HOT 286: Shutting Down vs. Restarting Your Windows PC - Windows Fast Startup
Summary
Micah Sargent answers a listener’s question about why a Windows PC shows 41 days of uptime despite nightly shutdowns. He explains that Windows 8 and later use "fast startup," which hibernates the kernel rather than fully ending the session, meaning only a restart truly reboots the system. The episode details how to perform a full shutdown or restart to clear memory leaks and driver issues causing sluggishness. Sargent also advises that, per NSA guidelines, users should power cycle their phones weekly to evict potential malware from memory.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: Trusted Tech Microsoft 365 Licensing
Show Intro and Listener Question from Lorraine
Verdict: Daughter is Right, Shutdown vs Restart
Explaining Fast Startup and Hybrid Shutdown
How Fast Startup Works: Hiberfil.sys and Kernel
Why Restart is Different: Full Boot Cycle
The 'Have You Restarted It' Troubleshooting Rule
Understanding Uptime Counter in Task Manager
Checking if Fast Startup is Enabled
Methods for Performing a True Full Shutdown
Sponsor: Delete Me Business Privacy Protection
Disabling Fast Startup in Power Options
Mac Shutdown Behavior and Power Nap
Why Sluggishness Occurs: Memory and Driver Leaks
Recommendation: Restart Weekly to Clear Clutter
Phone Security: NSA Advice on Weekly Reboots
Fixing Phone Issues with a Reboot
Best Practices for PC and Phone Maintenance
Final Verdict and Show Outro
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