claude-home/scripts/monitoring/windows-desktop/windows-setup-instructions.md

Windows Reboot Monitor Setup Instructions

This guide will help you set up Discord notifications for Windows reboots due to updates, power outages, or other events.

Prerequisites

1. Discord Webhook URL: Create a webhook in your Discord server

   • Go to Server Settings → Integrations → Webhooks
   • Create a new webhook and copy the URL

2. Administrator Access: Required to set up scheduled tasks

Installation Steps

Step 1: Create Scripts Directory

# Run as Administrator
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:\Scripts" -Force

Step 2: Copy PowerShell Script

1. Copy windows-reboot-monitor.ps1 to C:\Scripts\
2. Set execution policy (if needed):

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine

Step 3: Configure Discord Webhook

Option A - Environment Variable (Recommended):

# Set system environment variable
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL", "YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL_HERE", "Machine")

Option B - Direct parameter:

• Edit the Task Scheduler XML files to include your webhook URL in the arguments

Step 4: Import Scheduled Tasks

# Import startup monitoring task
schtasks /create /xml "C:\path\to\windows-reboot-task-startup.xml" /tn "Discord Reboot Monitor - Startup"

# Import shutdown monitoring task  
schtasks /create /xml "C:\path\to\windows-reboot-task-shutdown.xml" /tn "Discord Reboot Monitor - Shutdown"

Step 5: Test the Setup

# Test startup notification
C:\Scripts\windows-reboot-monitor.ps1 -EventType "startup"

# Test shutdown notification
C:\Scripts\windows-reboot-monitor.ps1 -EventType "shutdown"

What You'll Get

Startup Notifications (Green/Red)

• Green: Normal startup with boot reason and uptime info
• Red: Unexpected restart (power loss, crash, etc.)

Shutdown Notifications (Yellow)

• System going offline with uptime and shutdown reason

Information Included

• Computer name
• Timestamp
• Boot/shutdown reason (Windows Update, power loss, user initiated)
• System uptime
• Startup counter

Troubleshooting

Check Logs

View logs at: C:\Windows\Temp\reboot-monitor.log

Verify Tasks are Running

# List scheduled tasks
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.TaskName -like "*Discord Reboot*"}

# Check task history
Get-WinEvent -LogName "Microsoft-Windows-TaskScheduler/Operational" | Where-Object {$_.LevelDisplayName -eq "Error"}

Test Discord Webhook

# Manual test
$webhook = "YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL"
$payload = @{content = "Test message from Windows"} | ConvertTo-Json
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $webhook -Method Post -Body $payload -ContentType "application/json"

Common Issues

1. PowerShell Execution Policy: Run Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
2. Network Issues: Ensure Windows can reach Discord (discord.com)
3. Permissions: Run PowerShell as Administrator for setup
4. Webhook URL: Verify the Discord webhook URL is correct

Event Log Monitoring

The script monitors these Windows events:

• Event ID 1074: System shutdown/restart
• Event ID 6008: Unexpected shutdown
• Boot events: System startup

Security Notes

• Script runs with SYSTEM privileges for reliable monitoring
• Webhook URL is stored securely in environment variables or config
• Logs are stored in Windows temp directory
• No sensitive system information is transmitted

Customization

Edit windows-reboot-monitor.ps1 to:

• Change Discord message format
• Add additional system information
• Modify notification colors
• Adjust logging behavior
• Add email notifications as backup

Uninstallation

# Remove scheduled tasks
schtasks /delete /tn "Discord Reboot Monitor - Startup" /f
schtasks /delete /tn "Discord Reboot Monitor - Shutdown" /f

# Remove files
Remove-Item -Path "C:\Scripts\windows-reboot-monitor.ps1" -Force
Remove-Item -Path "C:\Windows\Temp\reboot-monitor.*" -Force

# Remove environment variable
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL", $null, "Machine")