# My co-worker did not know how to reboot a computer (things a certain age group should know). **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104 "2012-01-02T02:02:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/1 "2012-01-02T02:02:56Z")
She told me the scanner wasn’t working. I checked and there was nothing wrong, not even an error message. However I told her if it ever says “scanner not connected” she should try rebooting first. She asked how to do that and I had to show her. We are 22. This is not someone who doesn’t have computer access at home. I would expect someone under 30, hell even under 40 or 50, to at least know the very basics of how a computer operates. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/2 "2012-01-02T02:49:41Z")
I’m 30, and I know almost nothing about computers. When you say “reboot”, I assume, probably in error, that you mean restart, from the start menu. See? Don’t know shit about computers. (Didn’t have one until a few years ago and have never had it connected to the net. Use my phone or a computer at school for internet). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/3 "2012-01-02T02:52:36Z")
My users have that problem, too. I now ask, “Did you turn it off and turn it back on?” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/4 "2012-01-02T02:54:38Z")
“Rebooting” is disappearing as a term, being replaced by “restarting,” and it has been fading out for at least a decade. It’s not a case of them not knowing; it’s a case of you using an obsolete term. ---
**Author:** ![SeaCanary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/5 "2012-01-02T02:57:56Z")
OP: Maybe the co-worker should know, maybe not. But nobody pops out of the womb knowing this stuff. Show some charity and patience and show them how to do it without making them feel bad in the process. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/6 "2012-01-02T03:19:58Z")
Re-boot/re-start- she didn’t know how to turn the computer on and off from the start menu is what I mean. I wasn’t a jack ass to her about it, I just showed her how to do it. I don’t expect anyone to be a genius, but given that all of my friends and co-workers use computers, I would think that turning it on and off from the start menu would be something one would encounter. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/7 "2012-01-02T03:32:45Z")
Many people have pointed out elsewhere online the absurdity of calling the button where you turn the computer **off** as “the _Start_ menu.” Though I am pro-Windows generally, I have to agree it’s counter-intuitive. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/8 "2012-01-02T03:37:21Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Many people have pointed out elsewhere online the absurdity of calling the button where you turn the computer **off** as “the _Start_ menu.” Though I am pro-Windows generally, I have to agree it’s counter-intuitive. Good point. But is it called that because that’s also where all the programs and folders are listed, as in that’s where you “start”? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/9 "2012-01-02T04:11:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Rebooting” is disappearing as a term, being replaced by “restarting,” and it has been fading out for at least a decade. I was not aware of that. I don’t recall any technical people using “restart” instead of “reboot”, although I’ve always seen it in over simplified “documentation for dummies.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/10 "2012-01-02T04:36:50Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > Good point. But is it called that because that’s also where all the programs and folders are listed, as in that’s where you “start”? I think that was the original reasoning, back when Win95 came out…instead of having all your programs in front of you in the [program manager](http://www.guidebookgallery.org/pics/gui/desktop/firstrun/win31-1-1.png), Windows switched to the [Start menu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_at_first_run.jpg) and they had an ad campaign associated with the Rolling Stone’s "_Start me up"_ song. The idea of being able to do so much more than with previous versions was - as it is now - a major marketing point. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/11 "2012-01-02T04:51:28Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Many people have pointed out elsewhere online the absurdity of calling the button where you turn the computer **off** as “the _Start_ menu.” Though I am pro-Windows generally, I have to agree it’s counter-intuitive. Wait… this “on” button thingy right here? You mean it’s also the OFF button? Crazy! ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/12 "2012-01-02T05:34:45Z")
Maybe she’s always used Macs? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/13 "2012-01-02T06:48:54Z")
Users shouldn’t need to touch the pc on/off button to turn off. Unless windows hangs. Windows shutdown has fully powered off the computer ever since ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) standards were introduced into the BIOS, in the late 90’s. I always ask my users to shutdown and then power back on. I don’t think windows restart fully powers off the motherboard. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/14 "2012-01-02T07:12:24Z")
Several times a year I’ll get a call from someone that thinks they’ve rebooted when they turn the monitor off and back on. All age brackets. There’s no bell curve. Although the ones that refer to the computer as a modem or hard drive are invariably in the over-40 bracket. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/15 "2012-01-02T13:36:54Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Users shouldn’t need to touch the pc on/off button to turn off. Unless windows hangs. Or, in my opinion, the user should never have to use the Start button to shut down the computer. Having the power button perform a shutdown has existed for nearly as long as what you mention. The exception is some modern computers that default to sleep/hibernate when the button is pressed, as the the idea is that the average user shouldn’t need to shutdown very often. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/16 "2012-01-02T13:55:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Users shouldn’t need to touch the pc on/off button to turn off. Unless windows hangs. Which every computer does. Often. Something that Microsoft is totally blind to. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/17 "2012-01-02T17:47:31Z")
I was under the impression that using the on/off button to shut the computer down was bad for it. If I have to do that my computer usually says Windows didn’t shut down properly when I turn it back on. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/18 "2012-01-02T18:10:19Z")
CatherineZeta you’re right. Killing the power while running windows is really bad for it and can corrupt files. That’s why Windows warns you at startup that it failed to shutdown properly. Usually windows can fix the damage itself and you’ll notice a slightly longer boot time. But, there’s always a chance that you’ll have to manually fix the problem yourself with chkdsk. Up at work all the staff computers are protected by a UPS. So we never crash when the lights go out. The UPS gives us that 10 minutes to shutdown properly ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/19 "2012-01-02T18:30:59Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Up at work all the staff computers are protected by a UPS. So we never crash when the lights go out. The UPS gives us that 10 minutes to shutdown properly ourselves. I’ve got UPSs(UPSeses? UPSi?) also (at home and work), but I’ve had several hangups so bad in the past that I’ve HAD to manually shut down - it happens all the time on our work computers, because we’re forced to run IE and we don’t have any permissions at all. It sucks. How likely is it that force-restarting will cause damage to the disk? (I don’t give much of a shit about the work computers. They’re not my problem, and if they won’t let me have the tools to help solve things, then screw them) However, I have had to do my own two computers a few times, and I always worry about it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104/20 "2012-01-02T18:37:12Z")
ymmv but I rarely see it damage anything by pulling the plug. Windows fusses at the restart. At most running chkdsk will fix any ruptured files. Its been a couple years since I had to do it manually. I usually can avoid having to pull the plug by killing a hanged process in task manager. But there are times you just have to force it down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-did-not-know-how-to-reboot-a-computer-things-a-certain-age-group-should-know/608104.md?page=2)