Logging Off, Shutting Down

Here’s a question a lot of people ask: “Should I shut down my computer if I won’t be using it for a while, or should I just leave it on?” Everybody has an opinion about this. So here’s ours: It doesn’t matter. It’s fine to leave your computers running. Many people shut down their computers only when they need to, such as when installing certain types of hardware. Aside from that, their computers are on, and online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With today’s green PCs, turning off the computer every day isn’t as important as it once was. Perhaps more important, leaving the computer on means you can start working with it almost right away, rather than waiting for it to boot.

The Power button in Windows 8 is located in a different location than previous Windows versions. Instead of being located on the Start menu (which is no longer available, you find it in the Settings screen by choosing Settings from the Charms Bar, shown in Figures 4.27 and 4.28. Understand that turning off a PC isn’t quite the same as turning off a TV or radio. You usually don’t want to just hit the main power switch to shut down while you have things open and unsaved. You want to close everything first. Then click the Power button and choose Shut Down.

FIGURE 4.27 Power button available while on the desktop

FIGURE 4.28 Power button available while on the Start screen

Although shutdown is much faster in Windows 8 than previous versions, don’t expect the computer to turn off immediately. It takes a few seconds for Windows to get everything closed up and ready to shut down. On most computers, you don’t have to do anything else. The computer will eventually shut itself down completely.