The power of powering down your computer
@RonElFran (1214)
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
February 19, 2016 11:30pm CST
We just had another example of how powering down a computer can be a cure-all.
My wife's computer seemed to be operating fine, with just one issue - when she tried to print, nothing happened. Printing just didn't work for some reason we couldn't figure out. She actually rebooted the computer a couple of times (without powering down), and that didn't fix the problem.
Then for some reason, maybe because of a brief power outage, her computer was shut down and we had to power it up again. And when we did, to our surprise those print jobs she had been trying to get printed started coming out.
Here's my take away. Hot boots (when you reboot without powering down) are a convenient way to address a lot of problems, but not all. Sometimes you just have to do a complete power down then power back up cycle (called a cold boot) to fix some issues.
So, if your computer starts doing things you can't figure out, your last resort is to power all the way down, then back up.
7 people like this
7 responses
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
21 Feb 16
We are in the habit now of powering down with all computers each day. Just seems like a good idea.
@BelleStarr (61417)
• United States
20 Feb 16
I have indeed found that many momentary glitches are cured by powering down. Serious issues no, then sometimes I need to restore to a time before the issue,
@MarshaMusselman (38837)
• Midland, Michigan
20 Feb 16
Usually just rebooting works wonders for me when I remember to do that. I've not have to power down all the way before, but will keep it in mind if something just isn't working no matter what I try.
@JudyEv (357053)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Feb 16
This is a good idea. Mostly I don't have any problems but sometimes it suddenly becomes really slow. I might try that next time.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
20 Feb 16
I finally found that oujt for myself and in alot of cases does work too
