shutdown

Our first impression of Turn Off Monitor was not a good one. We had to use our Task Manager to stop the program because it caused problems from the get-go.

Immediately after installing the program, our monitor went haywire, turning itself off and on without us clicking a single button. After stopping the program, we were able to get a better idea of how it worked, or better yet, how it didn't work. Turn Off Monitor installs not one, not two, but three icons on your desktop. There's an icon to immediately turn off your monitor, an icon … Read more

If you're looking for an effective and efficient program to perform a timed shutdown of your computer, look no further.

MF Shutdown Manager Full Edition is a basic, no-frills program designed to offer an array of functions. Users can force their computers to shut down, restart, lock, hibernate, wake up, standby, and more. The user simply sets a timer in hours, minutes, and seconds, and then selects Start Timer. If the timer is not selected, a predetermined time can be chosen. Simply set the clock within the program for when you want to perform the operation, and then wait. … Read more

Don't let its name fool you; this little utility comes with a wide range of options for not only shutting down, but also for hibernating and restarting your computer at times specified by you.

Easy ShutDown has a very basic user interface. We were disappointed to find that it didn't include a Help feature, but we were able to navigate the program very easily. Using either the menu options or toolbar commands, you can add multiple shutdown actions. When adding a new action, you can opt to activate the action after a certain amount of time, at a … Read more

VGAutoS is a free utility that lets you shut down, restart, and log off of your computer according to a timer set by you. While it may not be much to look at, it performed its simple job without any problems.

VGAutoS installs easily, but we were a little miffed that it installed a desktop shortcut without our permission. The user interface was plain, but straightforward enough for us to quickly understand. A good thing, since the Help feature was unavailable. The four prominent buttons for shutting down, logging off, restarting, and hibernating our PC worked as expected, but didn'… Read more

It gives you more options for managing your PC's power-saving features, but Auto Shutdown King's price may seem a bit steep.

Auto Shutdown King launches a small, simple interface with two columns of radio buttons. Its options are clearly labeled, but determining how best to use this utility isn't obvious at first launch. Adding a more detailed Help feature would be a good start for the next upgrade.

After some trial and error experimentation, configuring the utility for scheduling shut downs, log offs, restarts, or simply hibernations was a matter of a few clicks. Auto Shutdown King … Read more

It claims to speed up your PC's shutdown process, but this program did no such thing when we put it to the test.

SpeedShut places four shortcut icons on your desktop--one for logging off your computer, one for shutting down, one for restarting, and one for aborting an initiated process. According to the publisher's description, the program includes some sort of shutdown configuration for a shutdown and restart delay, but it could not be found. Each shortcut icon that we clicked performed its function, but did not ask us for any kind of configuration. We also noticed that … Read more

What's the fastest way to shut down Windows?

With a mouse, it takes at least two clicks, plus the time required for the various menus to appear.

With a keyboard, you can shut down Windows XP by pressing the Windows key (or Ctrl-Esc) and typing U twice. In Vista, the shutdown keyboard sequence is Windows key, right arrow three times, Enter.

By default, Vista goes into sleep mode when you press the Windows key, then the right arrow, and then Enter to activate the Start menu's power button. You can change this behavior--letting you shut down with two … Read more

I blogged on Wednesday about the photo archiving site Digital Railroad's abrupt shutdown, leaving thousands of professional photographer customers confused and worried. On Thursday, I got a statement saying that the site will extend the window time until Friday, October 31, 11:59 p.m. PST, for customers to migrate their photo archives.

The statement comes from both PhotoShelter and Diablo Management Group, the firm in charge of the shut down the defunct Digital Railroad, and reads:

As part of the process of terminating the business operations of Digital Railroad, Diablo Management Group has informed PhotoShelter of its intent … Read more

If the news about bank collapses hasn't devastated you enough, I have another depressing one. This time it comes from the Internet, but is no less devastating for a good number of people, hopefully not including you.

As of Wednesday, if you go to the Web site of Digital Railroad you will be greeted with this:

To our valued Members and Partners:

We deeply regret to inform you that Digital Railroad (DRR) has shut down.

On October 15th we reported that the company had reduced its staff and was aggressively pursuing additional financing and/or a strategic partner. Unfortunately, … Read more