Shutdown Windows when pwd-protected screensaver is active...

Hi. I have an API question.

I'm using ExitWindowsEx function to shutdown Windows (usually Win2K). It is working fine, it shutsdown, restarts, etc. If a screensaver is active and password protected though, it does not work at all.

Is there a way to "persuade" :) Win2K to shutdown even if a password-protected screensaver is active?

TIA

I dont have a definate answer for ya unfortunately, but I wonder if it is possible to somehow find the threadID of the screensaver and kill it. I can remember a few years ago fooling around with a program called Sub7 (by mobman) which could do this remotely but that was very very naughty!!! :cool:

Thanx for the reply.

It is indeed a naughty solution but i don't believe it will solve my problem. I'm using Win2K and it is most probable that the screensaver "tells" the system to lock itself so killing the ss will not unlock the system. This might work on a Win98 system.

Thanx anyway...

you're trying to shutdown windows while the workstation is locked isn't it ?
windows 2000 has no password protected screensavers, windows locks the workstation and then starts the screensaver.

And I don't know any way to unlock a workstation without entering a password.
Maybe you could try using the shutdown.exe windows has.

just try a bit arount with it by calling it from the commandline with the paramter /?

shutdown /?

You can also call that from visual by using the shell cmd.

That may help.. but I am not pretty shure.

greetings UNI

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Illuvatan
you're trying to shutdown windows while the workstation is locked isn't it ?
windows 2000 has no password protected screensavers, windows locks the workstation and then starts the screensaver.

---

Yes, that's what i'm trying to do... I know about all the things you mention here.

Quote:

---

And I don't know any way to unlock a workstation without entering a password.
Maybe you could try using the shutdown.exe windows has.

---

Windows has no such exe AFAIK. Perhaps you are talking about a third-party utility. In any case, do you know of any utility which will shutdown the system, even if it has been locked?

Quote:

---

That may help.. greetings UNI

---

Unfortunatelly it didn't but thanks for your thoughts anyway...

I promise you there is a shutdown tool

start your dos cmd and write

shutdown -?

you will get this output:

Quote:

---

Syntax: shutdown [-l | -s | -r | -a] [-f] [-m \\Computer] [-t xx]
[-c "Kommentar"] [-d up:xx:yy]

Keine Argumente Zeigt diese Meldung an (wie -?).
-i Zeigt eine grafische Benutzeroberfläche an (muss die erste
Option sein).
-l Abmelden (kann nicht mit der Option -m verwendet werden).
-s Fährt den Computer herunter.
-r Fährt den Computer herunter und startet ihn neu.
-a Bricht das Herunterfahren des Systems ab.
-m \\Computer Remotecomputer zum Herunterfahren/Neustarten/Abbrechen.
-t xx Zeitlimit für das Herunterfahren, in xx Sekunden.
-c "Kommentar" Kommentar für das Herunterfahren (maximal 127 Zeichen).
-f Erzwingt das Schließen ausgeführter Anwendungen ohne Warnung.
-d [u][p]:xx:yy Grund (Code) für das Herunterfahren:
u = Benutzercode
p = Code für geplantes Herunterfahren
xx = Hauptgrund (positive ganze Zahl kleiner als 256)
yy = Weiterer Grund (positive ganze Zahl kleiner als 65536)

---

sorry but my Windows is in German...

This shutdown command triggers the window the blaster worm used to shutdown the computer. you will see a window that tells you that in a few seconds you computer will shut down.

try this in your cmd shell

shutdown -s -t 1000

your computer will then display that window an tell you that he will shutdown in 1000 seconds.

This can't be aborted without again using the shutdown command.

type
shutdown -a
to abort the shutdown

greetings UNI

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Illuvatan
I promise you there is a shutdown tool

sorry but my Windows is in German...

---

Hmmm, i have Win2K SP4 English. No shutdown here. I even searched the whole C:\WinNT and subdirs.

Perhaps it only exists in the German version?!?! Strange. Are you sure it's not an 3rd-party utility?

I use windows XP .. and I am 100% shure it is not a 3rd party tool

But I guess you must have it. I always use the shutdown command on windows 2000 systems to remotely shutdown a computer..

Justr try executing the command from the shell.. there must be a response..

greetings UNI

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Illuvatan
I use windows XP .. and I am 100% shure it is not a 3rd party tool

But I guess you must have it. I always use the shutdown command on windows 2000 systems to remotely shutdown a computer..

Justr try executing the command from the shell.. there must be a response..

greetings UNI

---

No, it's not there. I tried it, but i got an error. Perhaps it's a german-version tool... Thanks anyway...

Here is what I found on google about that:

http://www.mkssoftware.com/docs/man1/shutdown.1.asp

the shutdown.exe can be found on C:\Windows\System32\Shutdown.exe

can't understand why it's not there..

greetings UNI

btw..
pos eine o kairos stin patrida?

ps:
I know it's in the greek version too.. I have shut down some computers by using that tool

It works fine in Win2k advanced server (but I was logged as administrator)
It locks workstation and, after 1 second uses api to try to shutdown.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Illuvatan
Here is what I found on google about that:

http://www.mkssoftware.com/docs/man1/shutdown.1.asp

the shutdown.exe can be found on C:\Windows\System32\Shutdown.exe

can't understand why it's not there..

