newsbin.com

hi,

I'm running NewsBin Pro v6.40 (build 2059) on a PC running Windows 7 - I've set up the options to automatically exit NewsBin when the download list is empty - which does appear to work when there is something in the download list to start with, with the PC the automatically shutting down after about 15 minutes according to the Windows power saving settings.

However, I've set this PC to run NewsBin Pro as a scheduled task every night (to take advantage of the midnight to 8AM window when downloads don't count towards my ISP's quota) - but if the program is run when there's nothing in the download window, it does not auto-exit and therefore the PC stays on until the task is auto-killed by Windows after 8 hours.

Whilst I can understand that NewsBin Pro would normally keep running if started with an empty download list (or it could get annoying having it auto-prompt for closure every time it is run manually), is there a setting (perhaps a command-line one) that will cause Newsbin Pro to auto-exit if it is started up with an empty download list?

I don't believe so. Did you know that newsbin has a scheduler now, so you can just leave it running and you can prioritize your download window? I know it's not the same and you might have solid reasons for not wanting that, but just in case you didn't know...

I think it would need to be a command line option, though, yeah. Otherwise newsbin would never start up.

DT

I do know about the scheduler (very handy) - and make use of it, but that really appears to be aimed more at the scenario where the PC is left on 24x7. The thing with the PC running newsbin pro is it's mostly turned off, windows is set to hibernate after 15 minutes idle time.

Current tasks in windows scheduler for that PC are:

• just after midnight (when the "free" download time begins) - newsbin pro
• automatic backup at about 02:00 (initiated by a windows home server box)
• synchronisation with a file server at about 04:00

as I have more than one task configured, I can't use the option in newsbin pro to hibernate the PC when the download list is empty because it might stop the other tasks from running.

The problem is that if newsbin pro is running (even if there is nothing in the download list), this prevents the PC from going into hibernate mode. I have windows task scheduler configured to kill newsbin pro after 8 hours of running (as that's as long as the "free" download time lasts). So currently, I have to disable the windows scheduler task if there isn't anything in the queue, or the PC just stays on every morning for 8 hours. If there's something in the download list when newsbin pro runs then yes, it does quit when the list empties and windows then hibernates after 15 minutes ...

so if it's possible to configure newsbin pro to run and then auto-exit if the download list is empty (irrespective of whether it initially has something in there or not), this would allow the PC to wake each day just after midnight and sleep again 15 minutes or so later and I wouldn't need to keep enabling and disabling the task dependent upon if there is something left to be downloaded ...