Q. How can I configure Windows 7 or Windows Vista to automatically wake at a certain time and run a task?

Launch Task Scheduler (Start, Accessories, System Tools, Task Scheduler).

Select the Create Task action.

Name the task under the General tab and, optionally, provide a description.

Select the Triggers tab, select New, and specify to begin the task on a schedule. Select Daily or Weekly (or whatever you need) and the recurrence. Specify the start time (e.g. 2:00:00 a.m.) and click OK.

Under Actions, select the program or task you want to run. For example, to install important updates from Microsoft, I could set the program to

%windir%system32wuauclt.exe /detectnow

You could always have a script that runs the install then runs

shutdown –s

to shut down the machine, or use other options that work best for your environment.

Click the Conditions tab, select Wake the computer to run this task, and click OK.