AllOff 3.0

AllOff 3.0 is a really useful tool that monitors keyboard, mouse and/or CPU load and initiates computer shutdown if the activity is less than the threshold for a specified length of time.

It can be started manually, on start-up or automatically via the Windows Task Scheduler. The CPU load and many other parameters can be configured via the configuration screen. It can also be used to shutdown a remote computer. Shutdown has been configured to force all running applications to close. AllOff is part of the JSutils group of software utilities which have a theme of energy conservation.

The program normally runs in the System Tray. Via the configuration screen it is possible to disable CPU level detection or Keyboard/Mouse detection. Requires a registration code (free for personal non commercial use).

Instructions: 

1. AllOff operates by checking the keyboard/mouse status and/or the CPU load once a second, comparing it with preset thresholds which are configurable. Each time the average CPU load exceeds the preset limit the CPU counter is reset and each time keyboard and mouse activity occurs the Key/Mouse counter is reset until the countdown time is reached for each and shutdown is initiated. The time before the program activates, the period over which the CPU load is averaged and the shutdown time are configurable to suit particular circumstances. The program consumes very little system resources but it does run with high priority. AllOff supports the following types of shut down: Hibernate, Power Off, Reboot, Shutdown and Standby (some computers will not support all shut down modes). Shutdown, Power Off and Reboot have been configured to force all running applications to close. For information about logging see Log Files and for information about configuring AllOff see Configuration.
2. CPU level detection or Keyboard/Mouse detection can be disabled from the configuration screen.. The time before shutdown is initiated is when both the CPU counter and the Key/Mouse counter have reached their preset delays. For example if CPU Delay is set to 60 and Key and Mouse Delay is set to 600 the computer will shutdown if there is no keyboard and mouse activity for 600 seconds and the CPU activity is below the threshold for the last 60 seconds of the 600 seconds.
3. CPU averaging works by adding the CPU load measured every second over the averaging period and dividing it by the averaging period. This does mean that the average load can increase after the instantaneous CPU load has decreased due to previous values. This is especially noticeable with long averaging periods and wide variations in CPU load. If the time the program has been active is less than the averaging period the time active is used as the averaging period.
4. The main program display shows key and mouse activity in the last second by a 'K' or 'M' respectively when enabled plus the average CPU load when enabled on the left of the display. If a key or keys become stuck down AllOff will recognize this and ignore it. The time to shutdown displayed is the longer of the Keyboard/Mouse and CPU delays.
5. The optional slave program can be installed on a second computer to monitor communications from the main program, which occur twice a second and initiates shutdown the preset delay after the master program enters shutdown. There is no communication back to the main program. The slave program display shows communications status.
6. Click on the Test button to enable Test Mode which sets both the power off delay and the monitoring period to 5 seconds and puts up a pop up rather than powering off the computer. Clicking the Test button while in Test Mode will restart Test Mode. If the CPUOff Slave is used clicking Test will also put the Slave into test mode. Click the Reset button to exit Test Mode or Reset the program in Operational Mode (this will also reset the slave program if used).
7. Program operation is inhibited while either the About or Configuration screens are open. The About screen will automatically time out after 30 seconds if left open. The Configuration screen will automatically time out after 600 seconds if left open, a warning message is given with 90 seconds left.. The program is reset when the configuration screen is closed if any changes have been made, if no changes are made the program will resume from where it was stopped when the configuration screen is closed. The configuration can only be changed by users with administrative privileges. If AllOff is set to run minimized closing the Configuration screen will put the program back in the System Tray. Communications to the Slave, if used, are not inhibited when the configuration screen of the main program is open.
8. When set to run minimized (the default) AllOff runs in the System Tray, the program can be reactivated by double clicking on the tray icon. Once shutdown is initiated AllOff always switches to visible 'run on top' and the About, Exit, Test and Configuration buttons are disabled. Shutdown can be cancelled by clicking the Cancel button which will put the program back in the System Tray if AllOff is set to run minimized.

1. Installation And Basic Configuration: Installation is simple just unzip the installer from the downloaded file, double click on the installer and follow the on screen instructions (when selected shortcuts are installed for all user). As well as installing the program this will also install the help pages. AllOff can be safely installed over previous installations but it will need re-configuring if the configuration file is overwritten. Start the program and enter the registration code to start using AllOff. See Configuration for details of the parameters that can be varied. By default the program runs in the System Tray, to access the configuration screen double click on the tray icon and then click the Configure button from the main screen. The default values should be fine for most applications if remote control is not used. If the program will not work properly check out the FAQ and Release Notes for suggestions. The program can only be installed and configured by a user with administrative privileges. Installing AllOff Slave to the same location as AllOff will only convert AllOff into AllOff Slave and vice versa provided you allow the installer to overwrite the old configuration file.
2. Shutting Down A Remote Computer: Install the AllOff Slave (by selecting Slave from the program section of the installer) on the remote computer and configure the program with the address of the local computer. See Configuration for details of the other parameters that can be varied for the remote computer. You will also need to set the remote address on the local computer. The AllOff Slave will not start minimised until it is configured. The program can only be installed and configured by a user with administrative privileges.
3. Multiple Instances And Installations: It is only possible to run one instance of AllOff at a time. AllOff and AllOff Slave can not be run at the same time on one computer. AllOff and AllOff Slave can only exist on the same computer if they are installed into different locations. Neither program can be run at the same time as AllOff Lite. If AllOff is in shutdown mode when an attempt to start a second instance occurs the error message will open beneath the first program window which will take priority.
4. Security: If remote shutdown is used this program may compromise network security, this depends on the network and any firewall configuration. You will need appropriate access privileges to the remote computer to use the slave program.

Major Features:

1. Monitor the mouse, keyboard and CPU load
2. Initiate computer shutdown if there has been no keyboard or mouse activity and the average CPU load has been below the threshold set for the specified time.
3. Support all the normal shut down modes.
4. Used to control a remote computer.
5. Great little utility for saving energy by making sure a computer shuts down when not needed

Enhancements:

1. Made Key/Mouse and CPU control selectable.
2. Error messages for missing log and data directories corrected.
3.  Help updated.
4. A number of minor format changes and other bug fixes.
   

Requirements:

1. Minimum 1GHz CPU
2. 512MB RAM