How can I close/open several programs at once using one hotkey?

Question

I have a lot of things runnning on my Thinkpad T530. Sometimes I'd like to maximise battery life by closing several programs at once. I'd like to be able to reopen them when needed (with or without an AC adapter).

How can I assign a single hotkey to do this?

Answer 1

You can do this using batch script.

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Make the script that will initialize the programs desired by you, eg:

echo @off

:: example: start /d "dir" <file.exe>

start /d "c:\masm32\" qeditor.exe
start /d "c:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\" vlc.exe

exit

Make the script that will finalize the programs, eg:

echo @off

taskkill /f /im vlc.exe
taskkill /f /im qeditor.exe

exit

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Create shortcuts for both scripts:

• Right-click the batch file, and then click Create Shortcut.

  

Configure Hotkey:

• Right-click the batch file and choose Properties.
• In the Properties dialog, find the text box labeled Shortcut key.
• Click in the text box and enter a key that you wish to use in your hotkey. If you choose a function key or a numeric keypad key, only that key will be used and Ctrl + Alt + will not be added.
• Click OK.