Learn About Options to Turn Off Your Computer in Windows 7

It seems the simplest thing in the world is to turn off your computer. But Windows 7 gives you a few different ways to do that, and of course they are not the same. Some methods help you completely turn off your computer, while some other methods only make your computer shut down temporarily and are available for immediate operation. Here are instructions to choose the best shutdown option, based on what you need your computer to do, at any time.

The key to turning off your Windows 7 computer is in the Start menu. Click the Start button in Windows 7 and you'll see, among many other items in the menu, the Shut down button at the bottom right. Next to that button is a triangle. Click this triangle to display other options off.

Option number 1: Shut down (Shut down the computer completely)

If you click on the Shut down button always, without clicking on the triangle to open other options, Windows 7 will end all current processes and turn off the computer completely. You typically do this to turn off your computer at the end of the day, or turn off your home computer before going to bed.

Option 2: Restart (Restart)

Restart button helps restart your computer (sometimes called "warm boot" or "soft start"). That means it saves your information to the hard drive, shuts down the computer for a while, then turns it on again. This is typically done after troubleshooting, adding new programs or making configuration changes to Windows, and the computer will be asked to restart. Restarting is often necessary in troubleshooting situations. In fact, when your computer has an unexpected error, this is always the first option you should try to solve the problem.

Option 3: Sleep (Sleep)

Clicking on the Sleep mode will put your computer into a low power state but not turn off the device. The main advantage of Sleep is that it allows you to go back to work quickly, without waiting for the computer to boot up fully, the process may take several minutes. Normally, pressing the computer's power button will "wake it up" from Sleep mode and the computer will be ready to operate for a few seconds.

Sleep is a good choice for times when you leave your computer for a short time. It saves electricity (ie saves money) and allows you to return to work quickly. However, remember that it still slowly drains the battery. If you are using a laptop and the battery capacity is very small, this mode can eventually cause your computer to turn itself off. In other words, you should check how much battery life your laptop has, before going into Sleep mode.

Option 4: Hibernate (Hibernate)

Hibernate mode is a mix of Shut down and Sleep modes. It remembers the current state of your desktop and turns off the computer completely. So, For instance,, you've opened a web browser, a Microsoft Word document, a spreadsheet, and a chat window, which will turn off the computer, while remembering the things you're working on the computer. mentioned above. Then, when you reboot, those applications will be ready for you to use, right before the time you put your computer into Hibernate mode. Very convenient, right?

Hibernate Windows 7 mode is primarily for laptop and netbook users. If you don't stay with your laptop for a long time, and worry about the laptop running out of battery, this is the right option. It does not use any energy, but still remembers what you are doing. The downside is that you will have to wait for your computer to restart once again to be able to resume working.

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