Shutdown Event Tracker is a tool that prompts users to record a reason why they restart or shut down the computer. This information is available for review in the event log. If a computer running Windows 7 is connected to a domain that uses monitoring tools, you can collect this information as part of network reporting.

When Shutdown Event Tracker is enabled, users cannot shut down or restart the computer without providing a reason. If the computer is shut down or restarted unexpectedly, either as a result of power interruption or hardware failure, the user is prompted to enter a reason in Shutdown Event Tracker when the computer is started again.

See the following topics for more information about using Shutdown Event Tracker.