PC Shutdown timer

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:03 pm

So I have a MIL who is fighting me on keeping a good sleep schedule. She has a million reasons why she can't sleep at night and has to sleep all day. One of her problems, the doctor told me, is that playing computer games late at night can keep her mind active (my MIL plays solitaire and mah jong). So we tell the MIL to be off the computer by 10, and we occasionally kick her off and go to bed, then someone gets up at 1am to go pee and finds her in front of the computer.

So what I want is software that, at a set time, pops up a window that says, "Enter password to continue." If the password isn't entered, window doesn't go away. You are challenged for a password even if you reboot, until a set time... say 7am.

Quick Googling was just showing me how to make the computer shut itself off at a given time, but I know this software has to exist. So where is it?

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:36 pm

Did you try searching for parental control software? I have no experience with such, but I'm sure there must be some that do exactly what you've got in mind.

EDIT: Although I have to wonder, why do you care? If she stays up all night when you are asleep and sleeps all day when you are awake, doesn't that just mean you don't have to put up with her as much?

Edited By TPRJones on 1440718623

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:37 pm

Never thought of that, but I should have, since I want to control a parent.

Post by **TheCatt** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:38 pm

Have you tried wiring her computer into an electrical socket?

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:40 pm

Actually a hardware solution might be the simplest. Put a timer into the circuit that cuts power to the outlet after a certain time of night until the next morning.

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:41 pm

TPRJones wrote:EDIT: Although I have to wonder, why do you care? If she stays up all night when you are asleep and sleeps all day when you are awake, doesn't that just mean you don't have to put up with her as much?

When she doesn't take care of herself, I am the one who has to deal with it when she gets UTIs and dementia (UTIs drive old people insane, it turns out. True story.). This is true even before she moved in, which is why she moved in. If I can keep her on a schedule, eating right, and taking her meds on time, she stays relatively healthy and is much easier to deal with. If she sleeps all day and is up all night, then I am not watching what she eats (she will eat ice cream and cereal, exclusively, and she is diabetic), making sure she takes her meds (she won't), bathing (she won't), etc.

Everything is easier if she is on a normal sleep schedule.

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:42 pm

TPRJones wrote:Actually a hardware solution might be the simplest. Put a timer into the circuit that cuts power to the outlet after a certain time of night until the next morning.

Googling actually showed one of those, but on weekends my wife might want to use her computer late. MIL uses my wife's computer.

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:42 pm

So you do care. That's nice.

Post by **TPRJones** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:43 pm

GORDON wrote:Googling actually showed one of those, but on weekends my wife might want to use her computer late. MIL uses my wife's computer.

If it's your wife's computer and she knows the password to unlock it, what are the odds that she won't break down and tell her mother what it is?

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:44 pm

TPRJones wrote:So you do care. That's nice.

Only to the extent where I don't think an elderly family member should be left out on the streets, which without me, she possibly would be. Her natural kids hate her guts, and her siblings laugh when I even suggest they take her for 2 weeks so I can remodel her bathroom.

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 7:45 pm

TPRJones wrote:
GORDON wrote:Googling actually showed one of those, but on weekends my wife might want to use her computer late. MIL uses my wife's computer.
If it's your wife's computer and she knows the password to unlock it, what are the odds that she won't break down and tell her mother what it is?

My wife rides her Mom's ass harder than I do, but without tact. I use tact and a wink when I am commanding her something. My wife just screams.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:13 pm

I recommend software. Set an admin startup script to nix MIL's account after whatever PM, reactivate sometime AM. Outlet and other accounts are still usable.

Alhazad · Post by **Alhazad** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:43 pm

I thought Windows had a 'Log Off' feature. What's wrong with that?

Log on in morning, leave PC logged in, dick around until 10PM, log off. PC is password-protected until morning.

Post by **GORDON** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:46 pm

We've never had to set up user accounts before. Everybody has their own machine.

I guess I could set them up on that machine..... or just set a login password.

Alhazad · Post by **Alhazad** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:02 pm

Seems to be possible to schedule a log-off, shutdown, etc. as a daily task, if you want to be absolutely inflexible about it. Basically what Mal said.

Here's a vid of someone scheduling an auto-shutdown on what looks like Windows 7 before trying to sell a program that does the same thing he just showed for free:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqy4VAsKSes

I would probably try to log the PC manually though, as a courtesy.