How to turn your PC on and off using Cortana (Text and Voice commands)

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This tutorial will show you how can you power on your PC with Voice commands with your phone using the VoiceWake App (Lite or Pro) with simple step by step instructions.

It may be possible with future updates to tell your PC to turn on without relying on your phone.

However that would mean your Mic will always be on and in active listening mode like the Xbox 1 and Kinect.

[WARN]Disclaimer: your PC / device must support Wake-On-Lan / Magic Packet and mostly will only work on Ethernet only. [/WARN]

[INFO]Wake-On-Wifi: Currently investigating work arounds using Wake-On-USB however I don't think it may be possible. As the WiFi adapter itself has to support that "magic packet". If a solution is found it will be added at the section at the end of the guide as an addendum due to the 15 image attachment limit[/INFO]


[TIP]If you are prompted by User Account control while following this Tutorial, just click Yes / Allow / Ok.[/TIP]

This guide started off as a simple how to however as started testing and checking, it slowly spiraled out into a comprehensive one... ooops!

This guide has been designed to be pretty simple and easy to follow for beginners :wink: (With a mini section for advanced users :winktongue:).

Contents:

1) The Basics / Mandatory Prerequisite Check (this post)
2) Setting Up The VoiceWake App (Lite or Pro)
3) Configuring your PC/Laptop/All-in-One to Shut down via Cortana
4) Configuring your PC/Laptop/All-in-One to Reboot via Cortana
5) Configuring your PC/Laptop/All-in-One to Hibernate via Cortana
6) Configuring your PC/Laptop/All-in-One to Sleep via Cortana
7) Round Up
8) Troubleshooting / Known Issues
9) Advanced - Setting Up the Desktop App & Location Based Wake Commands & Port Forwarding
10) Advanced - Custom Shortcuts and Icons
11) Change Log
12) Credits

Your Wish is My Command


1) Go to the PC you want to use / turn on using Cortana, Login and press winkey+x or just simply right click on the start menu
1) Checking.png

2) Open the control panel
2) Network.PNG

3) Go to Network and Internet
2b) Network 2.PNG

4)Click on Network & Sharing Centre and on the left handside click on Change Adapter Settings

2c) Network 3.PNG

5) A new window will open and double click on Ethernet
3) Ethernet.PNG

6) Here click on Properties

3) Ethernet B.PNG

7) Now click on configure

3) Ethernet C.PNG

8) Here we want the advanced tab

3) Ethernet D.PNG

9) Scroll down until you see Wake on Lan or Wake on Magic Packet and click on the drop down arrow to enable

[INFO]If it is not listed you may need to update your driver or enable it in the bios, see the trouble shooting section for more information, make a note of your Ethernet adapter name. You will need it for trouble shooting[/INFO]
3) Ethernet EF.PNG

10) Now Wake-On-Lan is enabled, click okay to accept changes

3) Ethernet E.PNG

If you don't have this then, you will not be able to use the VoiceWake App (Lite or Pro) to wake up PC. You can skip to the shut down process.

10) Now click on the details tab and make a note of the IPV4 address & Physical Address or simply leave that dialogue Box open.



11) Download the VoiceWake Lite App, I would whole heartedly recommend buying the full version of the app to support the developer for making such a nifty app.

Lite Version:

https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...FVoiceWake-Lite%2F9WZDNCRDCCWG&token=_NlTdKsu

VW Lite Qr.PNG

Full Version:

https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...pps%2FVoiceWake%2F9WZDNCRDCCWH&token=-ZK82oJk

Qr full.PNG
 
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12) Once the app is installed, open it and press the + Icon

wp_ss_20151120_0002.png

13) Enter your preferred name, this is the name you will give Cortana when issuing the command either via voice or text. For the sake of this tutorial I chose My Laptop

wp_ss_20151120_0003.png
13) Enter the Ipv4 address (IP Address) and physical address (Mac) address. The subnet can be left empty or just type in 255.255.255.0 and leave the port number as it is. once finished, tap save.

Reminder:

App Set up.PNG

14) Check you are connected to your local network via ethernet and your phone is connected to your WiFi. Save what ever you were doing on your PC / laptop etc and shut down as we need to test if it works or not.

15)
wp_ss_20151120_0006.pngwp_ss_20151120_0008.pngwp_ss_20151120_0007.png

Wait a few moments and your PC / Laptop should now turn on.

