At least on WinXP Pro you can do it by:

Run "mmc /a". Add/Remove Snap-in. Add. Group Policy. Add. OK. OK.

Now in MMC select Local Computer Policy, Windows Settings, Scripts (Startup/Shutdown).

Open Shutdown and add your scripts there. That should do it.

I _think_ you can simply add stuff to C:\WINDOWS\system32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts\Shutdown\ folder and it will also run, but I'm not 100% sure.

Also see this page for more info:
http://www.winnetmag.com/Windows/Article/ArticleID/7223/7223.html

Thanks, AC.

Unfortunately, none of this works on XP Home. There is no Group Policy add in for MMC, and creating a C:\WINDOWS\system32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts\Shutdown\ folder and adding scripts to it does nothing. :-(

Ah well. I suppose I'll need to get myself a *real* operating system.

If you have access to files from a Windows XP Professional, Pre-SP2 computer, it is possible to add at least limited support for Group Policy to you Windows XP Home computer. Get the gpedit.msc file from the alternate system, open it in a text editor, inspect it for class IDs, look up each class ID in the alternate system's registry, get the InprocServer32's key default value (it should be a filename), and copy the file to the new system. On the new system, register each dll you got from the class IDs in the register with the "regsvr32 [dll name]" command. After that, you should be able to make changes in gpedit.msc, and you could even unregister your DLLs ("regsvr32 /?" to see how to unregister), delete the DLLs and MSC, and keep your changes in effect, although this may not work--I haven't personally tried it that part.

CAUTION: this procedure is intended for advanced users, and your system could be damaged by following this procedure incorrectly. Note that some of the files copied from the alternate system to the new system may already exist on the new system. Use caution when overwriting files.

NOTE: This procedure may not be legal, and it may not work if the alternate system had Service Pack 2 installed. Use it at your own risk, and please, please upgrade to Windows XP Professional if the system is intended for an advanced user. This procedure is not intended to replace Windows XP Professional.