Have you ever spoke to a tech guy about an issue you were having and they used the phrase "Do a power cycle" or "Have you cleared the caps?" and just wondered, "What the heck is that guy talking about?" Well, I'm going to break it down simply for you as this is one of the first and easiest tasks you should do when attempting to troubleshoot a hardware issue with your computer.
Here is how to Power Cycle your computer:
- Turn off your computer
- Unplug the power cable to the computer from the back
- Hold the power button of your computer while it is unplugged for 30 seconds and then release
- Plug the power cable back into the computer
- Power on the computer
- Check for any changes
A power cycle isn't merely a simple restart of the system. It's a way to clear the capacitors or "caps" to ensure that all energy/electricity is discharged from the system.
A good reason to power cycle your computer would be if you were experiencing problems such as hardware/devices not being recognized by your system. Have you ever had a printer that was plugged in via USB that worked fine, and then just out of nowhere it was not being recognized by the computer? A power cycle may resolve that issue.