	Sign In Sign-Up

Using AllDone

Revision history

August 8, 1999: First version. Covers version 1.35 of the program.

Index

	Introduction
	Running the program in manual mode
	Running the program in unattended mode
	Understanding AllDone.ini

Introduction

AllDone checks whether your computer needs to be restarted in order to replace or delete files, or perform any "RunOnce" tasks after you install or remove software on your computer. AllDone gives you the option of restarting, shutting down, or doing nothing when you exit the program. It also has an unattended mode that causes the program to automatically restart your computer (if a restart is necessary) after a specific number of seconds.

For diagnostic purposes, AllDone also saves a record of all changes scheduled to occur upon the next restart, giving you a rare insight into the workings software setup procedures on Windows platforms.

AllDone was written by The Grimace (The Grimacemayfield@hotmail.com). Recent versions of this and other programs are available at Inky's Linkies.

Running the program in manual mode

To run AllDone in manual mode, just double-click AllDone.exe. Before the program window appears, AllDone checks to see whether there are any files waiting to be replaced or removed during the next system startup or any one-time post-setup tasks queued to run the next time you log on to Windows. Once these checks are done, the program window comes up.

Three things will be different about the program window depending on whether AllDone finds changes that require a restart:

If a restart is required

1. The traffic signal's red light is lit.

2. The text next to the traffic signal reads: Your computer must be restarted for setup to continue.

3. The option Close any open programs and restart your computer is automatically selected under What do you want to do when you click OK?

If a restart is not required

1. The traffic signal's green light is lit.

2. The text next to the traffic signal reads: Setup is complete. You do not have to restart your computer.

3. The option Nothing is automatically selected under What do you want to do when you click OK?

There is a third option under What do you want to do when you click OK? which is never automatically, but which you can select manually if you like. This option, Close any open programs and shut down your computer, will shut down the operating system (and your computer if your hardware/OS support it).

Click OK to exit the program and carry out your selection.

Running the program in unattended mode

You run AllDone in unattended mode by using the /t and, optionally /f, command line switches. With the /t switch, you specify a number of seconds to count down before exiting the program automatically. During the countdown, the OK button displays the number of seconds remaining. By default, AllDone will not exit automatically if it determines that a restart is not required; it will stay open until you close it. However, you can use the /f switch to force AllDone to quit when the time is up. The /f switch does not force AllDone to restart the computer; it just allows the program to quit if not restart is necessary.

The following example causes Ala to count down 20 seconds before restarting the computer if a restart is required. If no restart is necessary, AllDone ignores the 20 second delay and simply waits for you to click OK:

alldone.exe /t:20

In this example, AllDone quits after 15 seconds, whether a restart is necessary or not. The computer will only be restarted if AllDone determines that a restart is required.

alldone.exe /t:15 /f

Whether or not a restart is required, you can always select a different option before AllDone quits automatically. You can also click the OK/countdown button to quit the program early.

Understanding AllDone.ini

Each time it runs, AllDone saves a record of the changes scheduled to occur upon the next restart in a file called AllDone.ini. It also keeps a backup of the results from the last time it ran in AllDone.bak. AllDone saves both of these files in your Windows folder.

There may be up to three different sections in AllDone.ini depending on what the program finds:

RunOnce (system)
This is a numbered list of any system-wide one-time setup tasks scheduled to run on the next Windows logon. Each event is numbered in the order that the event is scheduled to occur. After the number is the event's name (each event has a unique name), which is followed by the command line that starts the event.

RunOnce (user)
This section represents user-specific one-time setup tasks. Its format is exactly the same as the RunOnce (system) section.

PendingFileRenameOperations
[Windows NT only]
This is a numbered list of file move/delete operations scheduled to happen during the next restart. The lines look kind of cryptic, but it's generally pretty simple to understand: Lines that show two filenames indicate that mean that the first file is going to be renamed to the second filename. Lines that show a single filename mean that the file will be removed. If you see two consecutive lines that mention the same filename, it means the existing file will be deleted and then replaces by a file that currently has a different temporary name.

Wininit.ini (rename)
[Windows 95 and 98 only]
This is similar to the PendingFileRenameOperations section but makes a little more sense. Lines that indicate files to be deleted end with "=NULL." Other lines indicate files to be replaced.