LOOKUP Shop           Remote Support          1300 553 559 enquiry@lookup.com.au

Turning it off and on again: Did you actually try it?

The image of the bedraggled IT guy parting the sea of flustered office workers, taking one look at the offending computer and spouting the immortal 'have you tried turning it off and on' line is an enduring image branded onto business stereotypes worldwide. 

Comically immortalised by the exasperated Roy from hit show The IT Crowd, the line is a maddening encompassment of the seemingly illogical and unpredictable nature of IT computing devices. How could something so complex have such a stupidly simple solution?

Simply put, restarting your computer is a sure fire way to fix bugs and system issues, remove excess memory data and improve performance. It's a kind of catch all solution to a range of minor issues – and a vital question for IT personnel to ask in order to see whether or not their services are actually needed.

Figuring out whether or not you actually need the quality IT services of a provider like LOOKUP.COM is dependent on this big question, and it is something all computer users should try before they hit the panic button. But why does restarting fix PC issues?

Why does turning my PC off and on again actually work?

Consider turning your computer off and then back on as if it were a good night's sleep. Wiping away the current state of your existing software, it replenishes any misbehaving code and clears out bugs in data, effectively restarting your programs from square one while leaving your personal data intact. A daily computer restart can fix a range of issues, from:

  • Printing issues;
  • Windows, Google Chrome or other programs running slow;
  • Internet or Wi-Fi connectivity problems;
  • Small incompatibility errors from installing updates;
  • Clears unneeded bugs and excess data from your computer's memory.

Trying this before you call the IT guy is an excellent way of addressing many minor issues that can lead to major downtime in your business, as well as extending the lifespan of your computing devices and software. And it will also give poor Roy a break. Indeed, there a few other simple things you can do to extend the shelf life of your computer devices.

A slow computer gets everyone down - you'd hide your face if your browser crashed mid-cat video.A slow computer gets everyone down – you'd hide your face too if your browser crashed mid-cat video.

How to get the best out of your devices

Restarting your PC or other device to fix your issue is aided by these two handy tips to ensure general optimal computer health.

The first is in relation to compatibility issues with your software programs. Restarting your computer addresses minor bugs, but ensuring that your computer's different kinds of software are running harmoniously is a good way to guarantee top performance. Web solutions provider NuRelm asserts the importance of understanding the difference between desktop and web-based software, and their different applications.

Ensuring you keep an eye on these different systems and the supporting memory drives you need will extend your device's lifespan – with total management of your IT infrastructure a key LOOKUP.COM offering.

The second tip is about ensuring you have updated anti-virus software capable of protecting your computer from resource-draining viruses, and unwanted bugs and cached data. A California State University Maritime Academy report on computer viruses supports a commitment to using quality anti-virus software to prevent computer slow-down, crashes and stolen data that is key to LOOKUP.COM's vision. Restarting your computer helps to address these potential issues by removing bad code – but for when this simple solution doesn't work, IT services with comprehensive security and virus management can really come in handy.

Now you see why IT guys always tell you to turn your computer off and on again – it is not an exasperated sigh of laziness, but a key step in determining the health of your computing device. Using these simple tips can do a lot to improve your computer performance and extend their lifespan – but for more serious issues, call in the experts. LOOKUP.COM have years of experience in IT services that can help –  and we look forward to your call.

Comments are closed.