Recently, I met a guy who put some really interesting, yet
basic questions in front of me regarding stuff on Windows, Android, etc. This
gave me the idea of starting a new series ‘TechGooner Explains’. Here we go with the first one..
The moment your PC starts showing problems the first thing that comes in your
head is “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” This is the standard
response any computer geek will give you (even if they have not watched The IT
Crowd). So the question that pops up is, why don’t geeks try to identify and
fix problems rather than use the blunt hammer of “reboot”?
Firstly, remember this reset philosophy/process is not
restricted to Windows, it is applicable on routers, phones, iPads, sound
systems and even software’s! Ever had extensions crash in Chrome?
To illustrate the requirement of a reboot, I’m going to use the most famous
example – the blue screen of death! The problem is usually caused because of
problems in hardware drivers or hardware malfunction. Windows has reached a
state where it does not understand the error. So it stops all functions, shows the
blue-screen of death and gathers the require information about the problem in
the background. After this Windows automatically restarts the computer for you.
This restart fixes the blue screen of death.
Another usual occurrence is the loss of Graphic Drivers.
Earlier (Windows XP and the ones before it), a crash in the Graphic Drivers
would ‘hang’ the system, and one had to force reboot it. Windows has improved,
the desktop will lose its fancy graphical effects for a few moments before
regaining them. Behind the scenes, Windows is restarting the malfunctioning
graphics driver.
But why doesn't Windows simply fix the problem rather than
restarting the computer itself? Well, because
it can’t — the code has encountered a problem and stopped working completely,
so there’s no way for it to continue. By restarting, the code can start from
square one and hopefully it won’t encounter the same problem again.
Examples of Restarting Fixing Problems
Windows is Slow: Windows running slowly, usually means that
a program is misbehaving and using up a major chunk of the CPU. A geek could
head to the task manager and look around, hoping to locate the misbehaving
process an end it. If an average user encountered this same problem, they could
simply reboot their computer to fix it.
Browser is Using Too Much Memory: Internet browsers
including Firefox and Chrome are well known for memory leaks. Over time, the
browser would often consume more and more memory, getting larger and larger and
slowing down. Closing the application will cause it to relinquish all of its
memory. When it starts again, it will start from a clean state without any
leaked memory. This doesn’t just apply to Firefox and Chrome, but applies to
any software with memory leaks.
Internet or Wi-Fi Network Problems: If you have a problem
with your Wi-Fi or Internet connection, the software on your router or modem
may have encountered a problem. Resetting the router — just by unplugging it
from its power socket and then plugging it back in — is a common solution for
connection problems. On the computer front, resetting the adapter works, but
rebooting does the same trick.
In all cases, a restart wipes away the current state of the
software. Any code that’s stuck in a misbehaving state will be swept away, too.
When you restart, the computer or device will bring the system up from scratch,
restarting all the software from square one so it will work just as well as it
was working before.
Ultimately, the answer is that “resetting a computer wipes away the current state of the software, including any problems that have developed, and allows it to start over from square one.” It’s easier and faster to start from a clean state than identify and fix any problems that may be occurring — in fact, in some cases, it may be impossible to fix problems without beginning from that clean state.
If you want a certain topic in the next
edition of TechGooner Explains, leave it in the comment section below.
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