Out of interest

[enismirdal]

Is the "turn off computer" option you get from then Windows start menu any different to the "turn off computer" option you get when you call up the Task Manager with CTRL+ALT+Del and go to Shut Down-->Turn Off?

(The computer lady seemed to think they were different somehow.)

Comments

[emperor]

Not AFAIK - they both do a clean shutdown and power-off.

[innocencest.livejournal.com]

I'd agree. What gives you the impression your computer is treating the commands differently?

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Oh, nothing makes me think that, fortunately! *grins* The computer office woman seemed to think that the one on the start menu was some sort of inferior/lesser/less "proper" shutdown of my computer than the almighty one in the task manager. To be fair on her, probably most of what she has to deal with is computer illiterate students managing to get their machines infected with viruses, or crashes that can be solved by CTRL+ALT+Del and restart.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*thinks* Isn't ctrl-alt-del supposed to be less hijackable? If she was worried a malware was imitating the start bar and faking a restart, it could make sense. But she wasn't.

I guess it's just superstition. She's always done it that way, she knows it works, she doesn't want to introduce *any* unknown variables.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

They both make the same system call, so it makes no difference at all. Use whichever you prefer.

Ctrl-alt-del can be faked anyway -- there are at least two ways to do it, one of which would also allow passwords to be sniffed (replacing the MSGINA.DLL with your own alternative -- amazingly, this is *actually documented*).

If someone can get physical access to a computer, it is not secure. Period.

[illusive-shelle.livejournal.com]

Nope, they're exactly the same. Either is just as good as the other.