Just Do It
JumpReg
SetTextColor
ShellX
   (SetFileDate)
Shutdown
   (ScrnSavMngr)

Make it Easy
DeskTOP
QuickStart
ShowTime
   (ClipNotes)
WinBzzzz

MCSE MCSD MCP+I MCT

Team #3 NT Workstation

Designed for Windows 95/98/NT.

(Download all 12Ghosts 1.3 MB, 18-Dec-98)

Introducing PACT ShutDown
   ╖ More Commands
   ╖ Additional Features
   ╖ New in this version
Installation and Usage
ScreenSaverSpirit
For Example: Backup with XCOPY
Programmers and Administrators
E-mail ShutDown Support
How to Order a License

  Download PACT ShutDown 99.1d

330 KB, 18-Dec-98, Including ScreenSaverSpirit, self-extracting Setup, complete Uninstall, full documentation.

Introducing PACT ShutDown

Terminate programs not responding automatically with two additional time-outs! Power off, shutdown, restart, log off, reboot into NT boot.ini entry, reboot to DOS, restart Windows only, restart shell only, initiate standby, start screen saver, lock workstation. User defined hotkey, optional tray icon, FlyingIcon™, shortcut or batch file. Optional confirmation, countdown, run and wait for program before, play sound, eject CDs, clear history lists.

More Commands

• Power off, Shutdown, Restart, Log off, reboot to DOS

• Boot into any OS listed in your boot.ini with just one click without waiting for the boot menu (only with Windows NT).

• Restart Windows Only (on Windows 95/98 only)

• Restart Shell Only (no log off, application keep running!)

• Initiate Standby mode

• Start screen saver and lock workstation: did you ever wonder why the screen saver doesn't jump in immediately when you lock your NT workstation? You can do it now!

Additional Features

• Now you can Terminate programs not responding automatically! Select two more time-outs for unresponsive applications: a second friendly challenge to close, and then a definitive termination!

• Prevent standby/screen saver from jumping in while you are running a slide show or a paused network game!

• Run a program before shutdown, for example your backup program. PACT ShutDown will wait for this program to finish, and power-off your system unattended later

• Shutdown your system per taskbar tray icon, define any key combination, or create a shortcut or batch file.

• FlyingIcon™ - No longer depend on the too small taskbar tray. Place the FlyingIcon™ anywhere on the screen.

• Optional confirmation and countdown

• Cancel during shutdown (NT only)

• Flash icon and siren as additional warning

• ScreenSaverSpirit: Manage your screen saver per batchfile, change screen saver, stop it per scheduler, start with password protection, set time-out within seconds (!), enable/disable screen saver, set/reset password protection, enter standby mode.

• Support the new Nutek power management standard that turns off monitor power, even in NT, by changing screen savers at a scheduled time!

New in this version:

99.1c: If no boot.ini was found and the menu command "Boot into this OS" was selected, it crashed. This has been corrected

• Select any shutdown command in the menu: all previous actions will happen like confirmation, countdown, run program before, play sound, eject CDs, termination, and clear history lists.

• Hold CTRL to prevent the previous actions and do a standard shutdown/restart/log off.

• Terminate programs not responding automatically! Select two more time-outs for unresponsive applications: a second friendly challenge to close, and then a definitive termination!

• Initiate Standby mode, start screen saver

• Prevent standby/screen saver from jumping in while you are running a slide show or a paused network game!

• Screen Saver Manager and support for the Nutek power management feature

• Reboot to MS-DOS. Just enter "win" at the command prompt to restart Windows.

• Restart Shell Only has been enhanced to work even more effective and stable!

• The different shutdown commands are now available per command line!

• Support for "/s" or "/silent" on the command line. With "/s" specified in a shortcut, no dialog is displayed, just the icon will appear in the taskbar tray. In other words, as long as no "/s" is specified, the ShutDown dialog will now open immediately!

