When computer shutsdown Eddie's netlock is still active

[major4579 0]

Windows 10 Pro computer.

I start the VPN with:
"Eddie-UI.exe --path=home --batch --netlock --connect --netlock.allowed_ips=192.168.1.10"

My computer is set to turn off in the early hours. When it does the netlock action is still active, the next day when I start my computer I have to start Eddie and click on "Deactivate Network Lock" and then I will have internet access.

Is there a simple batch file command I can run before the computer shutsdown to Deactivate the Network Lock and cleanly exit Eddie?

Sorry for the newbie questions.
Thanks,
Marc

[Staff 10708]

Hello!

When Windows shuts down, it closes Eddie before Eddie can disconnect and remove its Network Lock rules. With Fast Startup enabled (the Windows 10 default), Shut down does not fully reset the system, so the leftover rules are still active when you power on the computer the next day. When Eddie exits normally, it disconnects and removes the Network Lock by itself, so the solution is to let Eddie exit before Windows shuts down.

1. Add --gui.exit_confirm=False to your launch command, so that Eddie does not ask for a confirmation when it is closed:

Eddie-UI.exe --path=home --batch --netlock --connect --netlock.allowed_ips=192.168.1.10 --gui.exit_confirm=False

2. Replace your scheduled shutdown with a scheduled task (Task Scheduler) that runs this batch file:

@echo off
taskkill /IM Eddie-UI.exe
set /a n=0
:wait
timeout /t 5 /nobreak >nul
tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq Eddie-UI.exe" | find /I "Eddie-UI.exe" >nul || goto off
set /a n+=1
if %n% lss 12 goto wait
:off
shutdown /s /t 0

taskkill without /F asks Eddie to close as if you had chosen Exit: Eddie disconnects, removes the Network Lock and exits. The batch file waits up to one minute for Eddie to exit, then shuts the computer down. In the task properties, run it under your own account with "Run only when user is logged on" and "Run with highest privileges", so that taskkill can reach the Eddie window.

Please let us know whether the Network Lock is gone the next morning.

Kind regards

[major4579 0]

Thank you - that looks just like what I want. I've set it up but will not know until tomorrow.

[major4579 0]

Nope, didn't work. my startup command is now:

Eddie-UI.exe --path=home --batch --netlock --connect --netlock.allowed_ips=192.168.1.10 --gui.exit_confirm=False

and I setup the batchfile to run in the Task Scheduler.

But the next day (today) the Network Lock was still Active. I had to start Eddie-UI and Deactivate the Network Lock before I had access to the internet.

I just realized that I had not checked "Run with Highest Privileges". I'll check it out tomorrow morning.

Anything else to try?

Thanks,
Marc

Edited ... by major4579
more info

[major4579 0]

OK that didn't work - I had set the shutdown task to "Run with Highest Privileges", but the netlock was still active the next morning. Is there a command line switch for eddie to 1) deactvate netlock and 2) then exit?

Thanks.
Marc

[pHxaq 4]

On 11/13/2026 at 10:25 AM, major4579 said:

Anything else to try?
 

Had a frustrating time after closing the Eddie app on Windows 10 recently—I lost internet access immediately. Switching Wi-Fi didn't help.
I tried reopening the app first, which restored the connection, but closing it normally dropped the internet again.
The key was checking the DNS settings. They were pointing to an unknown server. I changed the setting to "Obtain DNS server address automatically," and that fixed the issue instantly after I closed the app.

Follow these steps to locate and modify your DNS configuration:

1. Open Network and internet settings.
2. Navigate to Advanced network settings.
3. Click Change adapter options.
4. Right-click on your active Wi-Fi adapter and select Properties.
5. Select Internet protocol version 4.
6. The DNS settings will be visible in the properties window.

[major4579 0]

It was already set to "Obtain DNS server address automatically". My issue is that the Network Lock is still activated.

[Staff 10708]

@major4579

Hello!

The "Deactivate Network Lock" button you see after starting Eddie in the morning refers only to the Eddie session you just started, so it can't tell whether the overnight exit worked. When Eddie starts, it first removes any Network Lock rules left by a previous session, then it activates a new Network Lock because of --netlock in your command line or "Activate Network Lock at startup" in Preferences > General. Note that saving the Preferences from a session started with --netlock stores that option as ticked, so it may be active even if you never ticked it yourself.

There is no command line switch that tells a running Eddie to deactivate the Network Lock and exit: command line options are read only when Eddie starts.

Please check one thing tomorrow morning. Before you start Eddie, open a web page in your browser. Does it load?

If the page loads, the batch file works. Your batch file ends with a full shutdown, and a full shutdown removes all Network Lock rules. So no rules are left from the night before.
In this case, what you should change depends on what you want in the morning.

If you want to be connected to the VPN:
- Create a task in Task Scheduler with the trigger "At log on".
- The task must start Eddie with your usual command line.
- Do not use the "Start with System" option of Eddie for this. That option starts Eddie without your command line options.

If you want normal internet until you connect:
- In Eddie, go to Preferences > General and untick "Activate Network Lock at startup".
- Remove --netlock from the shortcut or command that you use in the morning.


If it does not load: please tell us what really turns the computer off. Has the previous scheduled shutdown been removed? Is it a real shutdown, or sleep or hibernation? Does the History tab (or "Last Run Result") of the task in Task Scheduler show that the batch file ran? Please also disable Fast Startup (Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable > untick "Turn on fast startup"). In this case, starting Eddie removes the leftover rules by itself.

In both cases, start Eddie as usual and, before you deactivate the Network Lock, publish a system report as explained here:
https://airvpn.org/forums/topic/50663-youve-been-asked-for-a-support-filesystem-report-–-heres-what-to-do
The line "Windows WFP, recovery of pending rules." in the log shows that rules from the previous session were really still there.

@pHxaq thank you for the suggestion; the DNS problem you describe is a different symptom, and Marc has already ruled it out.

Kind regards