer issues like junk or corrupted files or registry keys, it may be challenging to get to see the Windows restart log (or the shutdown one) and view restart and shutdown events on your PC.
Windows Restart/Shutdown Logs: Explained
If you still can’t get to see the Windows shutdown log to view startup and shutdown events on your computer using the methods we have shared, please provide us with more details.
We’d also love it if you left a comment and shared our post on your social media. For more tips about Windows-related issues, visit our blog.
FAQ
That’s pretty straightforward. Follow these steps:
- Right-click anywhere on your desktop and select New > Shortcut.
- For a shutdown shortcut, type “shutdown /s /f /t 0” in the location box.
- For a restart shortcut, type “shutdown /r /f /t 0.”
- Click Next, name your shortcut (e.g., “Shutdown” or “Restart”), and click Finish.
If your computer is stuck in a restart loop, try booting into Safe Mode:
- Restart your computer and press the F8 key (or Shift + F8) before the Windows logo appears to enter the Advanced Boot Options.
- Select Safe Mode and press Enter.
- Once in Safe Mode, use the System Restore feature or uninstall recently installed updates or drivers that you suspect might be causing the issue.
If you’re still stuck, you might need to use a bootable USB to repair your Windows installation.
- Open Control Panel and navigate to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
- Click on Choose what the power buttons do on the left.
- Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Under Shutdown settings, uncheck the box next to Turn on fast startup (recommended).
- Click Save changes.
Follow these steps:
- Press the Windows logo + R keys, type “cmd,” and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt.
- Copy and paste the following command and press Enter:
wevtutil qe system “/q:*[System [(EventID=1074)]]” /rd:true /f:text /c:1 | findstr /i “date”
