sTray

If you are commonly using Microsoft's Remote Desktop function, then you are probably aware that one of the issues you are facing is the lack of the shutdown and restart commands.

sTray is a lightweight application that enables you to power off, reboot, sleep, lock or switch between users seamlessly when working remotely on your computer.

The installation is simple and straightforward as it implies extracting the archive without having to perform further configurations. While it does not have a UI per se, you can access the application's functions from the context menu.

It is necessary to mention that everything is kept at a very basic level and that the only option within the program entails specifying whether you want it to start at the same time with your operating system. Then again, the icons used for the main functions are similar to the ones specific to Windows and hence, you can access them without having to pay too much attention.

As you probably hinted from the simple interface, the application enables you to shutdown, switch user, lock, restart, log off, sleep and hibernate your computer. Although all functions are working seamlessly, you cannot specify the time when you want the desired action to trigger.

The program also lacks an options menu that allows you to set parameters for the desired actions. To be more precise, it would be useful if it incorporated a timer and a shutdown warning system, so you can schedule the app to power off your PC after an update or a full computer scan, for instance.

Without denying that it performs the desired action once you access them, sTray does not bring anything new to the picture. While it is true that the Start Menu when working on remote desktop lacks these options, you can obtain the same results using command lines.