Question

I want to program my computer to start automatically at several time intervals. From what I’ve looked over the internet, I can do this by using the RTC alarm of my motherboard. I would like to do this on my laptop, which does not have an RTC alarm section in BIOS.

Is there any API in C# for programming the RTC alarm clock of the motherboard?

Answer 1

The Windows API CreateWaitableTimer can wake the machine. Windows uses ACPI to communicate this request to the BIOS, which sets up the real-time clock.

More information here:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa373235(v=vs.85).aspx
• http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/49798/Wake-the-PC-from-standby-or-hibernation
• http://www.yetanotherchris.me/home/2009/6/18/wake-up-from-sleep-createwaitabletimer-in-c.html