Turning off Mac-mini

[nzreg]

Does it hurt to just turn off the mini by cutting power to it?

 

[MrCheeto]

Instantly cutting the power to a computer can possibly damage the hard drive or corrupt files causing data loss or requiring a complete reinstall. These problems exist with SSD's as well. If your system is in the process of writing or moving data and suddenly loses power, it's like a package falling off the FedEx truck. With computer systems, one missing "package" could cause a whole lot of problems.

Just hit Control+Eject and press return. It's that easy to shut down properly.

 

[nzreg]

Thanks for the reply, I thought it may be a no no.
Does the "eject" part eject any external disc's that may be attached? before shutting down the computer.
Sorry for the questions but I fairly new to this.

 

[MrCheeto]

No, it's simply a command for the computer to show the shut-down window.

 

[Mr.C]

It should only be used as a last resort. If your computer is frozen and there is no way to restart or shut it down the normal way then you can turn it of using the power button. However as already mentioned it's not recommended otherwise as it can cause damage and create more problems.

 

[KScottMyers]

I've always found these useful -

Control-Option-Command-Eject - shuts down without showing a shut down window.

Option-Command-Eject - puts the computer to sleep