If it doesn't you will need to check your bios settings (check the troubleshooting section)

16) Shut down once again and issue the following command "Cortana Wake {the name given at step 13}", in this case it would be "Cortana wake my laptop".

wp_ss_20151120_0009.png


Enjoy!

Here is developer's link to the app:
http://www.voicewakeapp.com

Developer demoing the app:

 
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Close Sesame!....oil?

Next we will configure how to shut down your PC or Computer with Cortana.

[NOTE]You will need to enable hidden folders, you only need to do this once through out this tutorial


  • Open File explorer
  • Go to file
  • Change folder and search options

Prep1.PNG
  • In the folder options dialogue box
  • click view
  • scroll down to hidden files and folders
  • Select show hidden files, folders and drives
  • click ok to save
  • leave file explorer open on the side, we will need it later.
Prep2.PNG

[/NOTE]

1) On your desktop, right click, go to new and choose shortcut
1) Right Click On Desktop.PNG

2) Click on Shortcut

2) Click on Shortcut.PNG

3) This dialogue box will open
3) Dialogue Box.PNG



4)Type in the following or copy & paste: shutdown.exe /s /t 00

[TIP]Instead of using Shutdown.exe /s /t 00 you can use shutdown.exe /s /hybrid this will invoke Hybrid Shutdown and give the user about a minute to save everything {on default settings}. What this does is is log out the user and save the kernel session therefore it loads up much faster than a cold boot. This will be covered in more detail in the advanced section along with other shutdown commands including custom comments for that custom experience[/TIP]
4) Create Shortcut.PNG

5) Click next and name it, for the sake of this Tutorial I named it shut down (however you can name it whatever you want)

Suggestions Courtesy of Rhapdog:

[TIP]About telling Cortana, "Open Shutdown". You can say other things besides "open". You can also say, "Launch shutdown", or "Start Shutdown" and both will do the same thing as "Open Shutdown". Or, "Start ShutdownProcedures" if you rename it to ShutdownProcedures.[/TIP]


5) Name it.PNG

6) Click finish

7) You will now have this icon on your desktop
Icon.PNG

8) This shortcut will need to go into the Start Menu directory, which is located here:

C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

[NOTE]For the sake of this Tutorial {Your Username} is represented as Test Account, so if your name is John Doe, it be will C:\Users\John Doe\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you want the changes to impact all users then you need C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you had used the windows deployment tool to customise your install then you will know what directory you need[/NOTE]

Multi-Dir.PNG

9) Right click the icon on your desktop and left click cut

6) Cut.PNG

[TIP]Optional: You can place the short cut in a custom directory / folder, I have chosen "Cortana Commands"

Custom Dir.PNG
[/TIP]

10) Then paste it either in the programs folder or the start menu folder (your choice)

7) Paste.PNG


11) Pasted in the start menu folder

8) Root.PNG

12) That's it, you can now close the folder

9) Open Shutdown.PNG9) Shutdown Text command.PNG

[NOTE]
Both text and voice should work (see above) however if you have issues check the known issues sub section.
[/NOTE]
 
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There's a Looper on the lose!


Okay, now that we have set up the computer to shut down via Cortana.

Next we will configure how to Reboot your PC or Computer with Cortana.

1) On your desktop, right click, go to new and choose shortcut

2) Click on Shortcut.PNG1) Right Click On Desktop.PNG

2) Click on Shortcut

2) Click on Shortcut.PNG

3) This dialogue box will open

3) Dialogue Box.PNG


4)Type in the following or copy & paste: shutdown.exe /r /t 00

[TIP]/t 00 denotes 0 (time) delay from command trigger however force close is off. Which means if there are any running applications; Windows will prompt the user that these are running therefore enabling the user to cancel shut down if necessary.

