Almost without fail, this seems to be the #1 help advice given when dealing with a computer issue. "Did you restart your device? How long has it been since it was rebooted? Is the issue persisting after a reboot?" And also without fail, after saving all work and proceeding to reboot, problems are significantly reduced or gone.
But why is that? It's not like anyone didn't think to do a reboot! In fact, reboots happen all the time. What changed?
We can think of computers as interactive bulletin boards, with tons of helpful information or as decorative idea boards that are covered in glitter, glue, paper mache, and more. The tacks that hold the bulletins together or the staples that hold the colorful paper clippings into the boards oftentimes break through layers of material in order to keep the board organized. Glue also helps to keep portions of the board in one piece. However; glue can also spill into a section it's not supposed to. In some cases, even removing one particular tack can bring large parts of a board down.
Computers are like this, in the same way. Many crucial operational settings get stacked on top of application functions (trying to juggle 10+ applications at once), while running printing and internet commands, in addition to internal settings holding the whole operation together.
Computers get bogged down and need a restart. A do-over. A whole new blank board! Sometimes doing multiple reboots depend on updates in the queue. So next time your computer acts wonky, keep in mind the cluttered bulletin board and let those tacks fly off.
Please contact the MDS Helpdesk if you have any questions or concerns!