# Why won't my computer restore to the point I was at?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 10, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754 "2012-06-10T20:24:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754/1 "2012-06-10T20:24:36Z")

</div>

When my computer has issues, I restart, and it asks if I want to restore my session. I always say, “yes”, but it usually sends me to a page I was on a half hour before. This was too mild to Pit.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 10, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754/2 "2012-06-10T20:31:54Z")

</div>

You don’t give much detail, so I’ll guess. It’s not your “computer” but your browser that is asking you if you want to restore a session. If so, how did you shut the program or computer down? Many programs only save context during shutdown or infrequently otherwise. If you didn’t shutdown property, it only knows the context of the last save.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754/3 "2012-06-10T20:39:56Z")

</div>

Correct, I meant “browser”. Usually it tells me, “system not responding”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754/4 "2012-06-10T20:43:19Z")

</div>

What browser are you using? When Chrome shuts down unexpectedly it always brings my tabs back correctly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 10, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-computer-restore-to-the-point-i-was-at/624754/5 "2012-06-10T20:48:25Z")

</div>

> [@etv78](#):
>
> Correct, I meant “browser”. Usually it tells me, “system not responding”.

At that point, it’s probably not able to save context. Maybe you should look into a bigger problem with your system than just restoring tabs, which might just be the tip of the iceberg.