Automate startup and shutdown - Automate The Sequence Of System Startup, Internet Connection, File Download And System Shutdown

 

Automate The Sequence Of System Startup, Internet Connection, File Download And System Shutdown-

File Download is a frequent action for Internet users. We generally download several GBs of Files in the form of Movies, Games and Tutorials. Such actions sometimes requires specific timing and lots of patience. Timing required just to conform to the free usage time provided by your ISP and patience required to wait for the file to download before you proceed to your work. The contest of proper use of time and save of Time is bit difficult unless you automate the whole sequence of "File Download" Actions. A file download involves:-

1) System Startup.
2) Internet Connection.
3) File Download Clients like Utorrent or Internet Download Manager.
4) System Shutdown.

In this article I will tell you how to Automate the sequence of System Startup, Internet Connection, File Download And System Shutdown. I follow this process to use my free Broadband Usage time from 2 AM to 8 AM. It was very difficult for me to get up at 2 AM and start download. Now, life seems to be easy with Automation.

Automate System Startup-

Almost all BIOS gives you the option of "Resume By Alarm". It generally comes under "Power Management". This functionality determines whether to power on the system at a desired time. (Default: Disabled)

If enabled, set the date and time as following:-

Wake up day: Turn on the system at a specific time on each day or on a specific day in a month.

Wake up hour/minute/second: Set the time at which the system will be powered on automatically. Note: When using this function, avoid inadequate shutdown from the operating system or removal of the AC power, or the settings may not be effective.

Problem-Resolution During Automatic System Startup:-

i) Default OS login: The automatic system startup will get into the default OS. Check your preference and set the boot options accordingly.

ii) Password Protected Accounts: The process will stuck to the login screen if there are multiple accounts or an account which is password protected. Remove all passwords and keep the default Admin User Account only so that the boot process automatically gets into the OS without any human intervention.

Automate Internet Connection-

For automatic program execution we can use the "Startup folder". I assume that you have already setup your internet connection. I am using PPPoE network protocol and my ISP is BSNL Broadband.

Step 1: Create a Desktop Shortcut of your Internet Dial-up.

Step 2: Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click All Programs, right-click the Startup folder, and then click Open.

Step 3: Drag the Shortcut into the Startup folder.

Problem-Resolution During Automatic Internet Connection:-

i) Dialing Options : Dialing Options like "Display Progress While Connecting" and "Prompt For Name And Password" should be disabled or unchecked to avoid any sort of Human involvement during automatic connection.

ii) First Attempt Connection Failure: First attempt connection failure may occur. So, always enable the "Redialing Options" with at least 3 Redial attempts. Redial Option is very useful if line is dropped for some reasons in the middle of the download.

All the above options are available under the properties of your Internet Dial-Up.

 

Automate File Download-

File Download can be automated with the help of File Download clients like utorrent or Internet Download Manager. These clients have built-in Scheduler for controlling the file downloads.

Step 1:- Make sure your File download clients run automatically during system Startup. If not then keep their executables in "Startup Folder" as mentioned in above section.

Step 2:- If you are using utorrent, then navigate to:

Options --> Preferences --> Scheduler

Mark the time range green as required. In my case it is 2 AM to 8 AM as shown in the screenshot. Rest of the time slots I have turned off for download.

As soon as my system startup at 2 AM, uTorrent starts its scheduled task. But you need to keep the torrent files in Queue for the Downloads to resume as per the scheduled time.

Similarly, for Internet Download Manager there is a scheduler at Downloads --> Scheduler, as shown below:-

Automate System Shutdown-

You can automate System Shutdown using "Windows Scheduler" Utility.

Step 1: Open Task Scheduler by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking Task Scheduler.

Step 2: Click the Action menu, and then click Create Basic Task.

Step 3: Create a Task named : "System Shutdown"

Step 4: Under Task Trigger, Specify the schedule you want to use.

Step 5: To schedule a program to start automatically, click Start a program, and then click Next. We have to start "shutdown .exe" for System Shutdown. It is present in location: Windows --> system32

Step 6: Add argument "-s" for direct shutdown. You can also use other available options as per your requirement. Use "-s -t 30" for waiting for 30 secs before shutdown.

Step 7: Finish the task setup.

Always try to schedule the shutdown time 5-10 mins after the Download Clients stop downloading the files (as per their scheduled time ) to avoid any possible file corruption due to sudden system shutdown.

I hope the entire process is simple and to the point. if you get any problems please comment...

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Shahbaz ali

Hi There!. I’m author of this blog. I am one who loves to ask a lot of questions and tries to find their answers, and shares to all what he gets.

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