The Linear Canvas

I leave two computers, a file server and an MP-3 server, on all day and until recently, all night as well. It was just as much that there was no real need to have them on at night as about how much electricity they used, that I decided to do something about it. I sometimes use my file server before I go to work in the morning, so I wanted to be able to restart the computers individually. I don’t think I need my MP-3 server on quite as early.

I searched the Internet for Windows shutdown information and I found several options. I was surprised to see that no one was really talking about this issue at any length. I discovered that I could use scheduled tasks in Windows to auto-start a shortcut or a batch file I created containing the Windows shutdown command to shut down the computers at a designated time.

When I searched for several combinations of words and phrases using auto and shutdown, several freeware, shareware, and retail products popped up. A few seemed promising. Some of the titles that I found were:

• Auto Shutdown Pro v4.6
• Auto Shutdown Standard v4.6
• Auto Shutdown v2.1 Shutdown v1.0
• Timed Shutdown

I tried both Shutdown v1.0 and Timed Shutdown and was not very excited by them. I tried the Auto Shutdown products and felt that the price and performance were much better. I can say that I am a little confused about the origins of the version 2.1 and 4.6. I guess it is possible that the version 2.1 was the original author and then he sold the product to someone else that released v4.6. Maybe there’s no connection. I dunno.

Windows Built-In Components

As I mentioned, you can create a shortcut or a batch file containing the Windows shutdown command. Using the "Scheduled Tasks" applet in the Windows Control Panel you can call the batch file or activate the shortcut to automate this procedure to occur when you want it to. I need to run this command as a service, for when all users are logged out. If it is not run as a service, some user has to be logged into the computer for anything to happen. In Windows XP, the complete path and command "should be":

c:/windows/windows32/shutdown.exe

There are switches that can make the shutdown command do different things:

-l (logoff)
-s (shutdown)
-r (reboot)

An additional switch that can be used in conjunction with the above is:

-t xx (xx is the number seconds before activating shutdown and other switches defined after the command is run)

An example of the full command would be:

c:/windows/windows32/shutdown.exe -s -t 10

This command would shutdown the computer (-s) and wait ten seconds before it occurred (-t 10).

For a complete list of switches and command line format for shutdown.exe, go to a command prompt and type:

shutdown.exe

I tested Scheduled Task logged out on one of my computers. It will optionally run as a service and can shut down the computer using its scheduling capability regardless of whether someone is logged in or not. I also tested the shutdown.exe shortcut on my work computer, and it failed. I suspect there is an issue with running Scheduled Tasks when Windows is locked. My computer locks if it is left idle very long. I must say that using the shutdown.exe command with Scheduled Tasks works almost as well as Auto Shutdown v2.1 and is easier to set up. It is a good choice for a no cost shutdown solution. The fact that it runs as a service makes it a less costly solution than Auto Shutdown Pro v4.6. If the locked computer difficulty is not in my head, then some computers may need a software solution separate from the included Windows components.

Auto Shutdown v2.1

The one program that I had the most hope for was Auto Shutdown v2.1. The reason being that it is freeware, and above all else, I wanted free to be the price. The features of Auto Shutdown v2.1 are adequate to get the job done as long as the user is logged into the computer. It does not run as a service on Windows NT, 2000, or XP. It loads only on login, so if someone logs out, the program does not run and the computer stays on.

The one place that I could use this program was on my MP-3 server. I had a few problems with it, but if you set it up and never bother it, it works fine. I am running Windows 2000 Professional on that computer. The audio streaming software will not run as a service either, so I actually had it auto-logged in as a “user” on restart to keep the security level higher all the time anyway. In that case, the Auto Shutdown v2.1 would be active, so it could do the job. One of the problems I ran into was that the “user” user group did not have enough rights to make the Auto Shutdown v2.1 program run at startup. I upped the user group to “power user” and solved that problem. The only annoying thing that I found out about the program is that you have to be careful about hitting “close” after looking at the settings. Doing so will shut down the running program. The timer schedule seems to come un-programmed when that happens as well. You need to minimize the control panel instead of closing it. If you do not see the icon in the system tray, it is closed and will not function until the program is re-started manually regardless of whether it auto-ran on startup or not.

Auto Shutdown Pro v4.6

Auto Shutdown Pro v4.6 and Auto Shutdown Standard v4.6 are essentially the same product with the exception of the price and the Pro version can run as a service. That was what I was looking for. I wanted to be able to run my Windows 2000 Advanced Server logged out and still be capable of shutting it down. The price for the Standard version is $24.95. The Pro version is $29.95. Both are distributed as shareware. I used Pro for about two weeks and decided to pay for it. It has many features that make it worth the price without the ability to run it as a service, not that I need to use any of those other features.

During the evaluation period, if you logged into the computer, you had an option to again, hit exit, and the program would terminate and not function. The right choice was “evaluate”. That annoying feature has ceased since I paid for it. Just be aware of it if you install it for the trial period. I really like this program. I consider Auto Shutdown Pro v4.6 the best choice and I fully recommend it to anyone looking for a superior automatic computer shutdown solution.

To download Auto Shutdown Pro v4.6 and Auto Shutdown Standard v4.6 for evaluation:
http://www.barefootinc.com

To download the freeware Auto Shutdown v2.1:
http://jayvee.20m.com/download_autoshutdown.htm

To download the shortcuts and batch file I created to shutdown my computer in a ZIP file:
http://www.alexfish.com/dload/shutdown.zip

Restarting

After I chose the shutdown method, I needed a way to restart the computer once it was shut down. I thought there was a way to do it completely though the BIOS setup, but it did not work using the RTC alarm functions. It required the computer be in suspend mode. I searched the Internet for an explanation of the power modes in general. I also looked up how to activate suspend mode, but I could not find the procedure that I needed to use to activate it. I did try the other modes, standby and off, that Windows allows. Neither could allow the BIOS to restore the computer at the time in the RTC alarm settings.

Luckily, both BIOS’s had a “power on state” where you can set the computer to come back on after a power failure. With only the addition of external digital AC outlet timer/switch, I have the software turn off the computers, turn off the timers later, and then when I want the computers to come on, power on the timer. I advise leaving the timers turned off for only a short period. If the computer is without power too long, the battery could become drained after several months of long power shutdowns.

Both timers cost me about $25 and can handle several on/off cycles per day. I purchased two Westek TE05W timers at Lowes (Home Improvement Warehouse). They seem sturdy enough. I saw many AC timers, many of which were mechanical. I guess they would have been good enough, but the digital timers were only a little more money.

One thing that bothers me is Auto Shutdown v2.1 and most other shutdown methods allow you to “force” shutdown of running applications that will not allow a normal shutdown. I know Microsoft Outlook acts that way. My wife uses Quicken and sometimes leaves it running all day. I am concerned that she might have her Quicken program open with some automatic data function in process when I force it to shutdown someday, possibly corrupting the data file. If I install a shutdown program on her computer, I will have to be cautious in using the force shutdown feature. I create regular backups, luckily.

Hopefully there was some electricity savings, hardware wear reduction, or computer operating system stability gain in this project. Regardless, it was a success and I had a good time.

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