Windows has come a long way since its launch in 1985. Nowadays, people can open their PC or laptop without waiting 10 minutes at most to let either device properly boot up without significant delays. If you're one of the people that still remember how slow Windows PCs and laptops boot up, then you know how frustrating the wait is.
However, with the coming of Windows 10, that frustration is now a thing of the past, especially with Windows Fast Startup.
Windows Fast Startup - What Is It?
Windows Fast Startup allows a computer or laptop with Windows 10 to start up faster after a shutdown, per Microsoft. When you shut down your computer with Fast Startup on, the feature will put your computer into hibernation instead of shutting it down fully.
This feature is enabled by default if your computer is capable of hibernation.
Make Use Of mentioned delved deeper into the feature and gave a more in-depth explanation. According to the publication's report, the computer simply logs off the users, hibernates all the files, and resumes work from where it left off on boot up as opposed to the operating system closing all programs and shutting down when you click on the shutdown button.
Windows Central also added that the operating system also creates a saved hibernation file that is ready to be used to back the computer up to where you were before you shut down your computer.
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Simply put, a Windows computer with fast startup enabled isn't off; it is merely in a state between a true shut down and hibernation. It isn't fully shut down but isn't on either.
Thankfully, this feature doesn't use electricity, as the hibernation file is stored in the hard drive rather than the computer's RAM, which requires electricity to keep the file intact if it was saved there.
Windows Fast Startup Pitfalls
Although this feature may sound good to you and every person who wants a fast boot up, it also introduces problems of its own. The feature could cause problems to your computer if you're using Wake-on-LAN. The hibernation file also takes up hard drive space, which you could use for other things. Linux users will likely encounter problems with dual boot and virtualization.
Additionally, some users have reported that power buttons on their keyboard will not work and fans in their PCs will continue spinning because of Fast Startup.
Most critically, the feature could prevent Windows 10 updates from installing properly if fast startup is left enabled.
How To Disable or Enable Fast Startup
To disable or enable fast startup, right-click on the Start button and click on Search or simply click on the search bar (the one beside the Start button) and type "Control Panel." Hitting enter afterward would open the Control Panel.
At this point, click on "Power Options" and click "Choose what the power buttons do." afterward, click on "Change settings that are currently unavailable."
After doing so, find the shut-down setting that says "Turn on fast start-up" and untick it to turn it off, or tick it to turn it on. Once you're satisfied with the change you made, click on "save changes."
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