To reboot the remote machine, simply use the following command in its Command Prompt.

shutdown /r /t:1 /y

There are three arguments being specified here: the first tells the shutdown executable that you want to reboot, not shut down. The second tells it to wait 1 second before shutting down, rather than the default 20 seconds. Finally, the third tells it to automatically answer “Yes” to any questions asked by the operating system when shutting down. The latter may speed up the operation, but you may lose any unsaved changes.

To shut down, simply use the following command:

shutdown /t:1 /y

That’s all there is to it. For more information about the shutdown comment, see this Microsoft Support article.

After using this approach for a month or so, I discovered that there was a way to use CTRL+ALT+DEL in Remote Desktop. Instead of CTRL+ALT+DEL, simply press CTRL+ALT+END, and the remote machine will behave as if it received a CTRL+ALT+DEL signal.

ping -t <target>

<target> can be an IP or domain name.

This command will keep pinging the machine endlessly, which can reveal exactly when the computer is back on the network. As long as you keep getting “Request time out”, the machine isn’t online yet. When you get a reply, as illustrated below, you know you can connect to the machine.

Example output of ping -t

Personally, I tend to put this window on my secondary monitor, while I continue working on the primary monitor.  As soon as the machine is online, I close the window or press CTRL+C to prevent the ping from going on endlessly. Be careful how you use this – some hosts can interpret endless pinging as an attack.

Thanks to François Deschênes for originally showing me this trick.