Shut down, Restart and Sleep are all options on Windows. Which one should you use? And when? HowStuffWorks Advertisement If, like most of us, you use a computer that runs Microsoft Windows, you probably already know that the Start menu gives you two ways to shut down your computer's operations. You can click Shut Down, which basically does what the name describes. There's also the option of Restart, which shuts down your computer for a moment, but then starts it up again. But aside from the fact that the computer doesn't come back on again after you click Shut Down, in recent versions of the Windows operating system, there's actually another important difference between the two options, according to software experts. They don't shut down your computer in exactly the same way, and they should be used in different situations. What 'Shut Down' Does In older versions of Windows, Restart and Shut Down did the same thing, closing down programs and powering off the machine. But in Windows … [Read more...] about What’s the Difference Between Restarting and Shutting Down My Computer?