Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 I'm new to LOR. Is there a way to either LOR issue a shut down commnad to XP to power off the computer at end of the last show?I was thinking of using an X10 appliance/relay module to "cut" the pwer from the computer. To pwoer on the computer I was going to use an applicance timer with an on time 15 minutes before the start time. (I guess I could use an X10 module too.) (The BIOS in my computer is set to "On power failure - Power on" This BIOS doen't have a wake-up time.)Any beter ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 There are 3rd party programs out there that will power down the PC for you. They'll even restart the computer at the appointed time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 hmmm I think you will get lots of attention with the title you gave this. Sorry I cant help you with your question though.Peggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Personally... I don't think it's worth it. Plus I use LOR sequences to run security lighting at night, and music during the day... I'd vote to just keep it running. If you're using Win98 or ME, though, be sure you restart it once or twice during the season. Learned that the hard way -- darned resource-leaking OS's...-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Care to name a one of the programs?Not sure how a program can run on a computer to turn it on if the computer is tunred off. Care to explain? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 This is a batch file that will work with Windows XP. Just schedule the batch file to run at the time you need the PC to shutdown. Your appliance timer should work to turn the PC back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 3rd try since PlanetChristmas keeps denying the extension, so you can just download it.http://pc.lorsequences.com/shutdown.zipDISCLAIMER: Be weary, this will force close all applications on your computer when you double click or otherwise run the file. You will lose all work in open applications that are not saved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Thanks.There's nothing in LOR, correct?I have to use Windows scheduler to run the .bat file at a specific time, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 LOR can't do it yet. So yes, just run the windows scheduler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Thanks.I just converete from Dasher this year. I'm finding I'm loosing some feature and gaining others. LOR software is incrediable, it is soooo much easier. (I have a lot of animation.) Just need to find ways to regain the functionality I've lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 PCs can be more stable when they run all the time. (e.g servers)Power cycles up and down actually are what cause some failures.The components heat then cool down causing loose connections or read faults in some hard drives.I’m not saying leave you PC up and running all the time but in my cause its in the garage where the temperature is a little lower then the house.I put so much work in to my display this year (45 days @ 5 hours a days) I don’t want anything else to mess up.I will leave my PC running for 30 days then power it down like usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 I have 6 computers in my house, and they all stay on 24/7 unless I have to reboot them for some certain reason. I have had no ill effects of this at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 The only disadvantage is you are paying to power somethig you are not using.As for leaving the computer on to prevent failures, maybe maybe not. Leaving computer on causes failures too.I have a back-up machine all ready to go. If I have a failure I just swap a couple of cables and I'm working agin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 I also leave all my machines on as well but I had a few ideas come to mind reading this thread. You mentioned using X10 modules....well, if you were using a UPS (Un-interuptable power supply) then you could set the software to safely close all applications and shut down after 2 minutes which will save battery life as well as protect you from short outages. As far as startup....well I guess you could use an X10 Module set to momentary and parallel the contacts with the power switch wires on the PC to start it up. Just a thought.~Todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 VonnerNIX,Why have 6 PC's? Why not one running 6 virtual machies? The VM software is free from VMware and Microsoft. I'm running it with LOR, and have three VMS working perfectly. (No sure about LOR licensing of the LOR software, but I think it is licensed per machine not per VM.) Someone correct me if I am wrong.You spent $600 for 6 copies of LOR software, insted of one, you are also powering and maintainig 6 machines and have 6 times the chance of failure. Everything could be run on one machine and have a second as a backup and to take one machine off line for maintance.Just giving you and everyone else another way of doing it, and hopefully saving people money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Turning PC's off is a 'glass is half full vs half empty' debate. With the components that are being installed now days the two major hardware failure points are the power supply and hard drive. Typically when these problems develop you will find it when you turn them on, to me a much better time than in the middle of programming or while a show is running. When my early morning show starts the show computer (XP pro) will stay on during the night and turn off after the show ends and be restarted before the evening show.Servers (true servers HP/IBM) are designed to run 24/7 and the hardware is designed for that purpose. They have much better airflow versus a PC and the components are higher quality, and they still fail. Especially 30 minutes before everyone comes into the office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 I think you will find fans fail more often then power supplies or hard drives.In the past hard drives would fail during powering on the computer. Modern hard drives typically fail while they are running. This is why HD manufactures developed S.M.A.R.T. to catch failing drives in action.You can leave workstation on 24hrs a day for years, I have. It's all about cooling.If you are into this stuff do a Google search for the computer that has no fans, it's cooled by cooking oil. (I think peanut.) Someone took a clear plastic computer case. Removed all the fans including the CPU fan, sealed all the joints with silicon, and filled the case with a gallon of cooking oil. Works perfectly.The other one is of a Intel CPU. The CPU fan was removed, and the computer was turned on. The video show the CPU exploding into flames. I guess this is... add some Nat King Cole music, CPU's roasitng on an open fire, Jack frost nipping at your nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Douggg wrote: I think you will find fans fail more often then power supplies or hard drives.I'm just a single data point, but I've never lost a fan. I've lost power supplies and hard drives multiple times...-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 I've replaced far more hard drives and power supplies then fans, minus of course the 65 POS terminals that shipped with bad cpu fans.All of my server rooms are a nice 67degrees and 38% humidity. People do look at you strange when you where a sweater in 100 degree weather...... well maybe it isn't because of the sweater..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 Douggg wrote:VonnerNIX,Why have 6 PC's? Why not one running 6 virtual machies? The VM software is free from VMware and Microsoft. I'm running it with LOR, and have three VMS working perfectly. (No sure about LOR licensing of the LOR software, but I think it is licensed per machine not per VM.) Someone correct me if I am wrong.You spent $600 for 6 copies of LOR software, insted of one, you are also powering and maintainig 6 machines and have 6 times the chance of failure. Everything could be run on one machine and have a second as a backup and to take one machine off line for maintance.Just giving you and everyone else another way of doing it, and hopefully saving people money. They aren't all running LOR2 of them are sitting by my 2 home theatre's so I can have music/vids/whatever on the TV. One is my main PC, one is for gaming, and the other 2 run linux as a firewall and a network storage PC. I've got almost 1.5TB of storage that I use quite frequently.Each person has their own needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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