How do I restart or reboot my computer?

Computers are made by humans, so by their very nature they aren't perfect. Sometimes, for whatever geeky reason, computers just sometimes need to be rebooted (or restarted). Although you don't have to do it, I would recommend that you follow these directions and reboot at least once per week just to restart everything.

Note: Shutting down your computer, and restarting them used to effectively accomplish the same thing. Now, for reasons I won't go into, they aren't necessarily the same thing. If a technician asks you to "REBOOT" or "RESTART" your computer, follow these instructions and do not assume powering it on from a shutdown will accomplish the same results!

1) Click the Windows Start button in the lower left corner of your screen

2) Click the Power icon (circle with vertical line at top)

3) Click "Restart" (do not click "Shutdown")