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Enhancing Productivity

Powering down the computer

Turn Off or Shut down command

The Turn Off or Shut down commands power off the computer. The Windows® XP Professional operating system uses Turn Off if you are not connected to a Windows® network server (domain server). It uses Shut down if you are connected to a Windows® network server (domain server).

Factors to consider when choosing Turn Off or Shut down:

❖No power is used while the computer is turned off. This is the most efficient mode if you will be away from your computer for an extended time.

❖Restarting from Turn Off or Shut down uses the most time and battery power.

❖When starting up again, the system does not automatically open the programs and files you were previously using.

Restart command

Restart is the same as Turn Off or Shut down but automatically powers up the computer. Use it when you need to reload the operating system, for example to activate changes to system settings.

Hibernation command

The Hibernation command powers off the computer, but it first saves the current state of the computer to the hard disk. Since Hibernation does not require power to maintain the saved information, the system settings are retained indefinitely. Restoring information from the hard disk takes longer than restoring it from memory. When you start up again, the computer runs a self-test, loads the operating system, and then returns to the state in which you left it.

Factors to consider when choosing Hibernation:

❖While in Hibernation mode, the computer uses no battery power.