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In my school, there is a computer lab with 20 old Dell optiplex 270's. They take forever to boot up. Is there a (preferably free) piece of software that will allow turning all of them on from one machine with one command ? And then later turning all of them off ?

FIDELIS
2012-01-22 10:59:00
Hello, for a really easy solution, you could try a solution provided by solarwinds.  The application is called Wake-on-LAN.  Keep in mind that for you to run these applications, it is better if you run them with an administrator account and also have an admin account for all computers in network.  http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/wake_on_lan.aspxFor this to work, the network cards in computers in your  network have to be compatible with Wake-on-LAN.  It has to be enabled in BIOS and also in the network card itself.  Here is an article explaining how to enable it and more options:http://lifehacker.com/348197/access-your-computer-anytime-and-save-energy-with-wake+on+lanYou can also try freeware Magic Packed Sender.  Here is the link and setup instructions:http://magicpacket.free.fr/thankyou15.htmFor a solution a little bit more complex, visit the next link and download the psshutdown tool.  It allows to set a restart time in seconds and also a shutdown.  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897541For some examples using psshutdown tool, try the following link:http://www.windows-commandline.com/2011/04/shutdown-remote-computer-command-line.html
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2012-01-22 08:43:00
Use the Remote Shutdown Tool to Shutdown, Restart, or Logoff a Local or Networked Computerhttp://maximumpcguides.com/windows-vista/use-the-remote-shutdown-tool-to-shutdown-restart-or-logoff-a-local-or-networked-computer/http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/remote-shutdown-command/rshut pro sharewarehttp://www.rshut.com/ Multi-Remote Shutdown Manager: sharewarehttp://www.eytcheson.com/mrsm.htmNetwork Shutdown Tool: sharewarehttp://abbyte.com/