Classic Shutdown

Turning off the computer should be a very simple job, but, as many Windows 8 users found out, the latest iterations of Microsoft's proprietary operating system makes things a bit more difficult than before. For those who wish they still had at their disposal the old way of powering off the PC, a number of dedicated applications are now available.

Among the fastest and easiest to use programs of its kind, Classic Shutdown restores the power-related actions dialog we were so accustomed with back in the glory days of Windows XP. Very small in size and with no installation required, this tiny tool can be deployed even from a portable storage device to quickly turn off the system.

Classic Shutdown bears only three power options, but they are the most common used by the majority of users: Turn Off, Restart and Log Off. It would've been great to see Hibernate and Sleep among the selections, but, unfortunately, only the above mentioned functions are available at this time.

All users who wish to have it only a click away can easily pin it to the taskbar or to the Start Screen, for those who prefer to use the Start Menu replacement introduced with Windows 8.

Insofar as the latter option is concerned, you should note that when it is deployed from the Start Screen, Classic Shutdown will not open in there, instead it will trigger a quick transition to the desktop from where you can press the appropriate button to carry out one of the available tasks.

All things considered, this software solution may very well prove to be the right solution for many users who are on the lookout for a fast and simple means of turning off their PC. Nonetheless, the addition of more power actions would make it even more popular.