So everyone knows the blanket response techs give when you ask them for assistance with computer issues. It usually goes along the lines of “Have you tried restarting?”
From the end user end it can sometimes come across as dismissive or a waste of your time, but the fact is that a great deal of minor technical issues can be fixed by a simple restart.
A quick and easy restart can fix things such as
- Computer running slow
- Applications hanging
- Memory leaks & high memory consumption
- Random behaviour of applications
- Internet/Network connectivity issues
- Devices/peripherals not working properly
- Allows Windows and other operating systems to install/configure critical updates
This may not sound like a lot, but when you factor in that the above mentioned make up 10-15% of all Service Desk tickets submitted by end users then you can soon see why a regular restart is so important.
So how often should you restart? Well this really depends on the amount of use your computer gets and the variety of applications you use but as a general rule restart at least once a week.
Next time you are getting frustrated with your computer running slow or applications consistently hanging, give it a quick restart and while it’s restarting make yourself a coffee. As we all know everything in life is better with a nice cup of coffee.