• Proceedings box is now optional

• Optional siren on mouse over icon

• You can now move the FlyingIcon™ per arrow keys (if it has the focus after a move, click or a double-click).

Installation and Usage

To install PACT ShutDown, just click here to save the file on your local disk. Start the downloaded program and select OK to accept the default installation options. That's it!

You should notice the red blinking FlyingIcon™ at the top of the screen. Click with the right (the other) mouse button on this icon to open the PACT ShutDown menu. Select the first command to open the PACT ShutDown Settings.

Right-click on the red icon to open this menu.

First, you might want to change the default "On Click" option. This is the currently selected shutdown default command executed when you left-click on the icon , or press the hotkey.

Please review and customize the selected actions to take place before any log off. You might want to confirm the shutdown but proceed automatically after a countdown. You can run a program before and let ShutDown wait for it to finish. If this program requires parameters you can specify them in the Command Line Options.

"Say Goodbye" can play any sound file. It will be played asynchronously while the applications are being closed and the shutdown process continues. (The normal Exit Windows sound stops the shutdown process.)

There are two new buttons at the right: General and ScrnSavSpirit. Open General options to select the tray and FlyingIcon. Choose if ShutDown should add a shortcut to the Startup folder and/or remove it on quit. Easily add/remove shortcuts in the Start menu, Programs menu, or on the desktop. Change the delay until the context help should appear when you hover the cursor over a control. And select a user defined hotkey for the default shutdown command.

Also in General Options, on the right, are four buttons to save, restore, or completely remove all user defined settings. This includes ShutDown Settings as well as General Options. You might want to transfer all the settings, you have carefully selected, from one computer to another. Or to a new Windows installation. Or just keep them in case something is crashing. Or in case somebody else is volunteering at your computer... It should be wise to copy the settings file to a backup floppy or zip disk. Please make sure to first save your settings before restoring or removing! If a warning is displayed you should take that very serious!

The FlyingIcon™ is called FlyingIcon because it can be moved anywhere on the screen. There is enough room on the top of the screen where most windows just display a wide blue beam, or you can use the area at the right where the vertical scroll bar usually wastes screen real estate. But you need to take care to really move it, otherwise it's a click invoking the default action!

Tip: If you hold CTRL while selecting a menu command, this will do a standard shutdown or logoff without any action before.

ScreenSaverSpirit

A constant question on the NT and video groups regards monitor power management for NT. As you know, NT does not have native power management.

However, many monitors now support the new Nutek power management standard. This feature turns off monitor power, even in NT, when a totally blank screen is detected.

The ScreenSaverSpirit was developed to change screen savers from, let's say, Flying Stars, to a blank screen at a scheduled time. This enables the use of the Nutek feature and provides power management for Windows NT!

You can use the non-blank saver most of the time, for example from 9 AM to 5 PM, and then switch to the blank screen until 9 AM the following morning (a blank.scr could be used) to turn off power. You don't want to use the blank saver all day because switching power on and off constantly reduces monitor life because of thermal cycling. During the "blank period", the blank.scr would act as a normal screen saver, allowing the use of the monitor when keyboard or mouse activity wakes it up, then powering down again after the screen saver time-out interval.

There is a slight trick to switch a screen saver in NT when another is already running. You first need to stop the one running to selected a new saver.

And even if you don't use power management, you might still want to change screen savers from time to time. To switch screen savers call the following command from a scheduling program like PACT Timer:

Start Path: pactssss.exe
Parameters: /stop /change:scrnsave.scr /start
 

The ScreenSaverSpirit will help you to directly manage screen saver settings or create shortcuts for batchfiles and scheduling. Change screen saver, stop it per scheduler, start with password protection, set time-out within seconds (!), enable/disable screen saver, set/reset password protection, enter standby mode.

(New in 99.1a: Help button did not respond. Corrected.)

