Share via

Difference between shutdown -s and using the Start menu in win10

Anonymous
2021-07-05T12:32:47+00:00

I have several generations of computers and most of my important files are stored on the old one as it's easier to use a share than to migrate them.

As such I've enabled remote shutdown, and tend to use a batch file when I'm done using my computers to issue a "shutdown -s -m \comptuername" to all three computers before I goto bed. The 30 second delay also gives time to make sure all the applications such has Firefox and Thunderbird have fully closed and updated files.

However, I've noticed that if I use the Start menu to shut down in Windows 10 it takes less time to log in the next time I turn the computer on. It even seems that Windows will start to log me in right away and actually logging in acts more like logging in after hitting [Windows]-<L> or using "switch user" than normal, while if I use shutdown -s I'm loggin in from scratch.

Why the difference? It didn't seem to make any difference if I used the Start Menu or Shutdown -s in XP, Vista, or 7 (I skipped 8 & 8.1 at home and never did any testing on other people's systems).

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Sleep and Power on, off

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Paulo GM 66,210 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2021-07-05T13:50:29+00:00

Hi SlickRCBD, I am Paulo, an Independent Advisor willing to help.

The shutdown in Windows 10 is not a full shutdown but hybrid shutdown that is turned on by default. It is also known as the FastStartup which helps your PC boot up faster after shutting down. This feature was first introduced in Windows 8. The shutdown command that you're using is just a normal shutdown wherein it closes all and gives you a completely new Windows state.

If you want the hybrid shutdown command, you can enter Shutdown /s /hybrid

For the list of other commands

https://www.howtogeek.com/512012/how-to-shut-do...

If you want to know more about the hybrid shutdown, you can check this article

https://www.howtogeek.com/349114/shutting-down-...

If you want to turn off the Fast Startup feature

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4189-turn-o...

(Disclaimer: These are non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.)

Let me know if this helps.

Was this answer helpful?

3 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

2 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2021-07-07T02:51:34+00:00

    I just did shutdown /? and for some reason it looks more like I recall the parameters for Windows Server 2008R2 than the parameters for Windows 7.

    Mostly because of the list of reasons for the shutdown, but there are a lot more options than I remember.

    Then again, I can't recall the last time I looked at the help for shutdown since I know all the ones I wanted.

    I'm not even sure if I looked at the options for Server 2008 or Server 2003 to be honest.

    I just never bothered looking at the command, and this isn't the first time I was unaware of new options being added to a command. Heck the first time was when new options were added to the DIR command compared to MS-DOS 3.30. You couldn't do dir /on in MS-DOS 3.30, though I can't recall if that was introduced in MS-DOS 5 or 6.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2021-07-05T22:11:06+00:00

    Well, one thing I learned from that is that the old, tried and true "Turn off the computer, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on again" is no longer theoretically better than just restarting it.

    Then again, I can't think of a time when that helped over a restart other than when Windows the computer hanged when you tried to restart it.

    Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments