PCPow - PC Power Controller (v1.2.4)

A powerful utility for Windows that safely manages PC power states and provides Wake-on-LAN functionality.

Features

• Power State Management: Sleep, restart, or shut down your PC with simple commands
• Application Safety: Gracefully closes applications before power actions
• Wake-on-LAN: Remotely wake PCs on your network using MAC addresses
• Multiple Interfaces: PowerShell commands, command-line interface, and desktop shortcuts
• Terminal-Friendly: Commands run without closing your terminal window

Quick Start Guide

Installation (PowerShell - Run as Administrator)

# Download and run the installer
# Ensure you are in the directory where you downloaded the files
.\Install-PCPow.ps1

# Or specify a custom installation path:
.\Install-PCPow.ps1 -InstallPath "C:\Tools\PCPow"

# Force overwrite if already installed:
.\Install-PCPow.ps1 -Force

# Restart PowerShell after installation to ensure commands are available

PowerShell Commands (Recommended)

# Quick aliases - most convenient way to use PCPow
pows          # Put your PC to sleep
powr          # Restart your PC
powd          # Shut down your PC
poww MAC      # Wake a remote PC (replace MAC with the actual MAC address)

# Full commands with more options
Start-PCSleep [-Force] [-SkipAction]
Restart-PC [-Force] [-SkipAction]
Stop-PC [-Force] [-SkipAction]
Wake-PC -MACAddress "00:11:22:33:44:55"

Command Line Interface (CMD)

pcpow sleep [-force] [-skipaction]    # Put PC to sleep
pcpow restart [-force] [-skipaction]  # Restart PC
pcpow shutdown [-force] [-skipaction] # Shut down PC
pcpow wake MAC-ADDRESS                # Wake a remote PC

Command Options

• -Force: Skip countdown and force-close applications
• -SkipAction: Test mode - shows what would happen without actually performing the action

Wake-on-LAN Setup

To configure your PC to be woken up remotely:

# Run this command in PowerShell as Administrator
.\Setup-WakeOnLAN [-AllowRemoteAccess]

This configures your network adapters and saves MAC addresses to wake-targets.txt in the config directory.

Configuration

Configuration file is located at: <InstallPath>\config\pcpow.config.json Default location: $HOME\PCPow\config\pcpow.config.json

You can customize:

• Countdown duration (CountdownSeconds)
• Applications to ignore when closing (IgnoreApps)
• Default MAC addresses for Wake-on-LAN (WakeTargets)

Troubleshooting

If commands aren't working:

1. Restart PowerShell: Ensure the latest profile changes are loaded.
2. Verify installation: Run Get-Command -Name pows, powr, powd, poww to check if commands are defined.
3. Check PATH: Ensure <InstallPath>\bin is in your PATH environment variable.
4. Permissions: If having issues, try running PowerShell as Administrator.
5. Check logs: Review the logs in <InstallPath>\logs for detailed error information.

Support

For issues or questions, please create an issue on the GitHub repository: https://github.com/voolyvex/pcpow/issues

License

MIT License

Wake-on-LAN Configuration

1. Copy pcpow.config.template.json to pcpow.config.json
2. Edit to add your target devices:

   "wakeOnLan": {
     "port": 9,
     "allowedRemoteAccess": true,
     "your_device_name": {
       "ipAddress": "192.168.1.100", 
       "hostName": "YOUR-PC-NAME"
     }
   }
3. Configure BIOS/UEFI settings on the target device:
   • Enable "Wake on LAN" or "Power On By PCI-E/PCI" (names vary by manufacturer)
   • Enable "UEFI Network Stack" if available
   • Disable "Fast Startup" in Windows (Control Panel → Power Options)
   • Enable "Intel LAN" or similar network controller settings
   • Disable "Deep Sleep" modes that might interfere with WoL

IMPORTANT: BIOS/UEFI settings vary significantly between manufacturers and even between models from the same manufacturer. Incorrect BIOS changes can potentially affect system stability or functionality. Always consult your motherboard or system documentation before making changes. Adjust BIOS settings at your own risk.

For common BIOS configurations by manufacturer:

• ASUS: Advanced → APM Configuration → Power On By PCI-E/PCI → Enabled
• MSI: Settings → Advanced → Wake Up Event Setup → Resume By PCI-E Device → Enabled
• Gigabyte: BIOS → Power → Wake on LAN → Enabled
• Dell: Power Management → Wake on LAN → Enabled
• HP: Advanced → Power-On Options → Wake on LAN → Enabled

The Setup-WakeOnLAN.ps1 script attempts to configure your network adapters automatically, but manual BIOS configuration is still required in most cases.