To reboot or not reboot – that is the question!

Often the first question we ask a client when troubleshooting a computer issue is a query guaranteed to elicit a good old-fashioned sigh and a dramatic eye roll. It’s a simple inquiry, “have you restarted your computer?” Granted, for the majority of technical issues, more complex work is required than a simple reboot, but for a wide variety of basic glitches, a restart will work wonders.

Why does rebooting work? Excellent question. Let’s start at the beginning.

Think about how you use your computer over the course of several days. Likely, you have opened and closed numerous programs, installed a couple of apps and left your Browser open for an extended period of time. While you multi-task, your computer is also working diligently, running complex processes in the background. Sometimes programs don’t quite close all the way and consequently, your RAM (Random Access Memory) is impacted. Over time, your system will seem slow, programs will not open anymore and you will begin to receive error messages.

When should I restart? Try a restart if you are noticing the following:

• Your computer is running slow

• Your computer is acting “weird”

• Your system is freezing

• You are getting error messages

• Your internet speed seems unusually slow

• You are receiving prompts to reboot in order to complete a system update

When you reboot your computer, all your programs and processes end. Literally, they are powered off. Restarting flushes out all random, unimportant and temporary data that is bogging down your device. Imagine if we could do that for our brains?

During the shutdown process, your system will also run diagnostics on itself, automatically repairing minor errors. Once you restart your computer, you have a fresh plate and usually a faster, better performing system.

Of course, a reboot will not fix malicious software. The only way to exterminate a virus is to scan the computer and systematically remove the nasty code. Should this be your issue, it’s time to call for support. Contact RW Networks - help is on the way!