If /t is greater than 00 i.e 30 then force close for all applications is invoked automatically after 30 seconds.[/TIP]


4)Reboot.PNG

5) Click next and name it, for the sake of this Tutorial I named it Reboot (however you can name it whatever you want)


Suggestions Courtesy of Rhapdog:

[TIP]About telling Cortana, "Open Reboot". You can say other things besides "open". You can also say, "Launch Reboot", or "Start Reboot" and both will do the same thing as "Open Shutdown". Or, "Start RebootProcedures" if you rename it to RebootProcedures.[/TIP]
5) Name it Reboot.PNG

6) Click finish

7) You will now have this icon on your desktop

6)Reboot icon.PNG

8) This shortcut will need to go into the Start Menu directory, which is located here:

C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

[NOTE]For the sake of this Tutorial {Your Username} is represented as Test Account, so if your name is John Doe, it be will C:\Users\John Doe\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you want the changes to impact all users then you need C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you had used the windows deployment tool to customise your install then you will know what directory you need[/NOTE]

Multi-Dir.PNG

9) Right click the icon on your desktop and left click cut

7)Cut Reboot.PNG

10) Then paste it either in the programs folder or the start menu folder (your choice)

[TIP]Optional: You can place the short cut in a custom directory / folder, I have chosen "Cortana Commands"
Custom Dir Reboot.PNG

[/TIP]

7) Paste.PNG

Pasted in the programs folder

Reboot 2.PNG

11) That's it, you can now close the folder

Reboot text command.pngReboot Voice commands.png

[NOTE]
Both text and voice should work (see above) however if you have issues check the known issues sub section.
[/NOTE]
 
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Is it Summer Already?


Before we begin to configure Hibernate, we need to find out what states are supported by your machine:

To check what states your machine supports

1) Press Winkey+X, or right click the start menu
CMD (Non Elevated).png

2) Select Command Prompt from the list, we don't need to run the command prompt in admin mode as we are just checking supported states.

3) Type in powercfg.exe /a
CMD powercfg-a1.PNG
4) You will get a list of supported states as below.
CMD powercfg-a2.PNG
Now that we have identified what states are supported.
[INFO]
If Hibernate, Sleep, Hybrid Sleep is not supported or turned off or not listed see the known issues / troubleshooting section
[/INFO]

So without further ado.

We will now configure how to Hibernate with Cortana.

1) On your desktop, right click, go to new and choose shortcut
1) Right Click On Desktop.PNG

2) Click on Shortcut
2) Click on Shortcut.PNG


3) This dialogue box will open

3) Dialogue Box.PNG

4) Type in the following or copy & paste: shutdown.exe /h

4) Create Shortcut Hibernate.PNG
5) Click next and name it, for the sake of this Tutorial I named it Hibernate (however you can name it whatever you want).

Suggestions Courtesy of Rhapdog:
[TIP]About telling Cortana, "Open Hibernate". You can say other things besides "open". You can also say, "Launch Hibernate", or "Start Hibernate" and both will do the same thing as "Open Hibernate". Or, "Start HibernateProcedures" if you rename it to HibernateProcedures.[/TIP]

5) Hibernate.PNG

6) Click Finish

7) You will now have this icon on your desktop:
7)Icon.PNG

8) This shortcut will need to go into the Start Menu directory, which is located here:

C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

[NOTE]For the sake of this Tutorial {Your Username} is represented as Test Account, so if your name is John Doe, it be will C:\Users\John Doe\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you want the changes to impact all users then you need C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you had used the windows deployment tool to customise your install then you will know what directory you need[/NOTE]

Multi-Dir.PNG

9) Right click the icon on your desktop and left click cut
8) Cut Hibernate.PNG

10)Then paste it either in the programs folder or the start menu folder (your choice)

[TIP]Optional: You can place the short cut in a custom directory / folder, I have chosen "Cortana Commands" Custom Dir.PNG[/TIP]


7) Paste.PNG

Pasted in the programs folder
Hibernate 1.PNG

11) That's it you can now close the folder

Finish Hibernate (combi).png

[WARN]EXECUTING THIS COMMAND WILL IMMEDIATELY TRIGGER HIBERNATION MODE

YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO STOP THIS BY PRESSING THE CANCEL BUTTON WHEN USING VOICE COMMANDS.


ONCE THIS PROCESS ONCE STARTED IT CANNOT BE STOPPED
.[/WARN]


[NOTE]
Both text and voice should work (see above) however if you have issues check the known issues sub section.
[/NOTE]
 
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To Sleep or Not to Sleep?

Now the last of the bunch is Sleep mode, here there are two variations

1)Sleep: is a power-saving state that allows a computer to quickly resume full-power operation (typically within several seconds) when you want to start working again. Everything is saved on RAM only and if there is power loss then that data is lost.

