UP Time

A computer can constantly function as long as it’s hooked up to a power source and there are no software component interference. Sure enough the longer a computer is running the more energy it uses and if you need to be aware of the exact time your PC is active, then UP Time can help you out.

The application comes in a lightweight package, with little time spent installing it. The main window goes directly to the taskbar on launch, but you can tell by the new icon added there. The visual design consists of a basic set of elements, and even though it feels a little rough around the edges, there’s no problem in the accommodation process.

Your computer’s uptime is monitored as soon as the application is launched. However, this is done by activating a timer right after the set of features becomes active, and the application doesn’t actually know for how long the PC has been running so far. On exit a log file is generated in the source directory.

Since it’s not directly tied to uptime, or comes with any method to read active time, it’s best to make it run with Windows for an accurate reading. The application does not come with such a feature, but there’s the possibility to bypass this by manually adding a shortcut to the system Startup folder.

Time is shown in different cells to delimit hours from minutes and seconds. There’s an additional field which also displays days if the case requires it. You can configure a limit to see if a task takes more, but the requirement field only accepts days as value, and there’s no alert system or possibility to configure an action, such as turning off your PC.

Taking everything into consideration, we can state that UP Time is a lightweight application which quietly sits in the taskbar and monitors the running time of your PC. However, it’s a little rough around the edges in terms of both technicality and visuals, since it needs to run with Windows for an accurate display.