14 DAY TRIAL // Whether you're a newbie, or a maniac with computers the need to be comfortable and do as little as possible as far as the "administrative" operations are concerned is always there.
I'm sure that there's no user out there that didn't, at least once, fall asleep waiting for that precious download to finish, and wake up in the morning with the computer still running.
It's needs like this that ebiSoft had in mind when they developed Shutdown Monster.
The basics
This program is designed to help you make the operation of turning your computer off an automated one. All the features are structured in eight different tabs that form the main menu.
At first, all I had in mind was finding out how I can have my computer run with music in the background as I fall asleep at night, and turn off after I fall asleep. But, to my surprise there are many more utilizations than I thought. This is a strong power management tool that gives you better control over your computer.
Getting down to business
You can have several "triggers" that let the program know it's time to turn the system off.
As one would expect, the first feature that shows up when turning on the program is to schedule an exact date and time when the computer should shut down.
You can see a nice calendar, with today's date pointed out (so that you don't get confused about when to schedule the shutdown), and a time field containing parameters for hour, minute and second settings (AM/PM format). You can either activate the option (using the Set button), or save it for later use (using the Save button).
Then, you have another alternative, and you can have the computer shutdown using the Countdown feature that the program has. There is a protection system, and you can input starting from 1 second up to 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
This only seems fair, since if you should want to schedule a longer countdown, you will simply use the previous feature. Again, you have the possibility to save your setting for later use, or activate it right then and there.
Moving on, I found another way to schedule a system shutdown. You can select a file (whatever file you want), and have the program shut down your computer once that file is gone. You can select from one to sixty minutes as the interval between two consecutive checkings that the program does to see if the file has disappeared or not. If you want the computer to shutdown once a program has finished a task, you can select a temporary file that the program uses, and once it's gone, it means that the task is over, and Shutdown Monster can start its job.
I was surprised to find yet another use of this program, and if you didn't like anything so far I'm sure that this one will please you.
There's the possibility to have your PC turned off, whenever the processor usage drops bellow a certain value (that you have to input). By default, 5 percent is set, but if you use a program that needs more CPU power, you can easily change the value. Also, you have to enter a time interval that the computer is on low processor usage, and, as if that wouldn't be enough, you can have the computer turn off only if there is no mouse movement or keyboard typing, by checking the correspondent box (the previous two requirements must be met).
There are some advanced settings you can work on with this monster. The most important is the fact that you can change the shutdown operation with any of the power management functions, and you can choose from: restart, log off, alarm (you can have your own sound play), empty recycle bin, clear temporary Internet files, and a bunch more.
If you want a warning before your computer turns off, you can have a visual and acoustical countdown do that (9 seconds long). You also have the option of having your computer turned off through your local network or via Internet.
A nice little feature that I like is that you can have the volume fade out, as the shut down moment approaches. It's obvious that this was introduced for the late night music addicts (or for the ones that like to hear fairy tales before going to sleep).
As you move on to the next tab on the program, you'll see the Fast access section, which does exactly its name: it gives you fast access to the power management resources. There's even a "Shutdown menu" button that will show the Windows shutdown menu. I don't think it gives too fast of an access, since all the items in the menu are already placed in this panel. But, heck, since you're already here, why not click it?
There's also the possibility for you to block the access to the computer for the current user, after the computer shuts down. You can combine this feature with the one that turns off the computer once a certain file disappears. This way, should an intruder try to delete your data, he/she will have no access to the computer, and no further harm will be done.
And, at the end of all tabs, but surely not the least important you can have your system date and time synchronized with some of the known servers presented in a list. Also, you can add your own server, if you don't trust all those atomic precise clocks.
Even though there is a Fast access section, if you right click anywhere in the program, you will be presented with a list containing the most important operations you can perform, including: Power off (now or after 15, 30, 60 or 120 minutes), restart, log off, lock computer and screen saver. Say what you want, this is really FAST.
After using this program, I didn't feel the need to use the Windows turn off function again. I even expect lower electric power bills from now on, for I'm sure this little guy won't play tricks on me.
The Good
I've enjoyed working with this program, mostly because it takes little time to set things up, and it makes my computer management work easier. There are tool tips for every feature included, which help me know exactly what I'm doing.
The Bad
Not many bad things can be said about this program. An improvement on design wouldn't harm anyone, but the current one isn't that bad either. Also I've noticed that you cannot schedule more types of shutdown at the same time, but let's not get too moody.
The Truth
If you want a good power management tool, search no more! Shutdown Monster will take care of business for you. On top of that, this is a free program, so go ahead and download it.
Below you can see some screenshots of the program in action.
