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In this edition of the Technology and Physical Education I would
like to discuss, "Start-up and Shutdown in Widows."
Send me information, questions or problems you
are having with your start-up/shutdown problems and as always I
will try to help you find answers.
Did you every wonder what happens when Windows starts? The Operating
System (OS) starts by checking for your hardware; mouse, monitor,
keyboard, had drives, DVD, CD, printers, scanners, etc. Once
these are found the computer goes to the hard drive for the Master
Boot Record (MBR) to find out how data is organized on the computer
and where the drivers are for various pieces of equipment; Palm
Pilot, scanner, programs that launch on opening. The more
things we have on the system the longer it will take the system
to start. The exact order of boot up can be found at
www.ucgbook.com/bootmap.html These processes are not thought
about until something does not work. Then we need to figure
out what to do.
At the other end we have the issue of waiting for the computer
to be ready to shutdown. The computer closes all files that
were running and saves information on the hard drive so when you
start up again the computer will know what to do. If you shutdown
before the system closes it will need to check the hard drive when
you start up again.
If your computer freezes up after you have installed some new hardware
when you can use "Safe Mode" During boot there will
generally be a message that explains how to access the Startup menu
or check your windows documentation to see how to do this.
Once you have the computer running you can right click on My Computer
and click properties and then select the hardware tab to find the
devices you have installed. If you get a yellow icon with
a black exclamation points in the middle. You can resolve the conflict
by removing the devise or try assigning a new address to the devise.
Find a friend who know computers to help with this.
During shutdown you may have the shutdown window stay on.
This is usually a problem with an out of date BIOS (Basic Input/Output
System). You can download the latest BIOS revision for you motherboard.
Contact your manufacture of the computer or motherboard for information.
The other problem at shutdown is a software application that will
not close. Use CTRL-ALT-DELETE to get the Task manager, highlight
the file that is not responding and click end task. Don't
do CTRL-ALT-DELETE twice or you will reboot.
When you have problems with start up or shutdown, remember what
you installed last, it may be the problem. Try uninstalling and
it may solve the problem. Use the product help line to resolve the
problem.
Sincerely,
Dr. Michael W. Dumin,
Technology Section Editors
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