XP shutdown script using the network

Question

On an XP Pro box, using gpedit.msc I set up a shutdown script to log something over the network. However, the script was failing, and after some research, it appears that the network is practically the first thing to go while shutting down.

Because there will always be a user logged in when the box shuts down (it runs a daemon that cannot be configured as a service), I tried making it a logoff script - and it worked!

My dilemma is this: is there ever a time when XP Pro does not run these logoff scripts when the machine is going down (aside, obviously, from a total crash)? Is there a better way to ensure that a certain action is taken for every shutdown?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

If a machine is turned on but logged out and a Windows Update cycle hits, that reboot will not fire off the Logoff script. However, in this case you will always have a logged in user otherwise the service would be out so this is a distant edge case. A logoff-script is actually a good choice in this situation!