---

Hmmm. Probably this is the reason

Quote:

---

AVAILABILITY

MKS Toolkit for System Administrators
MKS Toolkit for Developers
MKS Toolkit for Interoperability
MKS Toolkit for Professional Developers
MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers
MKS AlertCentre

---

Never mind. I'll try Cimperiali's code. Perhaps my problem has been solved...

...it should work, but I tried only as administrator...Let us know...

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Cimperiali
...it should work, but I tried only as administrator...Let us know...

---

First of all, thanks for the help.

I tried the code. Here's what it does.

The call to ExitWindowsEx(EWX_FORCE, 0) causes the system to logoff, even though it was locked. (funny, i expected it to reboot/shutdown).

If i change the EWX_FORCE to EWX_REBOOT (which is what i actually want to do), it does nothing (probably because it's locked).

If i comment out the ExitWindowsEx call and call NtShutdownSystem directly, it shutsdown the system, and presents the screen which tells that it's safe to turn the power off.

Any comments on that?

P.S. I tried it as a domain user belonging to the local Administrators group (which is actually a PC administrator).

try:

Code:

---

If ExitWindowsEx(EWX_POWEROFF Or EWX_FORCE, 0) = 0 Then
        NtShutdownSystem SHUTDOWN
End If

---

This worked on my pc (powered down)

Code:

---

Private Sub tmrShutDown_Timer()
    tmrShutDown.Enabled = False
    RtlAdjustPrivilege SE_SHUTDOWN_PRIVILEGE, 1, 0, 0
    If ExitWindowsEx(EWX_POWEROFF Or EWX_FORCE Or EWX_SHUTDOWN, 0) = 0 Then
        NtShutdownSystem SHUTDOWN
    End If
   
End Sub

---

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Cimperiali
try:
If ExitWindowsEx(EWX_POWEROFF Or EWX_FORCE, 0) = 0 Then
NtShutdownSystem SHUTDOWN
ùEnd If

---

I tried

ExitWindowsEx(EWX_REBOOT Or EWX_FORCE, 0)

and it worked perfectly. It seems that the NtShutdownSystem SHUTDOWN is not necessary and (im my case at least) is never executed.

Thank you very much for your help. I still have some concerns about forcing windows to shutdown though. I have an application running which is accessing a database. That will happen if it is trying to write to the DB when i force windows to shutdown?

a message to quit can be sent to all applications on powerdown if you do not use the EWX_FORCE flag.

If your app is able to save before quit without ask user
interactivity, it should be able to avoid lost of data. But you're
playing with fiire, here, and I do not know the exact answer.

But an idea may be:
you could post a quit message to your running app (or even write a particular record on db your app can check), wait for the
app to close (ie: searching its window if any, or making it write a
small file you can read, and when you read you know it closed
connections to db, then delete that file, or searching a particular
record in a table....) and then powerdown

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Cimperiali
you could post a quit message to your running app (or even write a particular record on db your app can check), wait for the
app to close (ie: searching its window if any, or making it write a
small file you can read, and when you read you know it closed
connections to db, then delete that file, or searching a particular
record in a table....) and then powerdown

---

Yup, that's a nice one. Too much trouble just to evade the "lock" of the pc but it seems to be the only solution. I would appreciate a small example of "posting a quit message to a running app".

Thanks for the ideas. You've been very helpful.

Code:

---

Option Explicit

Private Declare Function FindWindow Lib "user32" Alias "FindWindowA" (ByVal lpClassName As String, ByVal lpWindowName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function PostMessage Lib "user32" Alias "PostMessageA" (ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal wMsg As Long, ByVal wParam As Long, lParam As Any) As Long
Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1
Const WM_CLOSE = &H10
Private Sub Form_Load()
    'adapted from an example of "KPD-Team"
    'URL: http://www.allapi.net/

    Dim WinWnd As Long, Ret As String
    'Ask for a Window title
    Ret = InputBox("Enter the exact window title:" + Chr$(13) + Chr$(10) + "Note: must be an exact match")
    'Search the window
    WinWnd = FindWindow(vbNullString, Ret)
    If WinWnd = 0 Then
        MsgBox "Couldn't find the window ..."
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'Post a message to the window to close itself
    PostMessage WinWnd, WM_CLOSE, 0&, 0&
End Sub

---

If you do not have a window, you could find exe names of
running processes...but I am not sure to hold an example to post
for this last one....

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Cimperiali
a message to quit can be sent to all applications on powerdown if you do not use the EWX_FORCE flag.

If your app is able to save before quit without ask user
interactivity, it should be able to avoid lost of data. But you're
playing with fiire, here, and I do not know the exact answer.

But an idea may be:
you could post a quit message to your running app (or even write a particular record on db your app can check), wait for the
app to close (ie: searching its window if any, or making it write a
small file you can read, and when you read you know it closed
connections to db, then delete that file, or searching a particular
record in a table....) and then powerdown

---

isn't that a bit complicated for something so simple..
By adding about 10 or 20 lines of code you could connect to the one app through tcp/ip and send a shutdown request. the other app saves all data to the disk and confirms it's shutdown in a tcp packet and the first application shuts down the computer.
That would then work over the network without changing anything.

greetings UNI

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Cimperiali
If you do not have a window, you could find exe names of
running processes...but I am not sure to hold an example to post
for this last one....

---

Found it. From the link that exists in your example (http://www.allapi.net/). I just went to the front page to take a look at the site and there was a link pointing to an example for this! (talk about luck) :). Did they know we might be searching for that? :)

http://www.mentalis.org/vbexamples/v...ample=PROCENUM

Nice to know you solved...
;)