How do you start and shut down properly information?

Answer 1

Shutting Down

Never just switch off your computer - you may lose unsaved information and damage your computer's hard disk drive (thereby losing saved information too!). To shut down your computer properly, follow the steps in Exercise 2.5:

Exercise 2.5: Shutting Down Your Computer

1) Click the Start button.

2) Click Shutdown.

3) Select the 'Shut Down the Computer' option by clicking on it.

4) Click the Yes button to confirm your selection.

Some computers can switch themselves off automatically. On others, you need to press the on/off button after you see the message: 'It is now safe to turn off your computer'.

Now, power up your computer again - but wait at least twenty seconds. Otherwise, you may damage your computer's hard disk drive.

Restarting Your Computer

The 'Restart the computer' option has the same effect as powering down the computer and powering it up again very quickly - but without the risk of damage to the computer hardware.

Exercise 2.6: Restarting Your Computer

1) Click Start | Shut Down.

2) Select the 'Restart the computer' option.

3) Click the Yes button.

When Your Computer Hangs

Sometimes an application open on a computr may 'hang' or 'freeze'. This means that it does not respond to the pressing of any keys or clicking with the mouse. On other occassions Windows itself may fail to respond to any user action, with the result that the entire computer hangs. What do you do? This topic provides the answers.

Application Problems

When a particular applications fails to respond to any action you take, press the following three keys simultaneously: CTRL, ALT and DELETE. Most computer users do this by holding down the CTRL and ALT keys with the fingers of their left hand, and then pressing the DELETE key with a finger of their right.

The shorthand way of writing 'Press the CTRL, ALT and DELETE keys simultaneously' is CTRL+ALT+DELETE.

You are then shown a window which lists all the applications currently open on your computer. The frozen application is indicated by the message 'Not Responding'.

Click on the frozen aplication, and then click on the End Task button. The application closes, as does the Close Program window. You can then reopen the application in the usual way.

Windows Problems

If windows hangs and your computer freezes, press the CTRL+ALT+DELETE twice in quick succession. This hs the effect of powering down the computer and powering it up again very quickly - but without the risk of damage to to the computer hardware. In fact, it has the same effect as selecting the 'Restart the computer' option from the Shut Down Windows window.

Improper Shutdowns and ScanDisk

If you power down your computer in any way other than using Start | Shutdown, Windows will typically suggest that you run a program called ScanDisk when you nex power up the computer. This checks your hard disk drive(s) for errors. Windows starts when ScanDisk finishes