Manage updates with the Download AppCNET Editors' review
It's not especially difficult to use the Windows Task Scheduler to shut down your PC at a specific time, but it's not particularly convenient, either. And if you need more options or commands, your choice is limited. GoldSolution's PC Auto Shutdown answers many needs with flexible options for scheduling automatic shutdown, power-off, restart, hibernate, and other commands. Its wizard-based interface makes setting custom schemes a breeze. PC Auto Shutdown is shareware that is free to try for 15 days. The latest version fully supports Windows 8. We tried it in both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7.
When the program's installer closed, a compact window opened to its Timer tab, which displayed Add, Edit, and Delete buttons and a grid view sorted by Title, Status, Shutdown Event, Activation Time, and Frequency. Clicking Add produced the Timer Settings tool. We named and configured our timer from a range of features, including a weekly menu and various activation options, and clicked OK. We set our Shutdown time for 3 minutes and clicked Next.
The Wizard walked us through the remaining Tabs in turn, each clearly labeled by function: General, Hotkeys, Sound, Clean up, Password, and Log. The Clean up tab offered a menu of additional actions such as emptying the Recycle Bin and clearing browser data. The password tool is a valuable option when other users have access to your PC. After we'd set everything, we clicked OK, closed all our open programs, and waited. On schedule and without fuss, PC Auto Shutdown shut our system down. When we rebooted, everything ran normally. One thing we'd like to see is a visible countdown timer, perhaps with a flashing alert for when sound isn't an option.
Advanced users can program commands into PC Auto Shutdown, though we didn't try. For most users, PC Auto Shutdown offers more than enough extra capabilities, compared to Windows. It's quite inexpensive, so you can try it for a couple of weeks and see if it makes your life easier.
Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of PC Auto Shutdown 5.3.
Publisher's Description
From GoldSolution:
PC Auto Shutdown helps you automatically shutdown, power off, reboot, hibernate, suspend or log off computers at schedule time you specifies. It can shut down computers at schedule time when no user is logged on or when computers are in suspended power conservation mode. It gives you different ways to schedule the shutdown event for your needs, such as daily, weekly and only once. During the shutdown, it can clean up Recycle Bin, temporary files, IE cache, IE cookies, IE history, IE auto-complete entries and recent document list to improve system performance and protect your privacy.
What's new in this version: Versions 5.5 include some minor tweaks.
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All versions:
3.7 starsout of 10 votes
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Current version:
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Results 1-9 of 9
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"handy software"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 5.4
Pros
absolutely no problem in shutting down my computer
Cons
it should be freeware.not worth the money.i don't want to pay to just perform the cleanup before shut down.
Summary
take a look at these freeware
autoshutdown:-offers simple timer+ scheduler+keyboard shortcuts
http://download.cnet.com/Auto-Shutdown/3000-2084_4-10640426.html?tag=mncol;4
pc down -timer+selected process cpu usage+ also total network usage of computer
http://download.cnet.com/PC-Down/3000-2084_4-75810959.html?tag=mncol;3 -
"auto shutdown after download completed"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 5.4
Pros
auto shutdown after download completed
Cons
auto shutdown after download completed
Summary
auto shutdown after download completed
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"not so good!bad ui"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 5.3
Pros
none. if u count u would die.
Cons
everythin' from UI to options.just everythin.
Summary
found this better: www.sourceforge.net/projects/pcdown
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"Cool software"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 4.6
Pros
Meet my demand to work on W7 64. And, it does turn off my PC as it promises ^^.
Cons
Need to have option to Shutdown and specific date and time.
Summary
Good enough to try free. Not really worth a commercial one.
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"useful tool"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 3.7
Pros
auto shutdown after download completed
Cons
not yet used so I don't have any comment
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"Get idea - a quick way if you just need the basics is"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 3.66
Pros
Shutdown
A windows command since at least XP and scriptable. So using Windows Notepad copy the following commands in to the following files.
Shutoff.cmd
@echo off
shutdown -s
Reboot.cmd
@echo off
shutdown -r
Logoff.cmd
@echo off
shutdown -l as in larry
Goto Run and type CMD and enter, then type shutdown ? and enter for more switch information. Just add the switches that work together for the functionality you want. Shutdown.Exe was built by MS as a remote shutdown tool. If you don't need all the bells and whistles its a neat fairly unknown utility of XP (circa 2004 - I built one, not to toot my own horn, in 1999 using VB - it still works and had similar switches just makes you wonder what could've been). If you need all the functionality of this shutdown utility by all means support your local programmer. If you are like me and like to hack, and believe me what I do programmatically is a hack (but it usually works) then try Shutdown.Exe. You can either save the Cmds to your desktop or put them organized and make shortcuts to them. A gotta on your desktop is a script to run Shutdown -f as in Frank this "Forces" your PC to poweroff - useful if you ever get locked out of your start menu and can't type or you just want out at any cost. Better then pulling the plug.
Cons
It tooks so long for someone to get around to doing such a product. MS Should have had something like this built into Windows - hey, maybe the author should try to sell it to them before they just steal its functionality and duplicate it.
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"its good"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 3.66
Pros
i like the auto management of my PC
Cons
the interface of the software
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"works great"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 3.65
Pros
easy to use
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"Does the job and some, but has minor inconveniences"
Version: PC Auto Shutdown 3.2
Pros
-Can shutdown based on weekday, daily, or specific day modes
-Can clear recycle bin, ie temp files/history, recent documents, and more upon shutdown
-Can run alert before shutdown (and play music)
Cons
- Running in background, takes 5 megs ram (not bad, I guess)
- Ugly little taskbar icon (again, minor)
