Shut down methods

Can I just close the top to shut down the system completely, or is it better to log off in Windows? When I just shut the top, it feels hot when I take it out of the case, so I'm assuming that's not really shutting it down.The Acer website tech response "virtual " info said something about a power icon to click on in the lower right taskbar, but I see no such icon, just the battery indicator. There is the power switch on the keyboard, of course. Is it OK to just shut the top, or should I do it differently? If it goes into Windows hibernation, will it shut it down for power/cooling purposes? It sometimes hangs on the Windows shutdown, and then I just hold down the power button, but is there a better way?

 

Closing the lid by default will put the AA1 in standby. In standby the computer goes into a low power usage state, but it will still be using some power. The power is mostly used for retaining the system state in memory, so that when you wake it up, your session will still be as you left it. The power button by default on the windows XP load also initiates a windows shutdown. I almost always shutdown from the Start, Turn Off Computer. When or if the computer is non responsive I will use the power button to shutdown.

If you are planning on using the computer again soon, there is no reason you can not use the standby mode (closing the lid). For any extended periods of time of non use, I would recommend powering down instead of a standy mode.

 

Is there a difference from a power usage/heat point of view between "hibernate" and "standby?" I changed my settings to make it "hibernate" when I close the top, but I don't exactly undetrstand the diference, if any.

 

I may be wrong but this is what I've gathered:

When going into hibernation, your current Windows session is saved onto your hard disk and the netbook shuts down - so no power is used up while in hibernation. The next time you load up Windows, the stored session is loaded again i.e. If you had a webpage open using Internet Explorer before hibernating, it would still be there afterwards.

With standby mode your netbook is still powered up but all the unnecessary things are turned off to save power - so it takes little time to get back into Windows and very little power is consumed overall. Hibernation usually requires more disk space (~1GB I think) but standby requires power.

There's a 'Power Options' section somewhere in the control panel where you can choose what happens when the lid is closed - Hibernate/Standby/Shutdown.

 

Start, Settings, Control Panel, Power Options, and then the Advanced tab.