2)Hybrid sleep: is a combination of sleep and hibernate; it puts any open documents and programs in memory and on your hard disk, and then puts your computer into a low-power state so that you can quickly resume your work. So if you lose power and reconnect later your machine will start at the last point you left off. This in my opinion is way better than hibernate as not only your machine loads faster than hibernate, you don't have to worry about it running out of power while the system is hibernating. Therefore is perfect for laptops, it's even better if you have an ssd (on my laptop using the Samsung 850 Evo, it pretty much starts up instantaneously).

[NOTE]You will need to download psshutdown from here https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897541
This is so that we can avoid invoking commands via rundll32.exe, yes this method is cumbersome but it is much safer. Plus there is no install residue - Win-Win all around the only caveat is that on a standard account executing sleep requires the admin password for the first run and the terms & conditions need to be accepted [/NOTE]

[TIP]For advanced users you can place the files/folder under which ever directory you like even under %windir%[/TIP]

1) Once you have downloaded the file, go to your downloads folder, right click it and click extract all

1b.PNG

2) You will get a dialogue box asking where you want to extract to, we want to extract to C:\PSTools

1d.PNG

You can close the extracted folder once opened, this is just simply to verify all files have been extracted.

3) On your desktop, right click, go to new and choose shortcut
1) Right Click On Desktop.PNG

4) Click on Shortcut
2) Click on Shortcut.PNG


5) This dialogue box will open

3) Dialogue Box.PNG


6)Type in the following or copy & paste: C:\PSTools\psshutdown.exe -d -t 00

[TIP]-t 00 denotes the time delay of 0 Seconds before sleep or hybrid sleep kicks in.

By default where "-t 00" is not used psshutdown has a delay of 20 Seconds.
[/TIP]


1e.PNG

7) Click next and name it, for the sake of this Tutorial I named it shut down (however you can name it whatever you want)

Suggestions Courtesy of Rhapdog:

[TIP]About telling Cortana, "Open Sleep". You can say other things besides "open". You can also say, "Launch Sleep", or "Start Sleep" and both will do the same thing as "Open Sleep". Or, "Start SleepProcedures" if you rename it to SleepProcedures.[/TIP]

1g.PNG


8) Click finish

9) You will now have this icon on your desktop

1h.PNG

10) This shortcut will need to go into the Start Menu directory, which is located here:

C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

[NOTE]For the sake of this Tutorial {Your Username} is represented as Test Account, so if your name is John Doe, it be will C:\Users\John Doe\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you want the changes to impact all users then you need C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. If you had used the windows deployment tool to customise your install then you will know what directory you need[/NOTE]

Multi-Dir.PNG

11) Right click the icon on your desktop and left click cut


[TIP]Optional: You can place the short cut in a custom directory / folder, I have chosen "Cortana Commands"
1r.PNG
[/TIP]

12) Then paste it either in the programs folder or the start menu folder (your choice)

7) Paste.PNG

13) Pasted in the programs folder

Sleep1.PNG

14) You can now close the folder, go to Cortana, type in sleep or initiate voice command "open, start or launch sleep".

1q.pngsleep voice command.png
 
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15) You will then be prompted to enter the admin password, if your a standard user or the UAC account control. Enter the password of an Admin user or accept the UAC prompt. If you are prompted to accept then terms & conditions then accept them - this occurred once during testing (I would suggest you read any terms & conditions, that you are accepting but that's just me :winktongue: ). Also if you see a dialogue box that asks if the programme installed correctly, click okay / yes / accept / confirm (also occurred once during testing on an admin account and standard account).

16) That's it, enjoy :)

[INFO]This section is entirely optional as you can use either standby (sleep) or hybrid sleep - not both - the easiest way to look at is Hybrid Sleep is an evolved form of the basic Standby mode.[/INFO]

Now that we have configured Sleep, we will now proceed to enable hybrid sleep for those who want it enabled.

This is a simple toggle and can be done by various ways.

However we will do the easiest way of all and that is to enable it in a power plan.

This way you have the flexibility of using this or not, cycle through power plans that suite your needs on a daily basis.

1) Press the following combination Winkey + X or simply right click the start menu or right click the battery icon on the system tray.
PowerOptions1b.pngPower options 1.PNG

2) Select Power Options and the power options windows will open

Power Options Window.PNG

3)Choose your desired power plan that you want to change

[NOTE]I chose balanced for the sake of this tutorial, how ever you can choose any[/NOTE]

4) Once selected click "Change plan settings"

Change Advance Settings.PNG

5) Now click on "Change advanced power settings" and the edit power plan dialogue box will open

Power Options Config.PNG


6) Navigate / scroll down to sleep

[TIP]You may need to click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable" if you don't see the option below[/TIP]

Power Options Config 2.PNG

7) Enable Hybrid Sleep, you may or may not have both battery and AC power options.

