I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to figure out the way to really speed-up my start-up and shut-down process was to completely stop doing it. I should start using the “Hibernate” function instead.

Are you using this already? Why not?

Doing consulting work I’m moving from client site to client site and home and back and here and there. I used to do a complete shut-down and power-up with each move. When I stopped doing that I started saving significant amounts of time in the process.

Compare these numbers:

Again, there’s no big secret to this. We’ve had Sleep and Hibernate modes on our computers for quite awhile. Why wasn’t I using it before? Why aren’t you?

I think perhaps the reason I wasn’t was ignorance of what occurred during hibernate. The computer uses minimal to no power consumption during the process. Nothing is running so there’s no heat generated while it’s in my back-pack.

It’s just a great tip to saving a lot of time. I do recommend doing a shut-down and reboot on a regular basis though. I usually do one at least every other day.

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: EveryJoe

Speed Up Start-up/Shut-down… Stop Doing It!

The reason is not far-fetched. Push buttons have a very limited life as compared to that of a mouse. The mouse is built to be abused by humans. Moreover, push buttons are usually a part of something complex, and getting them repaired is more cumbersome and could end up costing more than a new mouse.

1. Computer: These days, the power button can be used to shut down the system. But the “Start -> Shutdown -> Turn Off” or its equivalent is not convoluted either. Same with the restart button provided. Frankly, I’m especially suspcious about the restart push button, as suspsicious about any spineless creature.

2. Monitor: With more people feeling the need to go green, turning off the monitor is being seen as a better alternative to running a screensaver. If you’re the kind who turns off the monitor when you leave your desk for a considerable period of time, you can opt to open the “Power Options”, “Power Schemes” tab and set the “Turn off monitor” option to “After 1 min”.NOTE: You may find it a good idea to keep the “Power Options” in your taskbar. For this, open it using “Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> Power Options” in Category View or “Control Panel -> Power Options” in Classic View. Click on the “Advanced” tab and check the option to “Always show icon on the taskbar”.

3. CD/DVD Drive: An alternative to pressing the eject button is to right-click on the drive (in My Computer or Windows Explorer) and left-click on “Eject”. While laptops don’t have the options, desktops usually also have the option to “Close Tray” in a similar way, when the tray has been ejected.

In any instance, when there is an alternative between a push button and a mouse click (or a sequence of clicks), the latter alternative wins. Any? What if the push button is a key (or a sequence of keys) of the keyboard? Key is after all a push button, right?That is when you choose a side between CLI fanatics and GUI lovers. What did you choose?

Image Courtesy: Microsoft.

Post from: EveryJoe

Avoid Using Push Buttons