There is an issue in Windows 8 (or in later version of Windows, e.g. Windows 10) that causes it to cancel the shutdown/logoff sequence during a profile run. If the setting "Run this profile on Windows shutdown/logoff" is enabled, Windows 8 (or newer) users who attempt to shut down their system will get a Windows message stating that it is trying to shutdown but could not as SyncBackFree/SE/Pro is still running in the background. After about 5 minutes, Windows 8 (and newer) will quit waiting and cancel the shutdown and displays the desktop view.
However, there are several workarounds. Instead of the user shutting Windows down, SyncBack can be configured with one of the methods detailed below to shutdown Windows once the profile completes its run.
Create a Group and configure the last profile to initiate a Windows Shutdown
Create a Group Profile and place the profiles that are required to run before shutdown into this group. Then configure this Group so that the member profile that will run last within the order sequence to execute a shutdown command that will initiate the Windows Shutdown sequence.
Locate the member profile that will run last in the Group and go to:
Modify > Expert > Programs-Before > After
and insert a SHUTDOWN command here, which will be triggered after the last profile has completed its run.
Refer to the SHUTDOWN command and its available syntaxes here.
There are additional options under this "After" settings page you can configure so that the shutdown command is executed under certain conditions. Refer to the Help file for more info. Note that a standard Windows users cannot shutdown or reboot a computer. Refer to this knowledge base article for details on how to resolve this limitation.
Additional notes: Users need to be careful not to run this Group if they do not intend to shut down Windows as it is configured to do so once the last profile within the Group executes the shutdown command. Typically, this Group should only be run manually by the user as required.
Please note that we do not provide bespoke services/assistance to write/support custom scripts/batch files as this is beyond the scope of our support.
Create a Group/Profile shortcut on the Desktop with Shutdown syntax
A Group Profile can be created and the profiles required to run before shutdown can be placed into this group. Click and drag that group profile onto your Windows Desktop to create a shortcut. Right-click on the shortcut and select Properties. At the Target field, add a -shutdown command parameter at the end of the string. So it should look something like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\2BrightSparks\SyncBackPro\SyncBackPro.exe" "Name of profile" -shutdown
Note: "Name of profile" should correspond to the name you have given for that profile. And replace "SyncBackPro" with "SyncBackSE" or "SyncBackFree" depending on the product you own.
Click OK to save the changes.
Users can then double-click on the shortcut to run the group profile and shutdown the PC once SyncBackFree/SE/Pro completes.
If there is only a single profile, you could simply drag that profile to the desktop directly without the need to create a group profile. The rest of the instructions stays the same.
Do note that if you intend to create a shortcut of the profile or group profile on the desktop that invokes a shutdown, you need to disable the setting "Run this profile on Windows shutdown/logoff" in those said profile / group profile if they are enabled. This prevents the profile / group profile from running again during shutdown.
Note that a standard Windows users cannot shutdown or reboot a computer. Refer to this knowledge base article for details on how to resolve this limitation.
In SyncBack V9 (or newer):
Select > Preferences > "When all profiles end" (in V9 and V10 Preferences is in the burger menu) setting and configure what SyncBack should do when the current running profiles finish (e.g. exit program, logout, reboot or shutdown the computer). With V9 and V10, this setting is only available when profiles are currently running.
Users can choose to run the profile/group manually and select this option to initiate a Shutdown once the profile finished running.
Please note this is a one-time setting, meaning it is only in force for the session in progress at the time.
This setting is never stored, so it won’t stay enabled with future sessions unless/until you select it again during the next run (while a profile is running, else it’s not listed).
Registry Settings that affect Shutdown
If the following registry setting is set to 1 then Windows will automatically shutdown without any process being able to stop it:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\AutoEndTasks