Done.PNG

8) That's it.

[NOTE]
Both text and voice should work (see above) however if you have issues check the known issues sub section.
[/NOTE]
 
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If you have had followed the Tutorial or if you haven't it doesn't matter you can simple choose which commands you add to your system.

Here is a quick round up of my set up to show you what was accomplished through out this tutorial :

1)Shut Down: Voice Command "Start Shutting Down"
Start Shutting Down.png

2)Reboot: Voice Command "Start Rebooting"

Start Rebooting.png

Other examples:

Start Reboot Process.png

3)Hibernation: Voice Command - "Start Hibernating"
Start Hibernating.png

Other examples:
Start Hibernation Process.png

4) Sleep / Hybrid Sleep
sleep voice command.png
 
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Known Issues & Trouble shooting
[INFO]You cannot hide these shortcuts, if you hide them Cortana willnot be able to find them and execute them[/INFO]

I said, Open Sesame!?

If no Wake-On-Lan, Magic Packet, Wake-On-PCIe is shown.

You will need either need to update the driver or enable it in the BIOS
1) Open device manager via right clicking the start menu
2) Go to network adapters and find your Ethernet adapter using the name you took note of earlier
4) Double click it
5) Go to the driver tab
6) Click Update driver
7) Click search automatically
8) If found it will install it automatically, you may need to restart (if nothing is found proceed to step 9)

Check if Wake-On-Lan, Magic Packet, Wake-On-PCIe is listed (see first post)

9) Click on update driver again, this time click browse my computer for software
10) Then let me pick from a list of drivers on my computer
11) You should see "show compatible hardware"
12) Below that should be a list of signed drivers
13) Select the latest and click next, accept all prompts this should force the driver to install again

Check if Wake-On-Lan, Magic Packet, Wake-On-PCIe is listed (see first post)


[WARN]Disclaimer: Messing around with the BIOS can do irreparable damage to your computer, you do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility of what may occur from the changes you made neither does Windows Central, Mobile Nations or it's affiliates.
You have been Warned. [/WARN]

With that formality out of the way, again you are doing so at your own risk:

Reboot the computer and pay attention at the bottom of the screen as it will tell you which button to press for the bios, it is usual, DEL, F12, or F9 (it will vary).

Sometimes holding ESC halts the boot process and displays an option.

Where the button for the bios will be listed, open it.

READ EVERY THING and DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES if you are UNSURE of what they do.

We are look for device options, network boot, or wake-on-lan, wake-on-pcie.
When found enable it and if it is listed under network boot, select follow boot load order / boot order and save.

Check if Wake-On-Lan, Magic Packet, Wake-On-PCIe is listed (see first post)


Eeeeek, Help! I'm Lost!

Hibernate, Hybrid Sleep, Sleep were not listed.

1) First of all we need to check if the Hibernate, Hybrid Sleep or Sleep states are indeed supported by your computer.

Generally speaking, if it's not supported then it will be listed as not supported under powercfg.exe /a.

StateACPI State
HibernateS4
Hybrid SleepS4 + S1/S2/S3
SleepS1, S2,S3

Before we go fiddling around in the BIOS / UEFI (we don't really need to as all modern PC's support S1-3 & S4), if you do have delve into the bios / uefi to check sleep states then you really need to upgrade your hardware :winktongue:).

1) Open device manager via right clicking the start menu
2) Go to computer and it should say ACPI x64-based PC or ACPI x86-based PC
3) If it does not or you have a question mark or exclamation mark then you need to update the driver
4) Double click it
5) Go to the driver tab
6) Click Update driver
7) Click search automatically
8) If found it will install it automatically, you may need to restart (if nothing is found proceed to step 9)

9) Click on update driver again, this time click browse my computer for software
10) Then let me pick from a list of drivers on my computer
11) You should see "show compatible hardware"
12) Below that should be "ACPI x64-based PC or ACPI x86-based PC"
13) Select it and click next, accept all prompts this should force the driver to install again

Once installed, run powercfg.exe /a again.

