Gammadyne Corporation

WOL.EXE

WOL.EXE is a free Windows command line program that turns on a computer remotely.  It broadcasts a "Wake On LAN" magic packet to the network adapter with the specified MAC address.  The MAC address may optionally be followed by the IP address of the network adapter that should broadcast the packet.  A port number can also be specified, although this is rarely necessary. 

Examples

wol 5c9d32b5f287
wol 5c-9d-32-b5-f2-87 192.168.0.1
wol 5C:9D:32:B5:F2:87 192.168.0.1 16962
wol 5C.9D.32.B5.F2.87 9


Password

In addition, a SecureOn password can be specified by using the /pwd switch.  Use this only if you configured the server to require this password.  The password can either be the raw characters (up to six), or hexadecimal.  The hexadecimal pairs can optionally be separated by colons, dashes, or periods.  Examples:

wol 5C:9D:32:B5:F2:87 /pwd sesame
wol 5C:9D:32:B5:F2:87 /pwd 736573616D65
wol 5C:9D:32:B5:F2:87 /pwd 73:65:73:61:6D:65
wol 5C:9D:32:B5:F2:87 /pwd 73-65-73-61-6D-65
wol 5C:9D:32:B5:F2:87 /pwd 73.65.73.61.6D.65


Enabling WOL

In Windows, Device Manager, Network Adapters, right click on your network adapter and choose Properties.  The relevant settings are located on the Advanced and Power Management tabs.  They go by many names, so change them if you see them:
Shutdown Wake On Lan = enabled
Wake on Magic Packet = enabled
Wake on pattern match = enabled
WakeUp on ARP/PING = enabled
Wake on Magic Packet from power off state = enabled
Wake Up Capabilities = Magic Packet
Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power = checked
Allow this device to wake the computer = checked
Only allow a magic packet to wake the computer = checked
Only allow management stations to bring this computer out of standby = checked
Green ethernet = disabled

In the motherboard BIOS:
Wakeup on Lan = enabled
S5 Wake on Lan = enabled (HP)
Wake on Lan from S5 = enabled (AMI)
Resume by PCI-E device = enabled
Power on by PCI-E/PCI = enabled
Remote Wake Up = enabled
WOL(PME#) From Soft Off = enabled (Biostar)
Resume By PCI/PCI-E/Lan PME = enabled (ECS)
EuP 2013 = disabled

Windows 8 can interfere with WOL.  Follow this procedure:
  • Press Win+X and choose Power Options.
  • Click "Choose what the power buttons do".
  • Click "Change settings that are currently unavailable".
  • Scroll down to "Shutdown settings" and uncheck "Turn on fast startup (recommended)".
  • Click "Save changes".

Notes

  • The port defaults to 12287 (0x2FFF), but ports 0, 7, and 9 are also common.  You may need to open the port in Windows Firewall (for UDP).
  • To find a computer's MAC address, run the MSINFO32.EXE tool that is part of Windows.  Navigate to Components > Network > Adapter.
  • It is possible to specify a different subnet.  Use the "/d" switch, followed by the subnet mask.  Example:

    wol 5c9d32b5f287 /d 192.168.1.255

  • It may be necessary to configure your router to forward the WOL port to the computer that is to be woken.
  • It may be necessary to specify the adapter IP in order for the packet to pass through some switches.
  • The ethernet port's "Connected" light may not be lit when the machine is off.  This does not guarantee that WOL will fail.
  • Broadcom adapters have a separate boot agent where WOL is configured.  Press Ctrl+S during bootup.
  • Packets cannot be broadcast across the Internet.  That's why they call it Wake On Lan, not Wake On Internet.  If that were possible, it would be easy to perform a Denial of Service attack on the entire Internet!

Source Code

Want the C++ source code?  We will provide the source code if you purchase one of our programs ($17 minimum).  After the order is processed, please contact us and let us know that you want it.

Download

Click the button below to download version 2.2 of WOL.EXE, released July 3rd, 2024.

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