Turning off your computer properly


To turn off your computer using the Start menu, click the Start button , and then, in the lower-right corner of the Start menu, click Shut down. 





Using sleep

You can choose to make your computer sleep instead of shutting it down. When your computer goes to sleep, the display turns off and often the computer's fan stops. Usually, a light on the outside of your computer case blinks or turns yellow to indicate that the computer is asleep. The whole process takes only a few seconds.

Because Windows will remember what you were doing, there's no need to close your programs and files before making your computer sleep. But it's always a good idea to save your work before putting the computer into any low-power mode. Then the next time you turn on your computer (and enter your password, if required), the screen will look exactly as it did when you turned off your computer.



When to shut down

Even though making your computer sleep is the fastest way to turn it off, and the best option for resuming work quickly, there are certain times when you need to shut down:
  • You are adding a printer, monitor, external drive, or other hardware device that does not connect to a universal serial bus (USB) or IEEE 1394 port on your computer. Shut down the computer before connecting the device.

Laptop users: Close the lid
