Need help with a "Shutdown" Script...

[Guest]

I know this might seem pretty funny but...

I have a nephew who leaves the computer running in his room, forgetting to
shut it down before he leaves for school and I need to find an effective way
for the computer to shutdown automatically after it's been idling after like
30 or 45 minutes.

I have already created a .bat file to SHUTDOWN the computer; placing that
file in some random directory (like c:\programs) and created a "Scheduled
Task" executing this batch file if the computer has been idling for 45
minutes.

Doing it this way actually does what I want it to do without any problems
but the teen is smart. He's found this "Scheduled Task" and deleted it
causing the computer to not run the task that I want it to.

If it were up to me, I'd take the computer away from him altogether but I
can't do that and his mother really doesn't enforce her rules but she likes
the idea that the computer will shutdown automatically, I just need help in
fixing the computer to execute what I want it to do without the teen
disabling it.

Does anyone have ANY suggestions?

Here's the BATCH file that I use when I created a new "Scheduled Task"...

shutdown -s -f -c "POWERING DOWN!!" -t 30

PLEASE HELP!!

Thanks!

Leonard Peacock

 

[Leythos]

I have a nephew who leaves the computer running in his room, forgetting to
shut it down before he leaves for school and I need to find an effective way
for the computer to shutdown automatically after it's been idling after like
30 or 45 minutes.

If you don't mind, why do you want it to shut-down? My kids computers
run for months on end without any problems, although it does increase
our electric bill.

 

[Doug Sherman [MVP]]

Well:

1. There is and always has been an endless debate about the benefits of
daily shutdown vs. leaving the machine running. I just replaced the entire
case for a client because the riveted-in power switch broke. There may be
other benefits to leaving it on - eg. unattended virus scans, updates, etc.

2. As long as your nephew has an account with local administrator rights,
then unless this machine is joined to a domain; there is nothing you can do
to it that he cannot undo. You will simply have a protracted battle of
wits - might be kind of fun.

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP

 

[Guest]

This might help:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/default.mspx

Otherwise, I'd suggest running these things as a service from an
administrator account.

But, frankly, there's no solution that someone can't find a way around. The
appropriate thing here is to run the shutdown batch file and give
consequences if it's defeated (but, being in the same situation as you, I
understand how difficult this can be).

It's just a matter of what's more important to the parent - the electric
bill or the kid being allowed to mess around without consequences.

- John

 

[Rick]

I agree a service would give you your best shoot.

If you can program in almost any language you can make a service that looks
like something it is not and either shut down the system or shell to
shutdown.