Shutdown.exe ignoring command switches

[gusCubed]

Recently purchased a BenQ Joybook Rv55 with Vista Business installed.

I used to schedule system shutdown using the command prompt and
desktop shortcuts on my old XP SP2 machine:
eg.
shutdown.exe /s /t 1200

When I try to do this from the command prompt in Vista, I get the
shutdown.exe help text displaying after the prompt - almost as if it
is ignoring the arguments/switches.

I have tried arguments in both '-x' and '/x' formats and all
combinations but to no avail. I've even tried turning off UAC. Has
anyone else experienced a similar problem?

Ta in advance.

 

[Richard Urban]

600 seconds is the maximum allowed

Look at shutdown /? and read about the switches

--


Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User

 

[CJM]

600 seconds is the maximum allowed

Look at shutdown /? and read about the switches

This really p*sses me off.

I used to leave my PC ripping DVDs/running Backups/other processing and I
would set the machine to shutdown in 2 or 3 hours. Suddenly with Vista we
are back to 10 mins... what gives?

To the OP - I now use a freebie called PowerOff. It ought to be unnecessary,
but there you go...

CJM

 

[Jon]

Recently purchased a BenQ Joybook Rv55 with Vista Business installed.

I used to schedule system shutdown using the command prompt and
desktop shortcuts on my old XP SP2 machine:
eg.
shutdown.exe /s /t 1200

When I try to do this from the command prompt in Vista, I get the
shutdown.exe help text displaying after the prompt - almost as if it
is ignoring the arguments/switches.

I have tried arguments in both '-x' and '/x' formats and all
combinations but to no avail. I've even tried turning off UAC. Has
anyone else experienced a similar problem?

Ta in advance.

The valid range for the /t switch is 0-600.

shutdown /?

 

[Craig]

Hi there,

I believe the 10 minute setting is from the time it initiates the shutdown.
You could set up a scheduled task to kick it in after your burning was to be
done i.e. allow an hour maybe)

Just a thought.

Cheers,
Craig

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

As others said, 600 seconds is the max allowed value for Shutdown.exe timeout in Windows Vista. Although I don't know why this time-out range was reduced in Vista, but here is a small script that I came up with, which can help you set the time-out period to >600 seconds.

http://www.winhelponline.com/scripts/shutdown.vbs

Download and save to a folder of your choice. To schedule a shutdown, double-click the script and enter the time-out period (in seconds). It works this way:

If the time-out value is exceeds 600 seconds, the script sleeps for the exceeded value (timeout value - 600 seconds) and then schedules a shutdown with 600 seconds as the timeout.

Note that you can accomplish the same thing using the sleep.exe tool from the Windows 2000/2003 Resource Kit Tools, and using them in a Batch file.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Recently purchased a BenQ Joybook Rv55 with Vista Business installed.

I used to schedule system shutdown using the command prompt and
desktop shortcuts on my old XP SP2 machine:
eg.
shutdown.exe /s /t 1200

When I try to do this from the command prompt in Vista, I get the
shutdown.exe help text displaying after the prompt - almost as if it
is ignoring the arguments/switches.

I have tried arguments in both '-x' and '/x' formats and all
combinations but to no avail. I've even tried turning off UAC. Has
anyone else experienced a similar problem?

Ta in advance.

 

[gusCubed]

Thanks Ramesh, your script does the job. Thanks also to everyone else
who answered my original query.
I have to confess I didn't try setting the timeout period to less than
600 seconds, I thought it may have been been a permissions issue.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Thanks for updating this thread, gusCubed.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Thanks Ramesh, your script does the job. Thanks also to everyone else
who answered my original query.
I have to confess I didn't try setting the timeout period to less than
600 seconds, I thought it may have been been a permissions issue.