If this doesn't work then you need to check with motherboard's manufacturer for the drivers. To check who the manufacturer is:

1) windows key + r or right click the start menu
2) click on run and type in MSINFO32
3) under baseboard manufacturer it will say the name of the manufacture.
4) under baseboard model it will say the name of model number
5) make a note of both and go to the manufacturers website, navigate to the support section and then drivers for motherboard model and operating system. If you are on a laptop then this is a hit an miss.
6) download and install.

[WARN]Disclaimer: Messing around with the BIOS can do irreparable damage to your computer, you do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility of what may occur from the changes you made neither does Windows Central, Mobile Nations or it's affiliates.
You have been Warned. [/WARN]

With that formality out of the way, again you are doing so at your own risk:

What you are looking for is power management, once you have found it.

Read every option, here you are looking for S3 OR S2 OR S1 and S4. Enable it, make a note of what you just enabled and save.

[INFO]If you get stuck in a boot loop, then go back into the BIOS. Disable what you last enabled and reboot.

Your PC should start up fine providing you have not touched ANYTHING ELSE.[/INFO]

Once booted into the operating system, run powercfg.exe /a again and check what it is supported.

If Stand by and hibernate are still not listed as supported then nope, there is nothing more you can do other than upgrade.



General Issues


Issue: Text command is not showing or is taking to long to show

  • Fix: check if superfetch or caching is enabled
  • Fix: defrag your hard disk drive for faster seek time - do not defrag a solid state drive!
Issue: Hibernate is not instant

  • Fix: Other users are logged into the computer and / or you have a lot of applications etc running.
Issue: Random black screen

  • Fix: {haven't been able to replicate this issue - occurred once}
Issue: Text or voice commands not registered found when shortcuts are placed in C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

  • Fix: Place shortcuts C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu . Meaning you need to place them for each individual user.
Issue: Cortana keeps initiating a web search or text command not found after a rename.

  • Fix: Rename the shortcut in the directory / folder it is in, then reboot - and try again. If it doesn't register wait awhile then try again. (speed will depend on your hard drive, as I have an SSD it was about 5 to 20 seconds after a full boot).
  • Fix: Rename the shortcut on the desktop, move to desired folder and the reboot - and try again. If it doesn't register wait awhile then try again. (speed will depend on your hard drive, as i have an SSD it was about 20 seconds after a full boot).


Voice Command Issues

Issue: Built-in array mic is not registering / picking up voice commands

  • Fix: Train Cortana to listen to your voice and speak very very clearly and you may need to sit at a close proximity.
  • Fix: check device manager and see if your mic has been identified correctly (it should not have any ? or ! mark beside it). If it has try reinstalling the driver or updating it with the latest manufacturer drivers.
  • Fix: check device manager and see if your mic has not been been disabled. If it is disabled right click -> enable (you will need to accept any UAC prompts this occurs and you will need to login the administrator or a user with admin privileges to make changes on a standard account.
Issue: Cortana keeps initiating a web search!?

  • Fix: Check if you have any updates pending, install and retry.
    • Have applied updates however still doesn't work, wait a few days and try again. After a cumulative update for version 1511 on 26th November 2015 nothing was working for me, however today 28th November 2015 everything appears to be working flawlessly.
  • Fix: Retrain Cortana with your voice and try random commands until you get desired results.
  • Fix: Reboot your computer and try again
Issue: Sleep command persistently prompts for the admin password on a standard user

  • Fix: Unknown, this appears to occur if the sleep command is used frequently. This started happening on the 10th test. Giving admin rights to both the psshutdown.exe, the shortcut and unblocking the psshutdown.exe doesn't appear to work. The easiest solution is to make all standard users admin however that is not an acceptable work around neither is invoking commands via rundll32.exe.
 
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We will now set up full version (Pro version of the Voice Wake App), this includes waking up your PC outside of your network. This entails port forwarding, there are always risks with Port Forwarding especially if set up incorrectly. Furthermore if you are going to port forward I would suggest getting a firewall, a decent one too.

Now that the risks have been outlined briefly outlined, we shall begin.

I will details this section so everyone can follow :wink:.

1) Go to Download
2) Download the VoicewakeSetup.msi1.PNG

[NOTE]Strangely it is has two file associations .msi and .ppt![/NOTE]

3) We need to get this file back into .msi format, so go to file at the top left hand corner

4) Select change file and search options

2.PNG

5) In the folder options dialogue box click "View".
3.PNG

6) Untick the box that reads "hide extensions for known file types".

