Log time spent between switch a Windows on and off

Question

I want to log the time I spend between switching my PC on and when I switch it off; like have a text file updated with records of each time I switch my PC in the morning and switch it off at the afternoon so by the end of the month I can see how many hours I have been working.

Is there any existing application doing such a thing?

Answer 1

using the Uptime Utility

Microsoft have published a tool called Uptime.exe. It is a simple command line tool that analyses the computer's reliability and availability information. It can work locally or remotely. In its simple form, the tool will display the current system uptime. An advanced option allows you to access more detailed information such as shutdown, reboots, operating system crashes, and Service Pack installation.

Read the following KB for more info and for the download links: Uptime.exe Tool Allows You to Estimate Server Availability with Windows NT 4.0 SP4 or Higher. To use it, follow these steps:

1. Download uptime.exe from the above link, and save it to a folder, preferably in one that's in the system's path (such as SYSTEM32).
2. Open an elevated Command Prompt window. To open an elevated Command Prompt, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. You can also type CMD in the search box of the Start menu, and when you see the Command Prompt icon click on it to select it, hold CTRL+SHIFT and press ENTER.
3. Navigate to where you've placed the uptime.exe utility.
4. Run the uptime.exe utility. You can add a /? to the command in order to get more options.

source

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In case the previous was an overkill for You, for easier use I advise: Uptime Monitor and Power Calculator

Description

Written in C#, this small program is used to log computer uptime and downtime for purposes of calculating power consumption and costs as well as savings, where downtime is considered either standby or hibernate.

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There is also a software with better design and more advanced GUI, called up.time.
In the free version, You have a limited amount of functions but it is not defined if uptime monitoring is included. http://www.uptimesoftware.com/overview.php

Answer 2

Get a RaspberryPi and make it ping your windows machine every minute or so, and append every state change to a file (or better a database). How about also pinging your phone, so you know when you left and came back? Or ping your smart-tv so that you can keep track of how often and how long you watched tv.

Answer 3

The Windows "Event Log" (eventvwr.msc) has such records, though finding them might be difficult. You can enable system event auditing via secpol.msc (or Group Policy), which will write explicit "system booted", "user logged in", "system shut down" entries.