How to Reboot a Computer System

Having to reboot your computer at some time is just a fact of life. Windows updates will automatically reboot your computer once when it completes the installs, computers lock up for no apparent reason and some people shut their computers off at night. Whatever the reason, it is helpful to know a couple of different ways to reboot a computer.

Instructions

1. Click the "Start" button from the taskbar. Select the "Turn off computer" option if you are running a Windows operating system before Windows Vista, or select the right arrow in Vista. Select the "Restart" option.

2. Press and hold the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys simultaneously. Do it again. This will reboot the computer.

3. Shut down the computer. Sometimes the computer will not respond to a reboot. Maybe the keys are temporarily disabled or the system has chosen to completely ignore you. In these rare cases, it may be better to shut the computer off using the power button. If you do shut off the computer, press and hold the power button for 3 to 5 seconds. Then be sure to wait a minimum of 45 seconds before turning it back on. This allows the capacitors in the computer time to discharge, which allows the memory (not the hard drive) to do a full dump of data. This allows a cleaner restart when you turn the computer back on.

4. Disconnect the power cord. Do this as a last resort. Unsaved data may not be retrievable with this option, but sometimes it is the only option. Reconnect the power cord. Turn the computer on.

Resources

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