Thursday, January 27, 2005
Choose the Turn Off option when nobody else will be using the computer until the next morning. Windows XP saves everything, and tells you when it's okay to turn off your computer. (Sometimes it turns it off for you.) When you choose Turn Off Computer, Windows clings like a sleepy cat, tossing up these three options:
- Standby: Also called Hibernate on some laptops, this option quickly saves all your work and puts the computer in virtual sleep — a delicate mode between on and off. Avoid it.
- Turn Off: Choose this option when you're done for the day. Let you — and your computer — get some real sleep. When Windows XP leaves the screen, turn off the computer and the monitor, if Windows XP doesn't do it automatically.
- Restart: Only choose this option when Windows XP screwed something up: Several programs crashed, or Windows seems to be acting awfully weird. Windows XP turns off and reloads itself, hopefully feeling refreshed.
When you tell Windows XP that you want to quit, it searches through all your open windows to see whether you've saved all your work. If it finds any work you've forgotten to save, it tosses a box your way, letting you click the OK button to save it. Whew!
You don't have to shut down Windows XP every night. In fact, some people leave their computers turned on all the time, saying it's better for their health. Others say their computers are healthier if they're turned off each day. However, everybody says to turn off your monitor when you're done working. Monitors definitely enjoy cooling down when not being used.
