Tech Tips
When Something Goes Wrong, Restart It First
By John Riley, District Tech Group | Senior Tech Care
Here is the honest truth about technology support: a large share of problems are solved by turning the thing off and back on again. Professionals do this first, before anything else. You can too.
Why it works
Your phone, tablet, and computer are running dozens of small programs at once. Sometimes one of them gets stuck. Restarting clears everything out and starts fresh. It doesn't delete your photos, your contacts, your apps, or anything else. It's the equivalent of a good night's sleep.
How to restart
iPhone with no round home button: Hold down the side button and either volume button together until “slide to power off” appears. Slide it. Wait thirty seconds. Then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
Easier alternative: Settings → General → scroll to the bottom → Shut Down. Then hold the side button to turn it back on.
iPhone or iPad with a round home button: Hold the top or side button until “slide to power off” appears. Same steps from there.
Android: Hold the power button (some phones need power + volume down) until a menu appears, then choose Restart.
Computer: Use the Restart option in the Start menu (Windows) or Apple menu (Mac). Don't just close the lid — that's sleep, not a restart.
When the internet is the problem
If nothing will load — not email, not the web, not anything — restart your router, the box that brings internet into your home.
- Unplug the power cord from the back of the box.
- Count to thirty. Actually count. This part matters.
- Plug it back in.
- Wait two to five minutes. The lights will blink and settle.
If you have two boxes (a modem and a router), unplug both, plug the modem back in first, wait for its lights to settle, then plug in the router.
The order to try things
1. Restart the app — close it completely and open it again.
2. Restart the device.
3. Restart the router, if it's an internet problem.
4. Then call for help.
Working through that list takes about five minutes and solves most of what goes wrong.
When restarting is not the answer
If someone called you and told you there's a problem with your device, don't restart anything — that's a scam, and the restart is often step one of their script.
Real problems announce themselves by not working, not by a stranger phoning to tell you about them.
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