Windows 8/8.1 isn’t just about Start screen, apps store, and lock screen. The super-fast boot process is one of the first things that you notice when you install or upgrade to Windows 8/8.1. Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 boot significantly faster when compared to Windows 7 and previous versions of Windows operating system, thanks to the newly introduced Hybrid boot (aka fast start up).
The Hybrid boot, turned on by default in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, is completely different from Hibernation and Sleep mode. When you perform a shut down on a Hybrid or fast boot enabled Windows 8/8.1 PC, Windows saves the kernel session and device drivers to the disk. And when you turn the PC on, Windows loads these small files.
But then there might be times when you want to perform a full shutdown or cold boot. For instance, you might want to perform a cold boot after installing a new hardware or updating device drivers.
Of course, you can turn the Hybrid boot feature off by disabling fast start up, perform a cold boot by restarting your PC, or perform a full shut down by executing shutdown /s /f /t 0 via the Command Prompt, but how to perform a full shutdown in Windows 8.1 without turning off or disabling fast start up or launching Command Prompt?
It turns out that on a fast boot or hybrid boot enabled Windows 8.1 PC, the Shut down option in the Charms bar performs a hybrid shut down, whereas the Shut down option in the Win+X menu (the menu that appears when you right-click on the Start button) performs a full shut down.
In other words, if the fast boot is enabled on your Windows 8.1 machine and you want to perform a full shut down, simply open the Charms bar, click Settings to reveal the Settings charm, click Power and then click Shut down. That’s it!
How to check if the last boot was Hybrid boot or cold boot:
In order to check the type of last boot, you can execute the following PowerShell code:
Step 1: Open Windows PowerShell. To do that, type PowerShell in the Start screen and then press Enter key. You can also right-click on the Start button on the taskbar and then click PowerShell or PowerShell (admin) to open the same from the desktop environment.
Step 2: Copy and paste the following code into the PowerShell window:
$boot = Get-WinEvent -ProviderName Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-boot -MaxEvents 10 | Where-Object {$_.message -like “The boot type*”}
$boot| format-list
Boot type 0×1 indicates a hybrid boot, 0×0 indicates a cold boot (full shut down), and 0x2 indicates a resume from hibernation. That’s it!
Thanks Verboon.
Marathonracer says
That’s not correct that the Win+X keys enables a Full Shutdown instead of a Hybrid Shutdown. It’s a Hybrid Shutdown which allows for a subsequent Fast Startup, which is EXACTLY the same as performing a Hybrid Shutdown from the Power Button in Settings. And Win+X is simply the same menu as the lower left Windows button right-click menu and I wish you guys would stop using these awkward key combinations to refer to basic menus, because you make it sound like you’re doing something nobody else knows how to do, yet it’s the same thing we’ve been doing using the Windows button right click menu and it’s not any faster.
I have tested this with a stop watch many times and the Fast Startup times after a Hybrid shutdown with Win+X are identical to the Hybrid Shutdown followed by the Fast Startup times with the Power Button in Settings timed from when Windows begins booting with the Windows logo to desktop. On my computer, booting from an SSD, that is about 6secs, regardless of which way you do it. If you think about it, that makes logical sense, because those are the two most common ways users will start their computers after shutting down and will get the Fast Startup and they need the Full Shutdown far less often and which is automatically part of what happens when you click “Restart”, whenever you need that. On my computer, if I click Restart, that is about 10 secs. or 11secs. every time, timed the same way from the time the Windows logo appears.
The correct way to perform a Full Shutdown of Windows 8.1 and not a Hybrid Shutdown is with the Command Prompt:
shutdown /s /f /t/ 0
The Windows Event Logs confirms this. Windows Event Logs, under System, Event 27, “Kernel-Boot”, after a boot following a Win+X Hybrid Shutdown, it says “The boot type was 0-1”, which is a Fast Startup if it’s a boot after a Hybrid Shutdown and it says “The boot type was 0x1” from the same menu accessed from the right click on the Windows button and it says “The boot type was 0x0”, which is a Cold Boot, only if you do it from the Command Prompt. There’s no way possible that you’re getting a Boot of 0x0 using the Win+X shutdown because that is a Hybrid Shutdown, so if that Power Shell screen shot is yours, you made a mistake with how you actually did the shutdown. And since you didn’t even mention the Command Prompt Full Shutdown method, I assume the screen shot is not be yours and you never even tested this.
I also tried confirming this with the Power Shell but your code is incorrect and Microsoft got the same errors I did. They must have changed something but I can’t find any other way to use the Power Shell for this but the Event Logs give you the same information.
I notice you didn’t post this very detailed and thoroughly backed up comment, proving your mistakes after “Moderating” it, after I posted it five fucking times, so I’m posting it again because people have a right to the facts and not irresponsible bullshit. And I’ll continue to post it until you block me, to prove that you’re a very ignorant asshole who’s afraid of the truth, which is why you had to be corrected on your own contradiction of your own misinformed statements. You can’t even get your own misinformation right! Hahah. The correct information has not only been rigorously tested and posted by me, but my Microsoft engineers and a couple of other site administrators. Apparently, you’re arrogant and stupid enough to think that you now more than all of us! Hahahahahhha
Saulo says
Odd thing: I do the Win+X popup menu shutdown, and it starts with 0x1 (suspension), even though it seems to have come from 0x2… what in the actual world is happening?
Niraj Joshi says
In other words, if the fast boot is enabled on your Windows 8.1 machine and you want to perform a fast shut down/hybrid shut down, simply open the Charms bar, click Settings to reveal the Settings charm, click Power and then click Shut down. That’s it!”
For Full shut down go to WIN+X menu and click on Shut Down
Od says
In other words, if the fast boot is enabled on your Windows 8.1 machine and you want to perform a full shut down, simply open the Charms bar, click Settings to reveal the Settings charm, click Power and then click Shut down. That’s it!”
Wrong! To perform a full shutdown use the shut down option in the Win+X menu.
admin says
Bill, thanks for pointing out that mistake. I have corrected it now.
Bill says
“the Shut down option in the Charms bar performs a hybrid shut down, whereas the Shut down option in the Charms bar performs a full shut down.”??? You need to re-read and/or rethink that one. One is the charms bar. The other is the Win+X and or lower-left corner right-click menu.