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Although I am not a computer expert, I have come a long way since the days when I was certain the push of a button would forever render my computer useless. I also remember those first calls to tech support when, invariably, their first question was to ask if I had rebooted the computer. I must confess that on that first call, I had no idea what the technician meant. So, naturally, I hadn’t rebooted and was a little embarrassed when that was all it took to solve that problem.
The dictionary defines a reboot as an act or instance of restarting a computer or an act or instance of making a change in order to establish a new beginning. To reboot refers to the shortened form of “bootstrap,” the act of someone pulling themselves up by the bootstrap. In the computer context, the smaller bootstrap program loads the bulk of the operating system. This process of the computer starting is called boot(strapp)ing.
Booting is the process of starting a computer, specifically in regard to starting its software. The process involves a chain of stages, in which at each stage a smaller simpler program loads and then executes the larger more complicated program of the next stage. It is in this sense that the computer “pulls itself up by its bootstraps.” In other words, it improves itself by its own efforts.
An article in the online magazine Livewire, says, “Booting is a chain of events that starts with execution of hardware-based procedures and may then hand-off to firmware and software which is loaded into main memory. Booting often involves processes such as performing self-tests, loading configuration settings, loading a BIOS, resident monitors, a hypervisor, an operating system, or utility software.
The computer term bootstrap began as a metaphor in the 1950s. In computers, pressing a bootstrap button caused a hardwired program to read a bootstrap program from an input unit. The computer would then execute the bootstrap program, which caused it to read more program instructions. It became a self-sustaining process that proceeded without external help from manually entered instructions. As a computing term, bootstrap has been used since at least 1953.”
Someone who has worked on a tech-support desk knows that few things cause more eye rolls than being told to restart something. There are getting to be more tech-items that we are being told to restart, whether it’s the computer, smartphone, television, or other smart technology appliances we have purchased.
“Most of us are used to hearing it by now. The majority of people who we help out have already restarted their computer before they even talk to us, and the others tend to slap their foreheads with their hands, shocked that they’ve forgotten,” a help desk technician told Livewire. “Other people almost seem to take offense when they hear it like they’ve been somehow insulted with this too-simple-to-be-helpful advice. But guess what? It actually works! We estimate that more than half of the technology problems we see from our clients and readers are fixable with a simple reboot.”
Why does it work?
We open programs, close programs, maybe even install and uninstall software or apps. Sometimes programs like the Internet browser are open for hours, or even days, at a time. Lots of other things stop and start too— things we don’t even see happening.
What we might not realize is that a lot of what our operating system does leaves behind a kind of footprint, usually in the form of background processes you don’t really need running anymore, or programs that didn’t quite close all the way.
These “leftovers” hog system resources, usually RAM and eventually cause problems. When you reboot your computer, every single program and process ends as the power leaves your computer during the restart process. Once your computer starts back up, you have a clean slate of sorts again and, more often than not, a faster, better working computer.
This same logic applies to other devices that we might not think of as a computer, but in reality, are. Devices like televisions, smartphones, modems, routers, DVRs, home security systems and digital cameras all have tiny operating systems and software that run into the same issues. Rebooting those devices is usually as easy as removing power for several seconds and then returning it. In other words: unplug it and then plug it back in.
Everyone who used this technological panacea on a computer has probably wished that life could be as easily rebooted as a computer can, with nothing but the simultaneous push of the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys.
Sometimes an area of our life—or perhaps more than one—has gone completely off track and it’s making us feel bogged down and it’s hard to move forward. We’re stuck in a rut. If this is the case, instead of making small changes here and there, you may want to wipe the slate clean and simply restart in that area of your life. Here are some ways in which your life may need a reboot:
• You’ve been eating unhealthy foods and the consequences are weight gain and feeling sluggish.
• You’ve been staying late at work for what seems like forever and, as a consequence, you’re feeling burned out.
• Your schedule is so packed with things you need to get done, and the consequence is that you are not able to live your own life fully. We need to remember to choose our activities wisely.
Sometimes, just making a small change in our lives will help give us the reboot we need and by unplugging from one or two areas of our lives, all the other areas will start to fall into place. In other words, we need to unplug and rest, before plugging back in again, with an awareness of what is draining our energy.
If you feel that you’re stuck in a rut, if you’ve been following the wrong path for too long, or your life needs a jolt, it might be time to reboot and get a fresh start. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded that we have the power to change and establish a new beginning.
We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.
Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.