5.PNG

[TIP]Once you are done with this tutorial, return here and select "don't show hidden files, folders or drives and tick "hide extensions for known file types" then click ok.[/TIP]

7) Click Ok to save changes

8) As you can see the file name is now correctly shown as VoiceWakeSetup.msi.ppt. Don't worry it still works.
6.PNG

9) Right click the file and select rename or alternatively you can slowly double click it

7.PNG

10) Now delete ".ppt" from the file name and press enter

8.PNG

11) You will be prompted to accept or reject, click yes.
9.PNG

12) the file will now change to the correct format, which is .msi.
10.PNG

13) Double click to open and click run
11.PNG
14) Click next
12.PNG
15) choose a directory or leave the default (left default for the sake of this tutorial)
13.PNG

16) choose to either apply for every user or just yourself.

14.PNG

17) click next and wait for set up to finish

15.PNG

18) Leave tick box ticked and click close, the VoiceWake Dialogue box will appear along voice wake server in your system tray.

The aforesaid dialogue box is accessed by the icon below in the system tray (double click to open).
As you can see the Port is closed as no port forwarding is set up.



17.PNG

Leave the Voice Wake Config box open, we will need it for port forwarding.

[INFO]I have removed the PC information from the above screenshots, the voice wake dialogue box displays: Your Mac Address, Machine IP address and subnet so you can configure the app [/INFO]

 
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TechFreak1

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19) To enable Cortana to activate your PC outside your network, we will need to port forward.

20) login into your router, we already have the ip from the start of the tutorial. If you didn't make a note of it. Look at the bottom of router or check your network connection settings via settings -> network & internet -> double click Ethernet.

21)once you have logged in, look for advanced etc. You may need to look around as not every router uses the same UX.

[NOTE]The screenshots are from a netgear wnr2200, your set up will vary[/NOTE]

1.PNG

22) Look for advanced setup, network setup, lan setup etc

2.PNG

23) Click on Port Forwarding / Port Triggering

3.PNG

24) Select "+Add custom service"

4.PNG

25) Here enter the port number, IP address as shown in the Voice Wake Config box and service name (you can name it anything) however for the sake of this tutorial we will call it Voice Wake App. I have used 100.100.100.100 as an example.

5.PNG

26) Click Apply

6.PNG

27) On the voice wake config app, click check port and it will now report it as open.

That's it done, you can now start your PC using your own mobile internet connection.

Location based wake-on-lan, to set this up it is pretty simple.

28) Make sure location services is enabled on your phone
wp_ss_20151130_0005.pngwp_ss_20151130_0006.png
29) Open the Voice Wake app on your phone and swipe to location

wp_ss_20151130_0001.png

30) Add the location whilst connected to the WiFi of that location by tapping the plus icon

wp_ss_20151130_0002.png

That's it!

To edit, tap and hold the location in question

wp_ss_20151130_0003.pngwp_ss_20151130_0004.png

Here is a list of supported commands: - Cortana wake [computername]
- Cortana wake up [computername]

- Cortana wake [computername] up

- Cortana turn off [computername] - Cortana shutdown [computername]
- Cortana restart [computername]
- Cortana sleep [computername]
- Cortana hibernate [computername]
- Cortana wake [computername] when I get to [locationname]

- Cortana wake [computername] when I get [locationname]

- Cortana wake [computername] up when I get to [locationname]

- Cortana wake [computername] up when I get [locationname]
- Cortana when I get [locationname], wake [computername]

- Cortana when I get [locationname], wake [computername] up

- Cortana when I get to [locationname], wake [computername]

- Cortana when I get to [locationname], wake [computername] up

- Cortana schedule [computername] to wake up at [time] am/pm

- Cortana schedule [computername] to wake up tomorrow at [time] am/pm

- Cortana schedule [computername] to wake up on May 1st at [time] am/pm
 
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TechFreak1

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Now that we have completed setting everything, we will now give everything a final polish.

What better way to do that then some custom icons and custom shortcuts!

