Phone: 250.764.7043
Email: help@computercarekelowna.com

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Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

You've Got The Power
by Cate Eales

Appeared October 8, 2009 on castanet.net
 

In the old days, before Windows, you had to “Press Enter to exit.” So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in Windows, you have to click on “Start” to begin the shutdown process. But wait...there’s more!


Do you know how to shut down your computer properly?
If you’ve been using Windows XP, you probably know to click on Start, then on the big red button that says “Turn Off.”

(click to enlarge graphic)

That makes a lot of sense, and we’re used to it. So along comes Vista, and that big red button on the Start menu does not, in fact, shut your computer down. No. It puts the computer in a Sleep state.

I give Microsoft the Bonehead Award for that little surprise. And it turns out I’m not alone, because it looks like Windows 7 will turn that red button into an off switch again.

In the meantime, when you turn off your Vista computer:

(click to enlarge graphic)

You can change the power button function
“But, Cate! That’s way too complicated,” I hear you saying. And I agree. We can change the function of that red button so clicking it just turns off the computer the way it used to in the 20th Century.

Now, clicking Start and then the red button will shut your computer down.


You can add a gadget instead
Every edition of Windows Vista except Home Basic includes a Sidebar. The Sidebar is a pane on the desktop. By default, it’s docked to the right side of the screen. You can move it, change it, hide it, or kill it off. We’ve talked about that here. You can also add gadgets to it, but you don’t have to leave them in the pane. You can drag them wherever you want on your desktop.

The reason I’m telling you this now, is because you can add a gadget to your Sidebar (and you can, therefore, put it anywhere on your desktop) that functions like the old XP shutdown button. There are many of these gadgets to choose from. To find them:

Vista and XP users can create a Shutdown desktop shortcut
If you don’t want to go the gadget route, or if you have XP (and don’t have the Sidebar) you can create a desktop shortcut to shut down your computer in one click. Just follow the instructions in this article. (I do not know if that will work in 64-bit editions of Vista.) Once you have that shortcut on your desktop, try not to click on it unless you really, really mean to shut down your computer!


My apologies to...someone
Someone emailed me last week asking about closing down Windows in a couple of clicks. Long story short, I goofed and deleted the email while I was out of the office, before I could collect it on my office computer. My apologies for not answering you directly. Please email me again and let me know if I’ve answered your question.


Have a joyous and safe Thanksgiving!

Links
Gadgets, Surges, Shutdowns http://rlis.com/columns/column165.htm
Windows Sidebar and gadgets http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/features/sidebar-gadgets.aspx
How to Create a “Shut down” Desktop Shortcut http://www.ehow.com/how_2143934_shut-down-desktop-shortcut.html
Computer Care Kelowna http://computercarekelowna.com
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml

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Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.

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© Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved

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