For Example: Backup with XCOPY

Well, we are in the security business somehow: I do network consulting, and we offer the BackGhosts backup tools. Security is one of the things I really like to stress! Surprisingly, me personally, I do not use a special backup program nor do I have a tape. I just don't trust them... Instead, I use "xcopy" started through PACT ShutDown.

When you shut down your computer you usually can't say if you will ever be able to boot it again. Last time I had not done a backup before shutdown I was fiddling with an old FAT disk editor in an NTFS partition. This was hairy! I lost all data of this day including some e-mails I've never seen...

Since this time I put a lot of concentration on always starting my backup before shutdown. I do a backup as I always did a backup: I just copy changed files to a second (!) disk drive after every bigger change and always before shutdown.

With our PACT ShutDown you no longer need to concentrate on your backup, just add "xcopy" as the program to start before shutdown. PACT ShutDown will wait on the program to close and shut down unattended when it's ready. You might need to change the paths in the following example:

Run this Program: xcopy

Options: "C:\My Documents" "D:\Backup\Docs" /d /s /e /h /r /i /f /c

The options are the same for 95/98/NT  :-O. They mean that you want to copy only files with a newer /date ("incremental"), copy directories and /subdirectories, including /empty ones, also copy /hidden and system files, overwrite /read-only files, assume a d/irectory, display /full paths while copying, and the most important is to /continue even if errors occur, for example if a file is in use: the Explorer "copy" does not do this!

Replace "My Documents" with the folder you want to backup. It is always a good idea to unite all user data below one folder. Actually, this is the very task to solve if you are planning any backups!

If you want to know the details: I have only one "C:\Docs" folder that needs a backup. And in there are only files that need a backup to speed up the backup process. I have a second folder indeed called "D:\Docs without Backup" containing only things which are not going to change, data files copied from a CD-ROM, closed projects already backed up, or the collection of jokes, speeches, and articles.

From time to time I copy the "C:\Docs" folder to an Iomega ZIP drive that I really like a lot. I also use "xcopy" with the above parameters. That will copy only changed files and will continue if a file is locked (in use). I keep one ZIP disk per month - what I think is sufficient. For my wife I have an extra ZIP disk and I copy her document folder manually from time to time. I tell her to do this herself again and again but she refuses to make backups - she probably thinks her husband is a genius regarding computer, so what could happen to her data...

My very important data, like C source files, to-do lists, business tables etc., I have added to 2ndBackup which also makes multi-backups to the second disk. And with the help of 2ndFolder I copy our complete web site folder to a new destination folder after every glamorous change. I do some clean up unregulary when I feel the second disk really needs it. It's probably useful to rename or delete the xcopy's D:\Backup\Docs folder every three months and do a fresh copy.

Programmers and Administrators

Command Line Options

Like all PACT Software, PACT ShutDown is batch capable. You can start the shutdown process through a shortcut on your desktop, unattended by a scheduling program like PACT Timer, a batch file, or through your own programs.

PACT ShutDown accepts the following command line options:

Tip: You can specify extra hotkeys for every shortcut you create, for example one to shutdown and one to just log off.

Control Settings

Should you plan to use PACT ShutDown with your own programs or a batch file, you can set the options directly with your program, or import them per 12Ghosts Settings file.

To create an according settings file select all options as intended an then click General Options and Save. You can simply edit the settings file with Notepad, for example to delete lines you don't want to have changed. When you double-click this ".12g" file or call it from a batch file the settings will take effect. You can specify "/s" for silent.

License

This program is a test version for evaluation only. You can use the software for evaluation purposes without charge for a maximum of 30 days. If you use this software after the 30 day evaluation period a registration fee for a full version is required.

How to Order a License
License Agreement

Support

Should you have any questions please contact support@12Ghosts.com. We stand committed to solving your issues within hours! We're also running a UBB support forum where other users might already have asked your question. You're welcome to join the discussion!

And you can take part on the future development of the 12Ghosts family: Send us your thoughts on features and usage. We really appreciate your feedback!