How to Reboot a Dell Computer Laptop

Dell Laptops are Convenient to Use

If you are having trouble with your Dell laptop computer for no apparent reason, many times there is not a problem that has to be fixed, just that the computer needs to reset its settings. To do this, the computer needs to be rebooted. Starting up a computer is not like starting a mechanical machine; it is an electrical device that obeys a series of commands that someone has written down and put into the computer's memory. It does this at lightning speed. It is not one set of instructions, but hundreds of bits of information all being read at about the same time, that makes your computer turn on and put up that cheery welcome screen you see.

Instructions

1. Shut down your Dell laptop manually, if the computer seems "frozen," just doing nothing for a long time. Shut it down manually by holding down the power button until you hear everything turn off, then release the button.

2. Wait 15 seconds after everything has become quiet in the laptop. Restart or reboot the computer by pushing the power button. You may see an error message stating that the computer was not shut down properly. Follow the prompts to allow the program to scan the drives for any problems.

3. Watch how it goes through the start-up menu. If all goes well, continue as you normally would. If you still have problems after rebooting your computer, you may have to run further diagnostics to see where the problem is. Simple problems can be fixed by running a full system scan with your anti-virus and then running another scan with your spyware software. This should remove any errant programs running behind the scenes.

4. Shut down your computer one more time after running the scans. Allow it to come to complete silence and then reboot it.

Resources

• Dell Support