We all know that the first thing a computer guy will tell you is to reboot your computer. That small act of turning it off, then back on seems to be a miracle cure for many technical ailments.
But why does it work?
When you turn on your computer, whether its an Apple, or Windows based PC, the operating system will manage all of the memory for each program to use. Think of the memory on your computer as if it were a pie. Every program that runs needs a slice of that pie. Even the operating system itself.
The longer you have a computer running continuously, the harder it is for the operating system to manage how many pieces of pie are left, and how large or small the pieces are. As you open and close programs, surf the internet, save documents, edit pictures, and complete the hundreds of other tasks on your computer, the operating system does its best to keep up.
Sometimes a mistake is made. Memory may be given to a new program starting up that was originally promised to a program that was already running. When that happens, one or both of the programs may freeze up or behave erratically. Sometimes the whole computer will freeze.
If a software program is written poorly, it may require much more memory than it originally said it needed. When a program starts using more memory than it was originally given, this can also cause freezing and other issues.
Rebooting the computer levels the playing field, and lets your operating system start fresh.
As more electronic devices become smarter and more feature rich, you may be rebooting everything from your televisions, mobile phones, and even your electric toothbrush. Ok, maybe not the toothbrush, but remember, a reboot is really a great way to begin the process of troubleshooting issues.
Reboot Your Computer!