How To shut down or restart laptop safely when start menu doesn't work?

[paulyron]

Windows ten pro. At the moment,i cannot click on the start menu to shut down or restart the laptop with my mouse or touchpad. currently using it with two external monitors. i know the other way to shut it down would be hold the power off button for few seconds and then it powers off. Then power it back on by pressing the power button. But that isn't that good because you aren't shutting it down safely. But is that my only option? i done that before previously when this happens but not a fan of it. i can click on icons on desktop an even the file explorer folder on the task manager below. But start menu doesn't work. The start menu whether taking my mouse or pressing the windows key on the laptop does not bring the start menu up. is there a safe way to restart my computer or turn off my laptop so then i can restart it? Earlier i was using lot of resources on my laptop... some programs was making my computer freeze an have issues... so that could have caused this? Recall this happened few times a while back an i just hold power off and power back on. But concern of it not powering back on correctly because this is an improper shutdown. Should i unplug my external monitors first from laptop before holding the power button off an then power back on? Thanks.

[Poinkachu]

tried CTRL + ALT + DEL ?

[startrek03]

This sounds hilariously stupid, I know, but press Alt+F4. If no window is opened, Windows will prompt you a window for restarting, shutting down etc.

 

Edit: Please don't, if you are not focussed on the desktop, lol.

[Poinkachu]

2 minutes ago, startrek03 said:

This sounds hilariously stupid, I know, but press Alt+F4. If no window is opened, Windows will prompt you a window for restarting, shutting down etc.

Or do this , while on desktop.
(Just adding details)

[paulyron]

okay so now another issue.  Unplugged both cables from external monitor and now its like black screen on my laptop screen?  Plugged both external monitors back and now i see the desktop icons on my main external monitor.  But its like black background screen on all monitors except desktop icons visible on main external monitor?  No task bar visible either. i can click on chrome and programs and it open up but i can't see anything on task bar?  So just power it off an restart it?

What do i do now?  

[paulyron]

ctrl alt delete does bring the menu of

 

 

lock 

switch user

sign out

change password

task manager

 

 

 

[paulyron]

Google and saw mention of ctrl alt delete and go to processes, windows processes and look for windows explorer and either end task or restart. Would that work?



What about just holding power button to turn off laptop. Then powering back on ?

[BiotechBen]

Ctl alt del, then tab button until the power options are selected, then enter, then choose shutdown

[paulyron]

What tab button are you talkng about?

[paulyron]

And where are the power options?  You mean task manager tab?  Whch one?  

 

 

Processes

Performance

App history

startup

users

details

Services

 

 

 

[paulyron]

Went ahead and hold power button for few seconds to power off laptop and then press power back on few seconds later..  Now it ask me for bitlocker recovery key,  does that mean everything in my hard drive is gone?

 

 

Have the bitlocker recovery key on a usb flash drive.but ts encrypted wth axcrypt.  Have my password manager on usb flash drive as well but do not have a spare windows pc but using a chromebook now as i type this but this chromebook use to visit other sites and download from sites that may not be safe.  So what i do now?  Wipe my chromebook fresh so could plug my usb stick into it so i an open the password manager and then open the file for the bitlocker recovery key?  

 

 

Freaking out now.

 

 

 

 

 

[paulyron]

As of now, when i power on my laptop, it ask for the bitlocker recovery key.  So do i have to enter that?  If i do, what will happen?  Would i still have my old files and everything?  But how long is the bitlocker recovery key and how does it look like?  Because i wrote 2 or even 3 of them down from a while back but don't recall which was the one for this laptop unless i plug my usb stick into another pc and then open my password manager to be able to open the encrypted bitlocker recovery key file.

 

 

Did i mess up earlier by not properly shutting it down and instead hold power button for few seconds and power on again?  Is my computer hard drive corrupted?  What typically happens after you enter the correct bitlocker recovery key for this laptop?  What happens if i were to enter an older bitlocker recovery key for this laptop... the bitlocker recovery key for this pc before i did a clean reinstall.  That wouldn't work correct?  thus only one bitlocker recovery key would work?  Has anyone had their computer freeze or crash and then power off laptop the way I did and power it on, then you get that bitlocker recovery key message?  And if so, what happens?