Master the shutdown options in Windows 7

Windows 7’s shutdown options are accessed from the Start menu in the same way as Windows XP and Vista. Assuming the default settings remain unchanged (we’ll explain how to alter them in Step 6), the Start menu will have two buttons at the bottom right: one labelled ‘Shut down’ and the other decorated with a right-pointing arrow. A click on Shut down will do just that: Windows 7 will attempt to close all open applications, including Windows itself, and switch off the PC.

However, if any open applications have unsaved work then this ‘Waiting for...’ screen may be displayed. A click of the ‘Force shut down’ button now will complete the job but you will lose the work in the unsaved documents. Alternatively, click Cancel to return to Windows 7 to save the documents and then repeat Step 1 to shut down.

Now click Start again but this time click the right-pointing arrow alongside the Shut down button. This opens a submenu containing several options, though the exact line-up will depend on the PC (for reasons we’ll explain in Step 5). The options that will certainly be here are Switch user, Log off, Lock and Restart. The last of these, Restart, works in the same way as Shut down but, predictably, Windows 7 restarts as a conclusion of the process (instead of the PC powering down).

Switch user, Log off and Lock are closely related. A click on Switch user will keep the current user logged on but return to the Windows 7 logon screen, to let another user log on. The Switch user option makes no demand that open documents be saved because the user remains logged on. Click Log off and Windows 7 prompts to save open documents. The Lock option keeps the current user logged in but returns to the Windows 7 logon screen, with a request for the current user’s password. The current user will remain logged in and other users can access their own accounts by clicking the Switch user button.

As noted in Step 3, there are changeable options: Sleep and Hibernate. Sleep puts the PC into a low-power state from which it can resume quickly. Hibernate saves a snapshot of the PC’s current ‘state’ to the hard disk before switching off the power. When the PC is next powered, it will resume from the hibernated state (this can take a long time to complete). However, the availability of both Sleep and Hibernate depends on the PC’s hardware and software setup. The options will have been set by the manufacturer and are likely to be the best arrangement for your PC. However, if you fancy changing them, see the box below.

Finally, it’s possible to switch the function of the Shut down button for any one of the other options on the submenu. To do this, right-click the Shut down button on the Start menu then left-click Properties. On the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialogue box that appears click the Start Menu tab and then choose a new function from dropdown menu alongside the ‘Power button action’ label. Click OK and Shut down will be relegated to the submenu, while the selected function becomes the labelled button on the Start menu.