Does the Shut Down option turn off the computer just as you think?

 

The Windows operating system has three modes that control the activity of the computer: Sleep, Shut down, Restart and of course, each of them performs a different task.

 

But in general, some people prefer, after finishing using the device, to choose the "Shut down" mode, which in turn turns off the computer completely... Or at least, that's what Windows users think!

 

But in fact, the "Shut Down" option does not make Windows 10 - in particular - turn off the computer completely. Instead, Windows shuts down hardware components, then puts the kernel into hibernate mode to maintain its state before the shutdown; To be able to take off the next time faster.

 

Therefore, we recommend that you do not use the Shut Down option every time when you shut down your computer. It is true that it saves resources when not in use, but if you intend to use the computer intermittently throughout the day, using Sleep mode will be better in terms of increasing productivity.

 

This also means that the "Shut Down" option won't do you much good. If you're having a computer problem and need to return to the original state of Windows to try to fix it, you'll need to restart your computer instead. To find out why in detail, continue reading the following lines

 

The main reason why the Shut Down option works like this in Windows 10 compared to previous versions is that Windows 10 has a new feature called “Fast Startup” that is enabled by default.

 

As the name suggests, this feature speeds up the computer booting process, reducing the waiting time until the computer is fully powered up and ready to use.

 

In older versions of Windows, choosing Shut Down would cause Windows to shut down everything completely, ignoring the current system state, so that the next time the computer was turned on, Windows would start from scratch — with a brand-new state.

 

While hibernation, or Hibernate, saves your current system state, including all open programs and files, to your hard drive so you can quickly pick up where you left off, you don't have to restart programs and files again.

 

To find out what Fast Startup is, it simply mixes what Shut Down mode does and what Hibernate mode does. In a clearer sense, when this feature is turned on, Windows 10 ignores open programs and files, closing them as was the case when using the Shut Down option in older versions.

 

But at the same time, Windows saves the state of the kernel on the hard disk, as it does when using Hibernate mode. As a result, the next time you turn on the computer, Windows restores its kernel state again and starts running system processes in the background. Ultimately, users are noticing that the Windows 10 boot process is much faster when compared to previous versions.

 

And in case you didn't know, the kernel is the heart of any operating system in general, as the link between hardware components and software, providing a layer that "user-controlled" software can communicate with, allowing it to take advantage of the hardware's resources.

 

The kernel is also one of the first programs that are loaded when the computer starts (before the operating system boots). The drivers (or drivers, as they are called), that a computer uses to interact with internal components, are an important part of the kernel.

 

Therefore, Windows saving the kernel state significantly speeds up the startup process, as Windows does not have to reboot all device drivers and reformat the computer components.

 

So, Windows will automatically "hibernate" the kernel state once you click the "Shut Down" option to shut down the computer. Thus, in the event of a problem with the computer related to the drivers, for example, turning the computer off and then on again will not affect the solution to the problem. Again, Windows keeps the current state of the kernel instead of reformatting the kernel and starting a new state from scratch.

 

How to turn off the computer completely, the right way

 

In case you intend to solve some problems in the Windows system or fix annoying errors that appear to you when running certain programs. You will need to completely reformat the kernel to ensure that Windows starts in a brand-new state. If the problems and errors are related to the state of the previous kernel, this method should represent the appropriate solution.

 

To do this, simply use the "Restart" option from the Computer Activity Control menu, instead of the "Shut Down" option. It will of course restart the computer, but this time it shuts down completely first and ignores the kernel state while doing so.

 

It's likely that Microsoft made these changes because it believes that most people when they encounter computer problems immediately use the "Restart" option to try to fix them.

 

While that is what is happening, it is strange to see that the 'Restart' option plays the same role that the 'Shut Down' option should have done. But anyway, that's how things work in Windows 10!

 

Note that there is a trick hidden in Windows 10 that also allows you to perform a complete "shutdown" of the computer. Instead of using the "Restart" option, press and hold the Shift key on the keyboard and then press the "Shut Down" option from the menu, whether the menu that appears in the Start panel or on the login screen.

 

You can also use Windows 10's Command Prompt or PowerShell to perform a full shutdown, instead of using the Restart or Shut Down option.

 

To do this, open a Command Prompt window — by searching for "CMD" in the "Start" menu and clicking on the first search result, or right-clicking the icon to open the Start menu and selecting "Windows PowerShell" from the list. Then type [shutdown /s /f /t 0] and press Enter.

 

This command tells Windows to immediately shut down the computer, including forcibly closing any open programs. So, before you hit the Enter button make sure you save any files or projects you were working on so you don't lose out on your efforts.

 

And if you don't want to use the new "Fast Startup" feature, you can disable it through the power settings in the control panel. Keep in mind that you will need to disable this feature in many cases.

 

For example, if there are old drivers installed that is incompatible with Fast Startup business requirements because their continued operation causes the drivers to not work correctly every time the computer is turned on.

 

To disable the Fast Startup feature, go to the Control Panel from the "Start" menu, then go to the System and Security section, then click on Power Options and click on the "Choose What the Power Button Does" option from the side menu.

 

Now click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable" at the top of the window, uncheck the "Turn On Fast Startup (Recommended") option under Shutdown Settings, then click on the "Save Changes" button.

 

Of course, we do not recommend that you should disable the "Fast Startup" feature unless you have a good reason to do so. It is a useful feature and helps your computer to boot up faster most of the time. You also have several options available when you want to shut down your computer completely at any time.