DShutdown

DShutdown is a free software utility that gives you the possibility to schedule a power management feature for your PC, as well as for remote machines via LAN. It comes loaded with several advanced settings which are intuitive enough to be figured out even by less experienced users.

Portable app with a user-friendly interface

This is a portable package, so you don't have to install anything. Instead, you can save the program to a custom directory on the disk or a pen drive to be able to launch it on any PC with minimum effort. More importantly, unlike most installers, it doesn't create new entries in the Windows registry or Start menu, leaving no traces behind after removal.
As far as the interface is concerned, DShutdown adopts a large window that shows all options available. It doesn't put any emphasis on looks, and the classical window makes the app look like an unfinished project. However, it's easy to navigate.

Customize power management features

The computer can be scheduled to log off, lock, shut down, reboot, hibernate, or enter standby mode. It can apply force if necessary (e.g. if hung, after wait), disable the LAN adapter, hang up the modem, wake up, wake on LAN, write log files and send log details via email, start or exit a program, activate sound alerts or an alarm clock, or exit DShutdown. It's also possible to disable all popups.
The timer can be set on countdown, at a specific time, or on any days and months of the year.

Apply actions for local and remote hosts in LAN

As previously mentioned, the selected actions are applicable to the local host. However, you can exclude it from the scope or include additional machines via LAN by simply specifying the host name or IP address, along with the administrative credentials. To make your job easier, the tool's capable of automatically scanning the local network to obtain a list of all identified workstations.

Allow multipurpose monitors and set additional filters

Similarly, if you have installed DShutdown on another computer in the local network, you can allow remote shutdown for the current PC. Moreover, you can enable a monitor that keeps track of shutdown requests (which comes in handy if you plan to leave the PC unattended), an inactivity monitor for user idle times, and another monitor for pixel changes.
Moreover, the application can shut down the PC for the Internet activity of a preferred network adapter, when one of the currently active processes is closed (e.g. download limit has been reached), or when the CPU usage level for a selected application reaches a certain level.

Evaluation and conclusion

We haven't come across any stability problems in our testing, thanks to the fact that the app didn't hang, crash or display error messages. It left a small footprint on system performance, running on low CPU and memory.
Although its interface looks rudimentary, DShutdown comes equipped with a wide array of options to help your schedule PC shutdown and other management options, and it can be handled by anyone with ease.