Final answer:
To streamline the process of preparing for maintenance at Contoso Corporation, an administrator can create an automation script using a batch file or shell script to stop services, close programs, and clear temporary files, which can then be scheduled to run at specific times.
Step-by-step explanation:
To simplify the startup and shutdown of the widget program and services during maintenance periods at Contoso Corporation, you could write a script using a batch file (for Windows) or a shell script (for Linux) that automates the tasks of stopping services, closing the program, and clearing temporary files. You can use the net stop command on Windows to stop each service and the del command to remove temporary files, while Linux systems would use the systemctl stop command for services and rm to delete files. This script can be scheduled to run automatically before maintenance periods using the Windows Task Scheduler or cron jobs on Linux.