This text explains how windows handles shutting down and restarting, focusing on the “Fast Startup” feature.Here’s a breakdown of the key points:
What is Fast Startup?
Not a complete shutdown: Instead of fully closing all programs and turning off components, Windows saves the internal state of the system (core OS and drivers) to a hibernation file (hiberfil.sys). Faster boot: This saved state allows the computer to resume much quicker on the next startup as it doesn’t need to re-initialize the core OS and hardware drivers from scratch.
Microsoft’s description: The quote from Microsoft’s support page confirms this, stating that the core session is put into hibernation, not closed.Disadvantages of Fast Startup:
Doesn’t solve all problems: If your computer has issues like corrupt drivers, frozen peripherals, or temporary system errors, Fast Startup might not fix them. This is because the problematic state can be “frozen” in the hibernation file and reloaded.
How “Restart” is Different:
Forces a full load: the “Restart” option in the Start menu bypasses Fast Startup. It forces a complete shutdown and then a fresh loading of the operating system.This is why restarting is often recommended to fix minor glitches.How to Achieve a Complete Shutdown (Bypass Fast Startup):
- Hold Shift while clicking “Shut down”: This is a temporary method to force a complete shutdown.
- Disable Fast Startup permanently:
Go to the Control Panel.
Navigate to Hardware and Sounds > Power Options.
Click on “Change the behavior of the power supply buttons”.
Under “Shutdown settings”, uncheck the box for “Enable Fast Start (recommended choice)”.
Click “Save changes”.
Note: If the “Enable Fast Start” option is not visible, your computer doesn’t support it and already performs a complete shutdown.
Other PC Rest states in Windows:
Suspension (Standby): Saves the current state to RAM. Most peripherals are disabled, but the motherboard remains powered to allow rapid wake-up.
Hibernation: Saves the current state to the hiberfil.sys file on the disk. All hardware is turned off, consuming zero energy. Resuming loads the state from the disk.
Hybrid Suspension: A combination of suspension and hibernation. The system state is saved to both RAM and the disk. This allows for quick resume if power is available,but also protects against data loss if power is lost.