Jan's Windows Basics:Shut Down

Recent versions of Windows have choices besides just turning off the computer. Which choices you see will depend on the version of Windows and sometimes on whether the computer is a laptop or not.

Switch user - Lets you switch to a different user account without closing down the open programs. The computer is, of course, left turned on. When you switch back to the original user, all of the programs appear just the way they were before you switched users.

Log off - Leaves the computer on but closes any open programs and returns you to the logon screen. This is useful when the computer is part of a network or there are several user accounts.

Lock - Lets you keep others from using your computer while it is still on. You must re-enter your password to unlock the computer. This feature is primarily available on network computers but can be enabled for stand-alone computers.

Restart - Closes documents and applications and shuts down the computer, but immediately restarts it. This is useful when installing software that requires a restart to finish the installation. Also, a restart can often fix a computer that is behaving oddly. Sometimes you will need to shut down to give the computer a longer rest and cool down than Restart provides.

Shut down - Closes all your programs and turns off the computer. Most programs will prompt you to save any unsaved documents as part of the shut down process.

Install updates and shut down - When one or more updates have been downloaded but not installed yet, the next time you shut down or restart the computer, the update(s) will be installed before the computer is shut down. How long the installation will take depends on the size and complexity of the updates. It can add several minutes to the shut down process AND to the next start up. You may or may not see a message about the installation during shut down. You should see a screen tip about a successful installation when you start up again.

Low-Power Modes

When you are not going to work for a while, you can save electricity and battery charge by putting the computer into a low-power mode. This is especially useful for laptops.

Which choices you have will depend on your version of Windows and on what modes your computer can use. The modes differ in how fast the computer returns to normal and in what happens if power is lost while in the low power state.

Sleep/Stand by - Saves your work to memory and puts the computer into a low-power state. If the computer loses power while asleep, the changes saved only to memory are lost. Waking up from Sleep or Stand By mode is quick.

Hibernate - Saves your work to memory and to the hard disk and then puts the computer into a lower-power state than Stand by does. If the computer loses power while in hibernate mode, your recent work is not lost. Waking up from Hibernation is slower than from Sleep/Stand By.

Hybrid Sleep - In Windows Vista on some computers, sleep combines features of stand by and hibernate. Open documents are saved to memory and to the hard disk.

Step-by-Step: Shut Down

FIRST: Read ALL the directions below carefully. Do not practice shutting down your computer until you thoroughly understand all your choices. You can print the directions or make notes if you wish.

Early versions of Windows and the Classic look of later versions look a lot a like.

Keyboard method:

Open Start menu:
While holding down the CTRL key (on the bottom left of your keyboard or below the ENTER key), press the ESC key at the top left of the keyboard.
OR

Press the key with the Windows logo , if your keyboard has one.

The Start menu pops up. The Start menu on your machine may look a little different.

Classic look

WinXP

Windows Vista

[In the next step, there are separate directions for Windows Vista with its default look. The classic look behaves like previous versions of Windows.]

Keyboard shortcuts to commands are shown by underscoring a letter. Once a menu is open, just type the letter to run the command.

In WinXP and Windows Vista (in Classic look) the underscores do not show on a menu if you open the menu with the mouse. The keyboard shortcuts still work, however.
Open a list of options:
(Vista classic): Press the letter U key on the keyboard. This is the keyboard shortcut for the command Shut Down... or Turn Off Computer...
The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears with some choices.

The choices in this dialog will vary, depending on your hardware and version of Windows.

For Windows Vista in its default look:

Press the right arrow key twice. A menu of choices opens.
(Yes, it's easier to get there with the mouse. We are practicing keyboard methods right now!)

Windows Vista: Icons on the Power button
By default, the power button on the Start menu in Windows Vista puts the computer into Sleep mode. You can change that in the Power Options dialog on the Control Panel. The button has a different icon on it for each of the settings possible:

Sleep
Shut down
Install updates and then shut down - Shows only when an update requires a restart to complete the installation. The shut down and start up processes may take a LOT longer than usual.
Select a shut down option:
Win98: Choose the Shut Down command by pressing the key for its underlined letter- the letter S . The radio button beside the command will be black for the currently chosen command. Then press the key Y, for Yes.
WinXP, Vista: Press the letter U on the keyboard.
Vista Classic: Press the down arrow key until Shut Down appears in the drop list. Then press Enter.
Wait for a while. The computer may take some time to shut down all the open applications and background processes. Not all of them have buttons on the Taskbar, so you may not even know that they are running. You will be prompted to save any documents that have not been saved yet.
You will eventually see a screen that says something about waiting while the computer shuts down.

Most recent computers will automatically go ahead and turn the power off once all the processes are shut down.
If the screen stays on, you will see a message that says "It is now safe to turn off your computer." Turn the power switch off.
Wait 30 seconds and then turn on the computer. The wait time is to give the hard drive time to stop spinning. You can fatally damage the hard drive by turning the computer back on too quickly.

You probably already knew what was covered in Start Up and Shut Down, but now we can be sure that you are ready to begin the rest of the lessons. You will need the skills and information they provide to do the Review Questions and the Exercises at the end.