How to warn against shutting down pc if network user accessing ext HD?

[oxgt2e]

I have two pc's - a laptop and a tower - with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit installed on each. We use Homegroups to share files wirelessly via router. There is an external hard drive attached to the tower. On that external drive I have a folder named "Movies" with many sub folders that contain dvd rips. I have the laptop connected to the living room TV via HDMI cable where I watch the dvd rips. However, someone can shut the tower down while the laptop is playing a movie and, of course, the movie stops playing.

My questions are -

Is there a way to alert the tower user that someone is using the external drive when "shut down" is selected so that the tower user knows not to shut down?

If that is possible, is there a way for the tower to shut down on its own? (perhaps when the external hard drive goes idle, or even perhaps via command by the laptop user?)

Thank you for your time and courtesy.

 

[boohbah]

i have this problem also . my workaround is to copy the movie i wish to watch that evening before the desktop gets closed, of course its a real PITA when it gets closed whilst copying .
interested to see if there is a solution.

 

[oxgt2e]

I'm still hoping for a solution..

I think it was Windows 98 that, when I tried to shut down, would give me an alert that another user was accessing my files.

I know that with Windows 7 Ultimate I can "check" to see if someone is accessing my files. Right-clicking on My Computer and then left-clicking on Manage and then left-clicking on Shared Folders and then left-clicking on either Sessions or Open Files will tell me if another user is currently using my files.

I wish there was a way to make Windows 7 Ultimate check for open sessions or open files when I choose "shut down" and alert me with a choice to cancel the shut down (the way Windows 98 used to do).

I have to believe there is a way to do this via Windows, perhaps from within group policy settings. Maybe there is a third-party software solution (maybe some kind of basic home networking software), although it seems like something that Windows 7 should do organically as a function of Homegroups. The absence of such a warning makes Homegroups feel like an incomplete development to me.

 

[oxgt2e]

Still no solution?

I think I have ideas for workarounds (such as leaving the pc running but set to go into sleep mode after a a certain amount of idle time), but I am looking for a direct solution. I really don't want the tower running all the time if it doesn't need to be.

When you tried to shut down a Windows 98 system and there were users accessing your files, the operating system would alert you and let you cancel the shut down. With Windows 7 Ultimate I can manually check to see if users are accessing my files before shutting down (a work around) but there must be a way to force Windows 7 Ultimate to check on its own and alert a user from shutting down in that situation. It seems to me like there might be a policy setting that can be tweaked, or something.

Please help!

 

[fseal]

Yeah XP did that too. Surprised to hear it doesn't on 7, though maybe not too surprised. They really did kind of bork up a lot of the networking UI on 7 over XP IMHO... (No share icons etc)

I'll try looking into it this evening, can't think of anything atm.

 

[WindowsStar]

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