Sleepwalker: Windows shutdown just became more comfortable

Do you like to watch a movie or listen to music before you fall asleep at night? If you do, you have probably noticed that the PC is still on the next morning when you wake up. If you have been using a mobile computer on battery, you may even notice that it has run out of battery, and that you have to charge it first before you can use it as a mobile computer again.

Shutdown software like Sleepwalker, or the previously reviewed Shutdown Scheduler or Smart Shutdown, automate the shut down of the PC so that the device gets turned off automatically after a certain time or events.

Sleepwalker adds a number of options to the shutdown process: some automatic, some manual. As far as manual options go, you get access to new keyboard shortcuts that you can use for the following purposes:

• Shutdown computer
• Restart computer
• Hibernate the PC
• Log off user
• Power down monitor
• Run the screensaver

You can in addition configure the software to clean up temporary data when system state changes. While the offered options are not as extensive as those that programs like CCleaner offer, it lets you empty the Recycle Bin, clean several Internet Explorer specific settings and the Windows Pagefile. Plus, you can configure the program to overwrite the data securely so that it can't be recovered anymore at a later point in time.

The core features are however automatic.  One of the options that you have in this regard is to enable the program's idle shutdown feature. You basically configure the program to shut down the PC after it has been idle for a specific time.

You can alternatively configure timers that activate the desired action at a specific day and time. The following actions can be configured here:

• Shutdown
• Restart
• Hibernate
• Log off user
• Turn off monitor
• Run screensaver
• Run a file

The action can be configured to run only once at a specific time of the current day, daily, only on weekends, or weekly at a specific day of the week.

Sleepwalker can be password protected to prevent other users from tampering with the program's configuration. You can additionally log events and enable sound notifications. in the program settings.

A right-click on the application's system tray icon provides access to the preferences and options to change the system's power state directly.

Sleepwalker is a comprehensive software for Windows users who like to improve the operating system's shutdown capabilities. (via Dottech)

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