Auto Power-on and Shut-down

Although Windows includes a built-in scheduling utility, Auto Power-on and Shut-down simplifies such tasks. True to its name, the program mainly lets you schedule your PC to start up and shut down at regular intervals. You can configure the application to boot up or shut down your PC on a daily or weekly basis, and you can schedule such events down to the very second. In addition to its main job, the program lets you schedule tasks such as opening a URL or a file, launching a program, playing a sound file, or locking the computer. Auto Power-on and Shut-down also supplies a few nice bonus features, such as tools for saving power and syncing your PC's clock with atomic servers. The utility's clean tabbed interface is a bit sparse for our tastes, but it is logically arranged, and even inexperienced users should get up to speed quickly. We found some of the prompts confusing, though. As in most programs, quitting triggers a confirmation box; however, clicking OK doesn't stop the app but keeps it running in the system tray. But minor annoyances aside, both parents and system administrators will likely find this program a handy addition to their computers.