Why the habit of long-pressing the power button to turn off the computer can damage the system

If you have a habit of powering down your PC, tablet, laptop or game console by holding down the power button until the system stops working, you should think again.

This could be one of the reasons why your computer is malfunctioning.

Why holding down the power button can cause problems

In simple terms, when you hold down the power button, you are forcing the device to turn off. Such a 'violent' shutdown is quite likely to cause the operating system on the device to fail, especially when there are still programs running in the background, the software has not been exited.

Instead, you should shutdown your computer 'gracefully' using the options provided by the operating system, or by pressing the power button once (without holding) to initiate software shutdown or the device goes to sleep quickly when needed.

Why the habit of long-pressing the power button to turn off the computer can damage the system Picture 1 Why the habit of long-pressing the power button to turn off the computer can damage the system Picture 1

Long press the power button should only be used in an emergency situation

In the past, most 'ancient' power switch designs were designed to physically disconnect power from the device. Flipping or pressing them will break the electrical circuit, thereby stopping the current supplied to the device.

Today, most power switches on smart devices such as PCs, tablets, smartphones and game consoles are what engineers call 'soft switches'. When the user presses, they send a signal to a smart circuit to initiate the process of shutting down the system, and this process is usually controlled by the operating system itself.

Sometimes this type of shutdown doesn't work properly, so many soft switches have a fallback mode. Once there, you can hold it down for a few seconds (instead of a quick tap) to force the device to turn off. But as mentioned, this isn't ideal for regular use — it should only be for emergencies.

The computer needs to be shut down properly

Today's modern smart electronic devices contain many complex processor systems inside. Therefore, a software-driven shutdown procedure is needed, so that the device stops working completely without damaging the host file system or the operating system itself. Sometimes a computer may use flash memory or RAM to temporarily cache data or settings, and if the power goes out suddenly, the operating system won't be able to save those data safely. In addition, forcing power off with a physical button can interrupt recording, which can lead to incomplete or corrupted data, rendering the device unable to function properly.

How should you machine?

Instead of forcing your device to shut down by pressing and holding the power button, look for the 'Shut Off,' 'Shut Down' or 'Power Off' options on the operating system. Selecting one of these options initiates the 'qualifying' software shutdown process, allowing a gentle and safe shutdown of the system.

Nowadays, many PCs will also automatically initiate the shutdown process when the user presses the power button once. This is also a 'friendly' shutdown.

When should only press and hold the power button to turn off the device?

Sometimes you encounter an unresponsive device, frozen, operating system crashes. Then, pressing and holding the power button — or simply unplugging the device to turn it off — are useful contingency solutions. But like I said, if you abuse this way of shutting down often, it's only a matter of time before your device fails.