RebootEx - Scheduled Shutdown, Restart and Auto Logon for Windows

Features

One-click power actions

• Shutdown closes Windows and turns the power off; programs that stop responding are closed so the shutdown does not hang.
• Restart reboots the computer and Log off signs out the current user.
• Remote shuts down another computer on your network. Enter its name and an administrator account for that computer; if something goes wrong, RebootEx shows the Windows error message.
• The same commands are on the toolbar, the Action menu and the tray icon menu.
• A status bar shows whether a shutdown is scheduled and how long is left (“Shutdown scheduled at 12:02 AM tomorrow (in 21 h 37 min)”), and whether Autologon is on and for which account.

Scheduled shutdown

• Set the time on a clock face: drag the inner ring for the hour and the outer ring for the minutes, and switch AM/PM with one click. The time is also shown in large digits.
• Click Activate scheduled shutdown and RebootEx turns the computer off at that time, every day, until you deactivate it. While a shutdown is scheduled the clock turns red, shows a countdown and locks its hands.
• A 25-second warning with a Cancel button appears before the shutdown, so you never lose work you are still doing.
• The schedule is remembered when RebootEx or Windows restarts. Turn computers off overnight to save energy, or after backups and downloads have finished.

Permanent Autologon (new in 3.0.2)

• The Autologon button turns on automatic sign-in at every Windows start – after a restart from RebootEx or the Start menu, after Windows Update or after a power failure – until you turn it off. It works like Sysinternals Autologon, and nothing is restarted when you turn it on.
• Persistent: the setting is kept by Windows itself, so it stays on even when RebootEx is closed, not running or uninstalled. You do not have to set it up again after each restart.
• The Enable Autologon dialog fills in your user name and domain; type the password and click Enable. RebootEx checks the user name and password with Windows first, so a typo never leaves you stuck at the sign-in screen.
• When Autologon is on, the same button opens Autologon Is Enabled, which shows the account Windows signs in to: Update stores a new password or account (for example after a password change), Disable turns automatic sign-in off and deletes the stored password.
• Disable works whichever tool turned automatic sign-in on – RebootEx, Sysinternals Autologon or netplwiz – and the Action > Enable Autologon check mark and the status bar show automatic sign-in set up by those tools too.
• The password is stored as a protected Windows LSA secret, not as plain text in the registry, and RebootEx itself never keeps it.

One-time sign-in after restart

• Check Sign in automatically at next startup, and Shutdown and Restart ask for your user name, domain and password. The next time Windows starts, you are signed in without typing anything – useful for servers, kiosks and computers that must run programs after a reboot.
• This sign-in is used once; afterwards your previous settings are restored – including a permanent Autologon, which takes over again from the following start.
• RebootEx asks for administrator permission (UAC) only for automatic sign-in; Shutdown, Restart, Log off and the scheduled shutdown run without elevation.

Runs quietly in the tray

• Closing or minimizing the window hides RebootEx to the notification area. Left-click the tray icon to show it, right-click for a menu with Shutdown, Restart, Log off, Remote Shutdown and the scheduled shutdown switch.
• Starts with Windows, hidden in the tray, so a scheduled shutdown is never missed. Turn this off with Options > Start RebootEx with Windows.
• Only one copy runs at a time.

Command-line tool for scripts

• Native 32-bit and 64-bit command-line utilities (rebootex32.exe, rebootex64.exe) for batch files, logon scripts, unattended setups and the Windows Task Scheduler. Setup can add them to the PATH so rebootex works from any command prompt.
• Actions: -reboot, -shutdown, -poweroff, -logoff.
• -logon <user> [<domain>] <password> signs a user in automatically after the restart; add -lock to lock the computer right after that sign-in.
• -enable <user> [<domain>] <password> turns on permanent Autologon and -disable turns it off; -enable MYPC\user asks for the password without showing it.
• -arm sets up a one-time sign-in for the next start without restarting; -disarm cancels it.
• -killifhung ends programs that do not close by themselves; -killall ends all programs immediately.
• -wait <seconds> delays the action; -quiet shows only errors.
• Remote computers: rebootex \\OFFICEPC -reboot -u Administrator -p password.
• Example: rebootex -poweroff -killifhung in a daily Task Scheduler task turns the computer off at the same time every night.
• Exit codes tell scripts exactly what happened, for example 8 when the user name or password is wrong.

Modern Windows support

• Runs on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11, 32-bit and 64-bit.
• Settings are kept in your user profile, and Setup installs into Program Files with Start menu shortcuts and a full uninstaller.
• Built-in help with the complete command-line reference.

Read the full RebootEx User Guide: the main window, scheduled shutdown, Autologon, one-time sign-in, remote shutdown, the tray icon and all command-line options with examples.

How to schedule a shutdown on Windows

1. Set the time: on the clock face, drag the inner ring for the hour and the outer ring for the minutes, and click the AM/PM button to switch.
2. Activate: click Activate scheduled shutdown. The clock turns red, and the status bar shows when the shutdown will happen and how much time is left.
3. Leave it in the tray: close the window and RebootEx keeps running in the notification area. It starts with Windows, so the schedule survives a restart.
4. At the set time: a 25-second warning with a Cancel button appears, then Windows shuts down. This repeats every day until you click Deactivate scheduled shutdown.
5. Restart instead of shut down: create a Windows Task Scheduler task that runs rebootex -reboot at the time you want.

When you need scheduled shutdown, restart or Autologon

• Turn the PC off every night to save energy, after backups, downloads or long renders have finished.
• A PC that must sign in by itself: a kiosk, a display screen, a server or a test machine that has to run programs after Windows Update or a power failure, with nobody there to type the password. Turn on permanent Autologon.
• Restart once and continue: after an installation that needs a reboot, check Sign in automatically at next startup so Windows signs you in once and your programs can carry on.
• Shut down a computer on your network from your own desk with Remote, or restart it from a script with rebootex \\PC -reboot.
• Batch files and the Task Scheduler: shut down, restart or log off from scripts with the 32-bit and 64-bit command-line tool, with exit codes for error handling.
• Turn off Autologon that was set up with netplwiz or Sysinternals Autologon: Disable removes it and deletes the stored password.

Frequently asked questions

Ordering

RebootEx is free to evaluate for 10 days. After a completed secure online order, an unlocking key file is emailed to you within two business days. Questions about ordering or registration: order@ashkon.com. Prices for all products are on the Order page.