Why Shut the Computer Down Later?

I have my computer set to defragment itself at 2am but I don’t want it running all night! So, I wrote a batch file that will shutdown the computer and set a Scheduled Task (in the Control Panel) to run the file at 3am.

How To Use The Task Scheduler To Shut the Computer Down At A Later Time

Create a new batch file and write a shutdown command. All you really need is:

cd\
shutdown -s -t 60

I set the “-t” switch just in case I am on the computer and need to cancel it (I shouldn’t be on it at 3am, but you never know). At this point, you should test the file to make sure it’s working.

Save the file, I prefer to save my batch files in the Programs Files folder in the c:\ drive. They are program after all!

Schedule The Task

  1. Navigate to: Control Panel -> Scheduled Tasks -> Add Scheduled TaskThe Task Scheduler in The Control Panel
  2. Hit Next in the dialog box that opens.
  3. In the second screen, navigate to the location of the file.Locate the Batch File
  4. We’ll set this to only run one time, we can change this later (in the Advanced Properties) if we want.Set the Repetition Amount
  5. Enter the time and date you want it to run.Set the Scheduled Time
  6. In the next screen, enter in the user name and the password.Input Your User name and Password
  7. Hit Finish and you’re done!
    Complete the Schedule

You can go into the Advanced Properties, but you don’t really need to.