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Restarting a computer can be done through a hard or soft restart. Soft restarts are safer and can be done through the main menu or key combinations. Restarting is often used when installing new software, but hard restarts through the power button or unplugging should be used sparingly as they can damage the system and cause loss of work.
It may be necessary to restart a computer when a program crashes or as part of a software installation. You can restart a computer using a hard restart or a soft restart. Hard restarts refer to removing power from the computer system by pressing the power button or unplugging it. A soft restart, also known as a warm restart, allows the computer to shut down and restart as intended by the software.
The safest way to restart a computer is a soft restart. Soft restarts use the computer software to shut down the system and allow all processes to shut down properly. This can be done by clicking on the main menu and choosing the shutdown option. After the computer is turned off, use the power button to turn it back on. This option can also reset your computer and fix minor problems.
After clicking on the main menu, you may also find options to restart your computer. The restart option instructs the computer to go through the shutdown sequence and then back on again. Restarting the computer is often used when installing new software. To manually restart your computer, choose the restart option in the main menu instead of the shutdown option.
If a computer freezes, it may be necessary to restart a computer using key combinations. Pressing certain keys simultaneously will open a particular menu or restart your computer, depending on the type, model and age of your system. If the menu appears, you will find options to shut down or restart the system. The key combination for computers designed for Windows is Control, Alt, Delete (Ctrl-Alt-Del). Computers designed for the Macintosh (Mac) operating system have various key combinations that can shut down or restart your computer, so check out our troubleshooting guide.
The easiest, but not always the safest, way to restart a computer is to press the power button, wait 30-45 seconds, then turn it on by pressing the button again. Users with older models will find that the computer will shut down immediately. Newer models take time to shut down the system properly. In the latter circumstance, holding down the power button will interrupt the shutdown process and force the computer to shut down. Using this method to restart a computer can damage your system and cause you to lose your work, so use this option sparingly.
You can also restart a computer by unplugging it, another dangerous option. To do this, unplug the computer from the wall or electrical outlet. If you log off the system, the computer will shut down regardless of the running processes. This could also cause loss of work or damage to the system. Therefore, this method of restarting the computer should also be used sparingly.
