How to Schedule a Computer to Restart Itself

In today's business world, everyone seems concerned with the bottom line. Maximizing profit while keeping costs low is the name of the game. Every line item is looked at and cuts are made where they can be. One of the hardest thing to cut down seems to be energy efficiency. However, you can make help keep those energy bills low by making sure that all computers are turned off at night. Even if an employee forgets to shut down their machine, its possible to schedule a task which can do it for them.

Instructions

1. Click on the Windows Icon at the bottom left hand corner of the screen. Click on "All Programs" and then double-click on "Accessories."

2. Scroll down to the "System Tools" folder and double-click. Scroll down and click on "Task Scheduler".

3. Click on "Create Basic Task" from the right hand side of the screen. Type the name of the task. Click on "Next."

4. Click on the radio button for the frequency of this task. In this case, click on "Daily" and click on the "Next" button.

5. Click on the calendar pull down menu and select a date for the shutdown process to begin. Then type the time you would like the shutdown to occur. In this case, choose a time where people will be least likely to still be working so this effects as little people as possible. Type how often you want this to re-occur in the space provided (in this case every "1" day). Click "Next"

6. Click on the radio button next to "Start a Program" and click "Next."

7. Click on the "Browse" button and scroll down until you come to "Shutdown.exe" (it may just read "shutdown"). Click on the file and click "Open." Type "-r" in the "Add arguments" text box. Click on "Next." Review and click on the "Finish" button.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use the Task Scheduler to send e-mails, open programs, or alert you to different things. This is a good way to remember to do things on your computer.

• Make sure this task is set to go off at a time where there will most likely not be users on the machines. This task will automatically shut down and users will lose unsaved work

References

• The Spinning Donut: How to automatically shut down Windows Vista
• Tips4PC.com: How To Open Task Scheduler And Set Tasks For Your Computer
• Microsoft Technet: Windows Vista Task Scheduler