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The Truth about the Reboot

Have you ever had a system "lock up" on you and not know what to do, except contact your IT Vendor? When your IT person instructed you to simply turn off power and restart, or reboot, the PC, how did you feel? If it worked, (as it does more often than not), you probably felt relieved that you did not schedule him to come on-site. A professional reboot could have also resulted in a professional invoice to your company! So what really IS the magic of a reboot, you ask?

Although the reboot does not fix everything like magic, it actually does work for a number of issues that cause a "locked-up" system. For example, if your memory fills up before your system catches up; this can cause your computer to simply freeze. (You might find this happening when there are multiple applications open at once.) A reboot will cycle the power and flush the memory, thus getting you back up and running quickly.

Sometimes programs will fight for control of the same shared information. This produces errors that are simply referencing locked files. The reboot will allow proper priority to be set when accessing the information. So, as a way to save valuable time and unnecessary IT expense, always consider rebooting your system FIRST as a way to rule out these simple causes.

A reboot will also give a good indication of just how big the problem is: If the system recovers, there may be either no problem at all, or at least one that can wait until work is finished. If the system, or a particular application, remains locked, then it may be an emergency. Please read and consider the following:

Proper Steps for a Successful Reboot:

Make sure you save your work often (ALWAYS).

If the system locks up, or if errors occur, first priority is to try to get one last save of your work. If possible, drag error windows to the side to get to the screen where work is being done. Try to save and close properly whenever possible to avoid having to re-enter data and possible data corruption. Be patient when clicking and don't "over-click".

Determine if a reboot is necessary. Again, be patient. Allow the system time to catch up. Even if Windows says that a program is not responding, allow the program to begin responding again - it may be trying to process or waiting for another program to finish. If functionality returns within a reasonable amount of time, the system may be fine.

Document EVERYTHING. Note the date and time of the error or lock up. Note the applications open when the problem occurs. Note any error messages and the available responses (Ok, Cancel, etc.). Errors are often misleading, so don't panic. Once thoroughly documented, attempt to cancel if possible. If not possible, click Ok. If the error refuses to go away after several selections, or if more than 10 different errors occur in succession, a reboot is needed.

So we've determined that the system is thoroughly locked or the error simply won't leave. The best option for a reboot is with the start menu. It is a good idea to shut down the system completely, rather than selecting restart. Click Start, Shut Down (or Turn Off Computer), and select Shut Down (or Turn Off).

If the start button is not accessible, a hard reboot is necessary. Press and hold the power button on the CPU for about a minute (again, be patient). Make sure the system powers off (all lights go out) and isn't simply going into some sort of sleep mode. Powering off the monitor is not necessary.

Once power is off, wait about 30 seconds before restoring power, longer if possible.

If the system fails to return to power, or if errors or lock ups continue, call your IT Pro. Have all notes handy, keeping them together in a folder if possible, and keep them for several weeks even if the problem doesn't appear to persist. This way, if the lock up or error appears to go away, but happens again later in the week, or twice every other day, or whatever, you will have a documented pattern of behavior that will make troubleshooting the issue quicker and easier.

Even if the system recovers without the reboot, once all work is saved and everything appears back to normal, it's a good idea to do a restart (not necessarily a shut down).