--- title: I disabled Fast Startup because Windows never really... description: Fast Startup, enabled by default on Windows 8 and later, doesn't fully shut down the system - it saves the kernel session and loaded kernel-mode drivers to the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: I disabled Fast Startup because Windows never really shuts down, and that explains a lot of strange bugs | daily.dev og:description: Fast Startup, enabled by default on Windows 8 and later, doesn't fully shut down the system - it saves the kernel session and loaded kernel-mode drivers to the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/eK736JgqR.png og:image:alt: I disabled Fast Startup because Windows never really shuts down, and that explains a lot of strange bugs og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # I disabled Fast Startup because Windows never really shuts down, and that explains a lot of strange bugs **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 6 min read · 2 upvotes · 2 comments ## Summary Fast Startup, enabled by default on Windows 8 and later, doesn't fully shut down the system - it saves the kernel session and loaded kernel-mode drivers to the hibernation file to speed up boot, similar to a partial hibernation rather than a true shutdown. This can cause persistent driver glitches that survive shutdowns, prevent hardware and firmware updates from applying correctly, and break dual-boot setups by leaving shared NTFS drives in a hibernated, read-only or unmountable state for Linux. The author disabled Fast Startup on SSD-equipped systems since the boot time savings are negligible, but notes it still helps on HDD-based Windows 10/11 machines if paired with occasional full shutdowns or the shutdown /s /f /t 0 command. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Why does my dual-boot Linux system see my Windows NTFS drive as read-only or not mounting at all? Windows Fast Startup leaves the NTFS volume in a hibernated state instead of performing a true shutdown, and Linux cannot safely mount a volume left in that state. This causes the shared drive to appear read-only or fail to mount. Disabling Fast Startup in Windows power settings, or performing a full shutdown, resolves the issue since the drive is properly unmounted. _Anyone juggling dual-boot setups can find practical fixes for storage quirks like this through daily.dev._ ### What does Windows Fast Startup actually save when I shut down my PC? Fast Startup writes only the kernel session state and loaded kernel-mode drivers to the hibernation file, unlike full hibernation which also saves open apps. This lets Windows skip re-initializing the kernel and drivers on the next boot, jumping straight to the lock screen faster, but it means a shutdown is technically a special type of hibernation rather than a true power-off. _Understanding what a shutdown really does helps anyone debugging odd Windows behavior, a topic daily.dev developers follow closely._ ### How do I force a complete shutdown on Windows if Fast Startup is causing driver or update problems? Run the command shutdown /s /f /t 0, which forces a full shutdown instead of the partial hibernation Fast Startup normally performs. This is useful when firmware updates fail to apply or when a bad kernel-mode driver state keeps recurring across restarts, since it discards the saved kernel session and gives the system a genuinely fresh start. _Developers troubleshooting flaky driver or update behavior can track fixes like this via daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@baz14** · 0 upvotes > MS logic: > > Optimizing the OS for faster boot [No] > > Disable shutdown [Yes] **@pickledmango** · 0 upvotes > I remember this completely breaking my laptop shutdown button years ago, not knowing better I just made a shutdown -f script to actually power off my laptop at that time. > > I was quite baffled by this design. why would you make the shutdown button in windows' start menu NOT actually shut down your computer. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Windows hasn't properly shut down when you click shut down since 2012, and it explains a decade of weird bugs](https://daily.dev/posts/windows-hasn-t-properly-shut-down-when-you-click-shut-down-since-2012-and-it-explains-a-decade-of-w-2mawkwige) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Windows has been quietly wearing out your SSD, and the fix takes one setting](https://daily.dev/posts/windows-has-been-quietly-wearing-out-your-ssd-and-the-fix-takes-one-setting-hpn9bz5oi) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [I disabled this Windows 11 feature and instantly reclaimed almost 25GB of storage](https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-this-windows-11-feature-and-instantly-reclaimed-almost-25gb-of-storage-1ynuxhpef) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Your Windows 11 default hibernation file is quietly eating 32GB of SSD write cycles, and here is the one-command fix](https://daily.dev/posts/your-windows-11-default-hibernation-file-is-quietly-eating-32gb-of-ssd-write-cycles-and-here-is-the-jaqd5gere) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Patch Tuesday update makes Windows PCs refuse to shut down](https://daily.dev/posts/patch-tuesday-update-makes-windows-pcs-refuse-to-shut-down-9lzeby7fw) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#windows](https://daily.dev/tags/windows) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"I disabled Fast Startup because Windows never really shuts down, and that explains a lot of strange bugs","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr"},"datePublished":"2026-08-19T13:00:41.225Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T20:34:37.390Z","description":"Fast Startup, enabled by default on Windows 8 and later, doesn't fully shut down the system - it saves the kernel session and loaded kernel-mode drivers to the...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/293bd996f4f04093acd231c58d6b71ff?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/293bd996f4f04093acd231c58d6b71ff?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":2,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}],"keywords":"windows","timeRequired":"PT6M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"I disabled Fast Startup because Windows never really shuts down, and that explains a lot of strange bugs"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"MS logic:\nOptimizing the OS for faster boot [No]\nDisable shutdown [Yes]","datePublished":"2026-08-20T23:52:19.935Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/eK736JgqR#c-gIunloE8K","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Baz","url":"https://daily.dev/baz14","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocKd2iFU8YS4sV-rBJptuYSF8EHeQnm23N_dcXE1uON7_GMIlZg=s96-c"}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"I remember this completely breaking my laptop shutdown button years ago, not knowing better I just made a shutdown -f script to actually power off my laptop at that time.\nI was quite baffled by this design. why would you make the shutdown button in windows’ start menu NOT actually shut down your computer.","datePublished":"2026-08-27T09:03:47.064Z","dateModified":"2026-08-27T09:04:33.638Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/eK736JgqR#c-L3Z7M8A7K","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"PickledMango","url":"https://daily.dev/pickledmango","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--u6UKc2fb--/f_auto/v1750171331/avatars/avatar_q9GwLFdlHHSfHqxMLYo18?_a=BAMClqUq0"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/i-disabled-fast-startup-because-windows-never-really-shuts-down-and-that-explains-a-lot-of-strange--ek736jgqr#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does my dual-boot Linux system see my Windows NTFS drive as read-only or not mounting at all?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Windows Fast Startup leaves the NTFS volume in a hibernated state instead of performing a true shutdown, and Linux cannot safely mount a volume left in that state. This causes the shared drive to appear read-only or fail to mount. Disabling Fast Startup in Windows power settings, or performing a full shutdown, resolves the issue since the drive is properly unmounted. Anyone juggling dual-boot setups can find practical fixes for storage quirks like this through daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What does Windows Fast Startup actually save when I shut down my PC?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Fast Startup writes only the kernel session state and loaded kernel-mode drivers to the hibernation file, unlike full hibernation which also saves open apps. This lets Windows skip re-initializing the kernel and drivers on the next boot, jumping straight to the lock screen faster, but it means a shutdown is technically a special type of hibernation rather than a true power-off. 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