PCs For Dummies® Windows®, 7 Edition

Chapter 4. On and Off

In This Chapter

• Starting your PC

• Introducing Windows

• Logging in to and out of Windows

• Locking the PC

• Using Sleep mode

• Hibernating the PC

• Restarting Windows

• Turning the computer off

• Keeping the PC on all the time

No doubt about it: Evil computers cannot be turned off. To prove it, I turn to the canon of Star Trek, Episode 53: When Scotty tried to turn off the malevolent M5 computer, it actually killed the crewman trying to pull the plug. Nope, you just can't turn off an evil computer.

Your PC is probably not evil. Probably. If it were, you could try to use Captain Kirk's infallible logic to reason the computer into committing suicide. I regret to tell you, however, that this book doesn't have any information on arguing a computer to death. That's because your PC has a power button, which is used to turn the computer both on and off. Though that might sound confusing, this chapter helps clear up the issue.

Turn On Your PC

You turn on the computer this way:

1. Turn on everything but the console.

2. Turn on the console last.

Or, if everything is plugged into a power strip, just turn on the power strip.

If the console and monitor are plugged into a UPS (which should be kept turned on all the time) and everything else is plugged into a power strip, do this:

1. Turn on the power strip, which turns on all the computer's external devices, or peripherals.

2. Press the monitor's power button to turn it on.

3. Press the console's power button to turn it on.

Success is indicated by your computer system coming ...