Windows 7: Shut down/Restart

What is the difference between Restart and Shut down and starting again with the button on your computer? What I mean is; does the operating system do something different other than I have to push the button on shut down? i.e. after a update does shut down and starting with button on tower do the same thing a hitting restart?

Using the power button on the PC has the potential of disabling Windows permanently.

When you tell your system to shut down via the Start Orb, Shutdown, Windows correctly closes all open user files, terminates Services in a logical order and does some necessary cleanup to ensure a proper starup next time you turn on your system. As BKF mentioned, using the off button on the system to shut down the system is called a Forced Shutdown and should only be used if Windows freezes up and cannot be shutdown any other way. Also, using the Reset Buttom on the machine to force a reboot is not the proper proceedure either. Use Start Orb, Restart.

Best regards
JohnnyA

May be I wasn't clear. I do that sometimes. I will try again. Using the Start/shutdown or using the Start/restart. I only use the button on the tower to boot the computer after I have used the Start/shutdown. What is the difference between Start/shutdown and Start restart. I hope this helps.

I think it's fair to say that shutting down your PC by holding down the power button for 4-6 sec thus creating a forced shutdown like bare foot and johnnya have explained isn't a good thing but using the power button by just pressing the power button shortly once with the desired settings selected should have no diverse effects.

BFK. That is a little misleading. On most desktops, unless change by the user, hitting the power button shuts down Windows and then turns off the computer. On notebooks, to my knowledge it can be either what I say above or to put the system into hibernate or sleep mode (Suspend?).

Holding down the power button can turn the system off after a period of time. What that period of time is depends on the system and could create a problem if the time it take for the MB and PSU to see you are holding down the power button is fairly short.

But in any event that is not what the OP asked. He specifically asked "What is the difference between shutting the system down and then turning it back on by hitting the power button and selecting Restart".

To that question the answer is basically nothing. It is only to save you some time
The only difference on my newest build is doing a restart seems to take less time then starting the system with the power button right after it has been shut down or from starting cold. I think because the system knows it is restarting and doesn't do all the POST checks. Or as long of the POST checks when starting when completely off.

No you were very clear.
Yeah others are reading something that you did not write. Between the lines when there are no lines.

Hey Layback - think I got you this time. Besides the obvious, Shutdown means shutdown - as in I don't want to play with my computer anymore I am going to bed. lol Restart means just that - close all properly and restart back up to my desktop. The only time I have ever used Restart is after Windows has downloaded new updates and needs to shutdown and restart to integrate the changes into the Registry etc. I have also used it after loading some new program or made a change to my system that would require a restart for the change to take affect.

Regards
JohnnyA

I don't know what PC you're using but with my ASUS board, holding the power button to shut-down the PC or the power restart button, I get a "Windows did not shutdown correctly" message at restart.

My point was it's foolish to use the power button to shut down Windows when there's a correct way to do that.


I have said all I will here, do as you like.

Seriously, are you smoking something right now? If you are going to make a statement like that, you should really explain it.

The power button has many different possibilities. If you press it and let go, depending on settings in Control Panel, Power, the computer can shut down, go to sleep, or even restart. There is nothing wrong with using it in this manner.

HOLDING the power button in should only be done in a case where the computer is locked up and cannot be shut down any other way. This cuts power to the computer and *could* cause a problem with the operating system because of data not being written to the hard drive properly.