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Disable a Windows (server) system.

By Johan van Soest.

Published : 2015-02-17.

Last updated : 2017-05-11.

On Windows server 2003 and Windows server 2003 r2 (and Windows XP) you could disable a server by removing the NTLDR file from the C:\ root folder. Once the NT Loader file was removed by an administrator, the system will not boot.
With Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows server 2008 Microsoft introduced a new boot management system, so this trick will not work any more.

Disable boot of a Windows server 2008 and Vista and newer operating system

Warning : Use these steps at your own risk. Disabling Windows to boot makes the system unusable unless repaired using CD/DVD media or WDS.

Windows bootmanager

Windows server 2008r2, 2012R2 and Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 use the new bootmanager to describe the diskpartitions and operating systems to load. These partitions can be viewed by entering the command:

bcdedit

Next you have to remove all the partition references by using the command:

bcdedit /delete <Partition ID> /f

An actual example with the shutdown command issued:
Warning : Use these steps at your own risk. Disabling Windows to boot makes the system unusable unless repaired using CD/DVD media or WDS.

C:\>bcdedit

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-us
inherit                 {globalsettings}
default                 {default}
resumeobject            {14f34e48-37c6-11e0-a3cd-d85edc162383}
displayorder            {default}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 30

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {default}
device                  partition=C:
path                    \windows\system32\winload.exe
description             Windows Server 2008 R2
locale                  en-us
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
osdevice                partition=C:
systemroot              \windows
resumeobject            {14f34e48-37c6-11e0-a3cd-d85edc162383}
nx                      OptOut
detecthal               Yes

C:\>bcdedit /delete {default} /f
The operation completed successfully.

C:\>bcdedit /delete {bootmgr} /f
The operation completed successfully.

C:\>shutdown /s /t 00 /f

Warning : Remember to wipe or destroy data disks. This procedure only disables the booting of a system, the disks retain all the data.

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