How to Prank Your Friends

Know the goal of your prank., Verify the computer's are on the same network., Open the command prompt on your computer., Open the remote shutdown interface., Set the parameters of your remote shutdown., Enact the shutdown/restart and enjoy.

6 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Know the goal of your prank.

    This prank uses a set of processes on your computer to signal the prankee's computer to shut down.

    You can even send a message to be displayed to the prankee to indicate how long he has until his computer remotely shuts down.

    You and the prankee will need to have computers that are somewhat recent and running Windows XP or newer.

    Windows version 7, 8,
    8.1, and 10 should work with this prank.
  2. Step 2: Verify the computer's are on the same network.

    For this prank to work, you'll need your computer and the prankee's computer to be on the same network.

    Depending on your version of Windows, there may be small variations in how to check the networks for each computer, but generally, you should be able to do this by:
    Navigating to your control panel, which can be found in the lower left hand corner start menu of older versions of Windows.

    You can also open your file explorer by clicking its icon on the lower status bar of most recent versions of Windows, and in the following window, select "Network" from the directory pane on the left.

    In the resulting window, you should see a list of computers.

    At minimum, you should see your own computer and its network status.

    You'll need both your own computer and the prankee's computer to be listed in this window with a connected status., The easiest way to access the command prompt interface is by starting it from the program launcher.

    Open the launcher by holding the ⊞ Win key and pressing R.

    This should open an small window with a text input box to the right of the word "Open." In the "Run" window's text input box, type the letters "CMD".

    This should open a window with a black background and white letters. , In the command prompt window (the black background window with white letters), type "shutdown /i" and press ↵ Enter to prompt the remote shutdown window to open.

    You should now see a list of computers on your network., In the remote shutdown dialog box, choose the prankee's computer from the computers listed.

    Then, from the dropdown menu below the listed computers, choose whether you'd like to restart or shutdown the computer.

    In the remote shutdown dialog box, you can also:
    Choose to warn the prankee of the impending shutdown/restart.

    Adjust the frequency the shutdown/restart warnings appear.

    Leave a message explaining the reason for the shutdown/restart.

    A strange message might have an interesting effect on the prankee
    - be creative!, Once you have set the remote shutdown/restart parameters, all you have to do is hit OK, and the wheels of your prank will be set in motion.

    You may want to perform this prank several times while recording the reaction of the prankee to capture the reaction.

    Priceless!
  3. Step 3: Open the command prompt on your computer.

  4. Step 4: Open the remote shutdown interface.

  5. Step 5: Set the parameters of your remote shutdown.

  6. Step 6: Enact the shutdown/restart and enjoy.

Detailed Guide

This prank uses a set of processes on your computer to signal the prankee's computer to shut down.

You can even send a message to be displayed to the prankee to indicate how long he has until his computer remotely shuts down.

You and the prankee will need to have computers that are somewhat recent and running Windows XP or newer.

Windows version 7, 8,
8.1, and 10 should work with this prank.

For this prank to work, you'll need your computer and the prankee's computer to be on the same network.

Depending on your version of Windows, there may be small variations in how to check the networks for each computer, but generally, you should be able to do this by:
Navigating to your control panel, which can be found in the lower left hand corner start menu of older versions of Windows.

You can also open your file explorer by clicking its icon on the lower status bar of most recent versions of Windows, and in the following window, select "Network" from the directory pane on the left.

In the resulting window, you should see a list of computers.

At minimum, you should see your own computer and its network status.

You'll need both your own computer and the prankee's computer to be listed in this window with a connected status., The easiest way to access the command prompt interface is by starting it from the program launcher.

Open the launcher by holding the ⊞ Win key and pressing R.

This should open an small window with a text input box to the right of the word "Open." In the "Run" window's text input box, type the letters "CMD".

This should open a window with a black background and white letters. , In the command prompt window (the black background window with white letters), type "shutdown /i" and press ↵ Enter to prompt the remote shutdown window to open.

You should now see a list of computers on your network., In the remote shutdown dialog box, choose the prankee's computer from the computers listed.

Then, from the dropdown menu below the listed computers, choose whether you'd like to restart or shutdown the computer.

In the remote shutdown dialog box, you can also:
Choose to warn the prankee of the impending shutdown/restart.

Adjust the frequency the shutdown/restart warnings appear.

Leave a message explaining the reason for the shutdown/restart.

A strange message might have an interesting effect on the prankee
- be creative!, Once you have set the remote shutdown/restart parameters, all you have to do is hit OK, and the wheels of your prank will be set in motion.

You may want to perform this prank several times while recording the reaction of the prankee to capture the reaction.

Priceless!

About the Author

A

Amber West

A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.

75 articles
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