How does a warm boot differ from a cold boot?

A warm boot is when a computer is restarted without turning off the power, typically done by using the operating system's restart command. This process is usually faster than a cold boot, which starts the computer from a completely powered-off state. During a warm boot, the computer skips the lengthy post and hardware initialization processes, leading to a quicker restart because only the operating system needs to reload.

In contrast, a cold boot requires the system to power up from a complete shutdown, initiating all hardware checks and configurations before loading the operating system. This makes it a slower process compared to the warm boot. While warm boots can occasionally be used for troubleshooting, that is not their primary function, and they are certainly not the quickest option for power-off situations compared to a cold boot. Therefore, the efficiency and speed of a warm boot over a cold boot underscore why it has been identified as the correct answer.