Exploring Your Options for Turning Off the PC

[Plex]

Here are your choices for turning off the computer:

Log Off: A way to tell Windows that you're done without having to turn the computer off and then on again.

Stand By: The computer slips into a special, power-saving Sleep mode, like going into a low-power coma.

Hibernate: The computer does turn itself off, but when you turn it back on it again, it comes back to life much faster. Think "suspended animation."

Restart: You turn the computer off and on again in one step, mainly when installing or upgrading software or sometimes to fix minor quirks.

Shut Down: The one real option that turns the darn thing off.

Logging yourself off
Although multiple people can use the same computer, rare is the time that you really need to log off. In fact, if you're the only one using your computer, you can skip this entire section; don't bother ever logging off.

By logging off, you allow users on the same PC to get in and use their accounts, and you ensure that your computer session has ended properly.

Here's how to log off:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click the Log Off button at the bottom of the Start panel.

If you see the Log Off Windows dialog box, do Step 3:

3. Click the Log Off button.

As the computer logs you out, you're prompted to save any unsaved files, and any open programs or windows are closed.

If you see the Switch User button, you can use it to quickly log out and let someone else log in. This option is faster than logging out in that it doesn't require you to save your stuff or close your programs. When you return (log in again), all your stuff is waiting for you just as you left it.

Another quick way to log out and lock the computer is to press the Win+L key combination. The Win key is the Windows key on your keyboard; L stands for Lock. To unlock the system and get back in, just log in to Windows as you normally would. Many users use this Win+L trick when they step away from the computer to ensure that no one nearby snoops at stuff while they're gone.

Please stand by (Sleep mode)
Stand By mode, also known as Sleep or Suspend mode, was designed as an energy-saving measure. What it does is to place your PC into a special low-power mode. The monitor goes blank, the hard drive spins down, and the computer sits there not doing anything other than saving electricity.

To put your PC into Stand By mode, follow these steps:

1. Save your work!

This step is important: You must save your documents or files to disk before putting the PC into Stand By mode. If you want to be extra safe, close your programs. You may lose data if a power outage occurs while the computer is in sleep mode.

2. Click the Start button.

3. Click the Shut Down button at the bottom of the Start panel.

The Turn Off Computer dialog box appears.

4. Click the Stand By button.

The computer then appears to have turned itself off, but it's really just resting.

You wake the computer up by pressing a key on the keyboard or jiggling the mouse. The PC comes back to life, all refreshed and rested and resuming operations where you left off.

Sleep mode is controlled through the Power Options icon, in the Windows Control Panel. That's where you can set options to automatically put the PC into Sleep mode or to control which parts of the PC sleep and which don't.

Cybernation hibernation
Rather than turn off your computer, you should consider using Hibernation instead. It's really better than turning the computer off, especially if you're always in a hurry. Here's how:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click the Shut Down button at the bottom of the Start panel.

You see the famous Turn off computer dialog box. But - what? No Hibernate button!

3. Press and hold the Shift key.

Either Shift key activates the Hibernate button, which is in the same place as the Stand By button. Keep holding that Shift key!

4. Click the Hibernate button.

The computer's hard drive churns for a few seconds, and then it shuts off.

Wiggling the mouse or slapping the keyboard doesn't wake up the PC. To unhibernate, punch the console's power button. Unlike in a normal startup, the computer quickly jumps to life and returns to its former state -and restores things the same as they were the last time you used the PC.

Not every PC can hibernate. If you don't see the Hibernate option in Step 3, your PC may not have it. Check with the Windows Control Panel to be sure; open the Power Options icons and check the dialog box for a

Hibernate tab.
Hibernation saves electricity, in that the computer is really turned off, and time, in that it takes less time to turn the computer on again.
Restarting Windows
You need to reset or restart Windows in two instances. Windows tells you to restart after you install something new or make some change, or whenever Something Strange happens. For some reason, a restart clears the computer's head, and things return to normal.

Here's how to restart Windows:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click the Shut Down button at the bottom of the Start panel.

The Turn Off Computer dialog box appears.

3. Click the Restart button.

Windows shuts itself down - almost as though it were turning the computer off. But, just at the moment the system would have turned off, it starts back up again - a restart.

If any files are unsaved, you're asked to save them before shutting down.
As the computer shuts down, you may encounter various End Now dialog boxes. These are stubborn programs that refuse to quit. If you see any, click the End Now button to expedite the restart process.
Shutting down the computer
Yes, these steps really work:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click the Shut Down button at the bottom of the Start panel.

You see the Turn Off Computer dialog box.

After a spell, the computer turns itself off.

If you had any unsaved documents or files, Windows asks you to save them before it fully shuts down. After turning off the console, go ahead and turn off the other components in your computer system: monitor, scanner, and other external devices. Or, if you have a power strip, simply flip its switch to turn everything off.

If you have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), however, do not turn it off; you want to leave it on so that its battery remains charged.

Source: http://tech.yahoo.com/gd/exploring-your-options-for-turning-off-the-pc/152968;_ylt=Aq7ecKtLSwZKp_4qCoSt8HsFLZA5

[wagonrunner]

how about the fastest shut down routine, touch and release the power button on any ACPI computer. it goes through a very fast, safe shutdown routine
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[Plex]

did not know that one..

[ganesh]

[cheese pie]

what about pulling the plug ?


i always press and release the power button , i never knew it was special