Section 1.7. StartLog Off, Restart, Hibernate, Shut Down: All Versions


1.7. Start Log Off, Restart, Hibernate, Shut Down: All Versions

To the right off the little icon at the bottom of the Start menu is a small arrow button. As shown in Figure 1-6, it offers a more complete listing of ways to end your work session.

Figure 1-6. It just wouldn't be Microsoft if you didn't have nine different ways to end a work session. Two of them, Sleep and Lock, are duplicated in the form of the and buttons to the left of the little button .


Your options include:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Sleep-vs.-Hibernate Smackdown

So if Sleep is so great, why is there still a Hibernate command?

Sleep mode is a two-stage affair (page 30). If you wake up the computer within 15 minutes of putting it to Sleep, all your programs and windows pop open instantly, because your PC has been using a thin trickle of power to keep them in memory.

If you wake up the computer after 15 minutes, you wait slightly longer (30 seconds), because the PC is retrieving your memorized working environment from the hard drive, which is slower.

Hibernate, in other words, is exactly the same as the second phase of Sleep. When you tell the PC to Hibernate, it stores a copy of the open programs on the hard drive and cuts power immediately no 15 minutes of standby first.

And now, to the questionwhy?

First, going straight to Hibernate saves a slight amount of power, because you eliminate that 15 minutes of keeping the RAM alive . Second, you save 15 minutes of heat buildup in your laptop bag.

Minor differences, to be surebut at least now you know.


  • Switch User . This command refers to Vista's accounts feature, in which each person who uses this PC gets to see his own desktop picture, email account, files, and so on. (See Chapter 23.)

    When you choose Switch User, somebody else can log into the computer with her own name and passwordto do a quick calendar or email check, for example. But whatever you had running remains open behind the scenes. After the interloper is finished, you can log in again to find all of your open programs and documents exactly as you left them.


    Note: In Windows XP, the Switch User command was available only if you had turned on something called Fast User Switching. In Vista, there's no Off switch; Fast User Switching is in effect full time.
  • Log Off . If you click Log Off, Windows closes all of your open programs and documents (giving you an opportunity to save any unsaved documents first). It then presents a new Welcome screen (page 688) so that the next person can sign in.

  • Lock . When you're going to wander away from your PC for a bit, use this command to protect whatever you were working on, as described above.

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
    Start Stop

    But you wouldn't be the first person to find it illogical to click Start when you want to stop. Microsoft probably should have named the button "Menu," saving all of us a lot of confusion.


  • Restart . This command quits all open programs, then quits and restarts Windows again automatically. The computer doesn't actually turn off. (You might do this to "refresh" your computer when you notice that it's responding sluggishly, for example.)

  • Sleep . You can read about Sleep on page 30.

  • Hibernate . Hibernate mode is a lot like Sleep, except that it doesn't offer a 15-minute period during which the computer will wake up instantly (because it's keeping your open files and programs alive in RAM). Hibernate equals the second phase of Sleep mode, in which your working world is saved to the hard drive. Waking the computer from Hibernate takes about 30 secondsnot as fast as waking from the first 15 minutes of Sleep, but much faster than starting from Off and having to reopen all your programs.


    Tip: You can configure your computer to sleep or hibernate automatically after a period of inactivity, or to require a password to bring it out of hibernation. See page 300 for details.
  • Shut Down . This is what most people would call "really, really off." When you shut down your PC, Windows quits all open programs, offers you the opportunity to save any unsaved documents, exits Windows, and turns off the computer.


    Tip: Once again, it's worth noting that you can trigger any of these commands entirely from the keyboard; save your mouse for Photoshop.Hit the key to open the Start menu. Then hit the right arrow key three times to open the menu shown in Figure 1-6. At this point, you can type the underlined letter of the command you want: L for Log Off, U for Shut Down, and so on.



Windows Vista. The Missing Manual
Windows Vista: The Missing Manual
ISBN: 0596528272
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 284
Authors: David Pogue

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