1) Go to the folder where you saved your shortcuts, in which case for me it is "Cortana Commands"
1.PNG
2) Right Click then select properties
2.PNG

3) Click on Change Icon

3.PNG

4) Click okay in the above dialogue box, however if it doesn't appear then in the text box "below look for icons in this file": type in %SystemRoot%\system32\shelldll.32

[TIP]Pro Tip you can use any icon you want, even your own creations made with something like icofx[/TIP]

5) Choose your preferred Icon and click ok
4.PNG

6) In the shortcut key field, you can have a key combination as long it starts with CTRL+ALT+{Your custom key}, if You use the num pad, the shortcut format changes to CTRL+{NumKey},

[TIP]Best refrain using Z, X, C,V, M, N K, L, H,F, A, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O as all these invoke functions in Word {used as an example as pretty much everyone uses it}. The last thing you want is to start Hibernating when you want to use the Highlight Function via CTRL+ALT+H :winktongue:[/TIP]



5a.PNG5.PNG

7) Click okay and enjoy

[TIP]If using CTRL+ALT is pain check out AutoHotKey or If you like being different you can use a controller as a mouse and invoke Cortana said controller using Joy2key!

The possibilities are endless, if there are enough of requests for this I will put up a guide :wink:[/TIP]

[NOTE]Don't forget to hide system folders and extensions via folder options :)[/NOTE]
 
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TechFreak1

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Change Log
[INFO]30/11/2015
  1. Spelling Corrections
  2. Updated Contents Page
[/INFO]

[INFO]29/11/2015
  1. Added Step Screenshots to Optional Hybrid Sleep Section
  2. Added screenshots to round up section
  3. Added short cut tips and custom icon tips to advanced section
  4. Added information about custom icons, shortcut keys in the advanced section
  5. Added fixes if states are not listed under Powercfg.exe /a with BIOS disclaimer.
  6. Tidying up formatting with section titles.
  7. Added information how to install the voice wake desktop application
  8. Added information how to set up port forwarding with screenshots
  9. Added information how to set up location based commands and what commands can be used.
  10. Added troubleshooting if wake-on-lan is not listed
  11. Layout fixes, post merges
[/INFO]
[INFO]
28.11.2015
  1. Moved Hibernation Section down and move Reboot Section Up
  2. Added more fixes to know issues and troubleshooting section
  3. Added screenshots of set up and examples to Roundup section
  4. Tidied up Hibernation and Reboot section (numbering)
  5. Added post cache to preserve post formatting during restructuring
  6. Removed post cache as no longer necessary
  7. Added information to 1st post in regards to Wake-on-WiFi
  8. Added information in regards to Sleep / Hybrid Sleep Section
  9. Added information about Hybrid Shutdown to Shutdown Section
  10. Add Screenshots to Sleep / Hybrid Sleep Section
  11. Layout fixes and typing errors.
  12. Added information about enabling commands for all users
  13. More layout adjustments - posts moved down to make space for Hybrid Sleep P2 section
  14. Appended how to shut down via Cortana (post) to include how to enable hidden folders.
[/INFO]
[INFO]27.11.2015
  1. Added more fixes to known issues and troubleshooting section
[/INFO]
[INFO]
26.11.2015
  1. Added screenshots and steps to reboot section
  2. Added screenshots, steps and disclaimer to hibernate section
  3. Added fix to know issues and troubleshooting section
  4. Finished linking contents to correct posts
  5. Corrected contents list wording
[/INFO]
[INFO]
20.11.2015
  1. Added reserved sections
  2. Completed The Basics / Mandatory Prerequisite Check (post)
  3. Completed how to set up the voice wake lite app (post)
  4. Added how to shut down via Cortana (post)
[/INFO]
 
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RumoredNow

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Thanks for the killer workup on some advanced cool, TechFreak1.

I've customized my shutdown shortcut with the name 'Night Night' so that now I say, "Hey Cortana... Start Night Night," when I'm ready for bed.

I'm gonna work on the hybrid sleep thing and be able to say, "Hey Cortana... Start Yawning."

:winktongue:


If we could get wake on WiFi that would be awesome.

Thanks again. Looks awesome, works awesome and an awesome amount of detail you put in. Kudos!!!
 

TechFreak1

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Thanks Rumoured Now, I learned alot of stuff doing this Tutorial :).

Start Yawning, lol!

That's a good one :).

Who knows maybe we could customise launch commands for instance you could say, "Hey Cortana, Go Night Night" :winktongue: .

Wake on WiFi, that would be awesome. Especially for wire free set ups.
 

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