This is a Windows-only tip.
If you have been using the computer for tasks other than flying, we all know that it’s best to shut down the computer and boot it up again from scratch before starting X-Plane.
But which is better – Windows Restart, or Shut down and Reboot
Or is there something better still?
Most people think the best way to get a clean start is to shut down the machine and restart it a few seconds later. This, believe it or not, does not give the cleanest start. The reason why is that Windows goes into a sort of hibernation state [not full hibernate] where the Windows kernel state is saved, enabling a faster restart time. This is called Fast Startup.
If you merely restart Windows without shutting down, this forces a complete stop of all processes and is unaffected by fast startup. So it appears that the best approach is to restart the computer just before flight. But, you must already be booted up.
You can, of course, completely disable fast startup and accept slightly longer boot-up times as the price of a clean boot-up:
Go to Control panel –> Hardware and Sound –> Power Options
On the left click “Choose what the power button does”
Under Shutdown Settings, clear (untick) the checkbox next to “Turn on fast startup” option.
However there is a third option which is not quite so well known:
Holding the [SHIFT] key down while clicking shut down gives you the best of both worlds. The machine shuts down completely, and does not use Fast Startup. The subsequent boot-up results in a totally clean Windows start.