ShutDown (formerly Shut Down Manager)

ShutDown is a feather-light application that enables you to schedule the PC to power off, restart or log off at a specified time.

It comes in handy whenever you want to leave the computer unattended while it's carrying out lengthy tasks, such as downloading large files, but also to shut down when it's done, particularly if other people have access to your password-protected PC.

The whole program's packed in just one executable file that can be saved anywhere on the disk or copied to a removable storage unit, in order to seamlessly launch it on any computer with little effort. It doesn't add new entries to the system registry or create files on the disk without letting you know about it. However, you must have .NET Framework installed, as it was built with the aid of this platform.

ShutDown adopts a slightly unusual interface, putting emphasis on graphical elements to make the window look hi-tech. The preferred PC power type action can be selected between shutdown, restart or log off, either from the "Options" menu or by clicking on two arrow buttons to navigate all panes.

The utility reveals the current time in 12-clock format (AM/PM) and asks you to set the preferred time to trigger the action at. It doesn't show the remaining time, nor does it bring up a message dialog to the screen to let you know that time's almost up and to offer you the possibility to cancel the task if you forgot about it and changed your mind. The main window can be minimized to the taskbar, as there is no option implemented for sending it to the system tray.

We've come across some discrepancies concerning GUI aspects in our tests, probably because the application hasn't received updates for a long time and likely has compatibility issues with newer Windows models. Otherwise, it worked smoothly, without hanging, crashing or prompting errors. Unsurprisingly, system resources usage was minimal.

To sum it up, ShutDown offers a simple solution for scheduling PC shutdown, restart or log off at a sharp time. It can be easily handled.