DigitClock

Some activities can make you forget about simple ones, such as shutting down the computer. For instance, you might fall asleep during a movie, while your computer remains awake, using power for no reason. Luckily, there are various specialized applications like DigitClock which are built for this exact purpose.

Quietly sits in the tray area once configured

Once installed, the application can be launched and configured, without having to go through a system restart to make it work. On the bright side of things, the timer isn’t activated by default, so you don’t risk having the computer powered off while you’re in the middle of some important tasks, losing countless hours of work.
The window you work with is pretty intuitive, and comes with a custom-made skin. It displays a real-time digital clock, as well as the current date, based on your system configuration. You can choose to hide the window to the tray area, but it’s first recommended to access the settings panel to set up your first action.

Save the timer and make it run on startup

Here is the place where you encounter a couple of indicators to easily select the time in hours and minutes when the computer shuts down, in a 24 hour clock format. Note that you can only set up one such action. Additional options include a tray area minimize function, whether or not to use the same settings next time the program runs, and more.
In case this action needs to be performed on a regular basis, you can make it run with Windows. It can play a default audio chime, notify you through a message when the computer is about to shut down, and display a counter with 20 seconds before the action triggers, so you have time to either cancel it, or save your work.

In conclusion

Taking everything into consideration, we can state that DigitClock is the type of application to use when your activities can keep the computer active for no reason while you’re not there, or don’t need to use it for a particular period of time. It might not come with an advanced scheduler, but the startup option and repetitive alert make it worth your while.