BM-productions® SmartClose version 1.1
Copyright © 2005 BM-productions - All rights reserved
Author: Tim De Baets
E-mail: mailto:smartclose@bm-productions.tk
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Thank you for downloading SmartClose!

What is SmartClose?
Many tasks that can be performed on PC's these days require you to close all currently running programs. For example, almost every installer asks you to close all other applications to minimize conflicts and to avoid replacing in-use files. Other high-end tasks, such as burning CD's and defragmenting or scanning hard drives can slow down or even fail when other processes 'kick in', like background programs, the screen saver or a scheduled task.
Of course, you can manually exit each program one by one, disable the screen saver… That is when SmartClose comes in! SmartClose will automatically close all running programs, disable the screen saver and halt all other processes that can interrupt without asking. 
But what when you have finished the task that required you to use SmartClose and you want to restore the programs and such that were disabled by SmartClose? Restart the computer? No, because before SmartClose closes or disables anything, it will first save the current state of the system (running programs, screen saver…) to a 'system snapshot', that can later be opened and restored again by SmartClose.

Some other features of SmartClose:
-	Two wizards: the Close Programs wizard, for closing all the programs, and the Restore wizard, to restore a system snapshot. Both provide an intuitive and clear interface - the latest Windows 2000/XP wizard style - and assist you step by step.
-	Thanks to its SmartClose-technology, most programs can be properly closed, so that the program can still save its settings and return memory and resources to the system.
-	In the rare cases that a program can't be properly closed, SmartClose can use SmartKill to kill the program. Still, all the memory and resources used by the program will be freed with this method. 
-	If you don't want a program to be closed or killed by SmartClose, you can add it to a list of 'Protected Programs'.
-	Besides closing programs, SmartClose also closes Explorer and Internet Explorer windows and saves their current location, so they can be restored properly later.
-	Disables and restores the screen saver. 
-	Stops and restarts Windows NT/2000/XP-services, such as the Task Scheduler, that can interrupt other processes. On Windows 9x/Millennium, the Task Scheduler can also be disabled and re-enabled.
-	And finally, you get all of these features for free! SmartClose is 100% freeware without any nag screens, trial periods, ads, spyware etc.

What’s new in version 1.1?
·	Fixed: some antivirus programs, such as McAfee AntiVirus, could falsely detect the SmartClose executable as a trojan (BackDoor-ASB.b.dll). This was because of the technique SmartClose used to SmartKill a program on Windows 95, 98 or ME. As a precaution, support for SmartKill on these OS's has been temporarily removed from SmartClose, but a later version will probably support SmartKill on all OS's again.
Note: SmartClose didn't, doesn't and won't ever include any malicious code.

Requirements

·	Minimum requirements:
Windows 95 with Internet Explorer 4.0, Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 with Internet Explorer 4.0, Windows 98, or Windows 2000.
A screen resolution of 800 by 600 and a display color depth of 256 colors.
·	Recommended requirements:
Windows 95 with Internet Explorer 5.0, Windows 98 with Internet Explorer 5.0, Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 with Internet Explorer 5.0, Windows Millennium, or Windows 2000.
A screen resolution of 1024 by 768 and a display color depth of 16-bit (true) colors.

Distribution
SmartClose is
Freeware

SmartClose may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes providing that no changes are made to the program, the installation routines, help files or any associated data. Computer magazines are authorized to distribute it on any cover disk or CD-rom with permission of the author (inform the author by e-mail). 

SmartClose is provided AS IS without warranty of any kind. In no event shall Tim De Baets be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages.

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Any suggestion, question, note, discovered bug... is welcome!
E-mail: mailto:smartclose@bm-productions.tk