For those who require a dependable device, Dell laptops are a fantastic choice. But occasionally they can stutter or even freeze. Here are 4 quick ways to restart your Dell laptop so it’s up and running again in no time.
Table of Contents
When Should You Restart Your Dell Laptop?
We must first understand why you might need to restart a Dell laptop before we can learn how to do it. You may need to restart your laptop for a variety of reasons. This typically occurs when installing new software, updating your computer, or when a virus has been found and needs to be removed. This is because most antivirus software calls for restarting your laptop immediately after a virus removal.
How to Restart a Dell Laptop
Let’s learn how to reset your Dell laptop now that you are aware of when you ought to do so. There are several ways to reset your laptop, some of which are simpler than others, but we’ll cover the majority of them below.
Method 1: Using the Windows Start Menu
This method is the easiest and most used, so you are probably already familiar with it, but if you aren’t, then here is a quick explanation:
The first step is to access the Windows Start Menu. To do this, either click on the icon in the lower left corner of your screen or press the Windows key on your keyboard, which may not be present if you are using a keyboard with a different layout, such as a WKL Keyboard, which lacks a Windows key.
once you open the windows start menu, you’ll see a Your device can be put to sleep, completely shut down, or restarted by selecting the Power Button icon, which is directly above the Windows Icon in the lower left corner of your screen.
Method 2: Using the Built-in Power Button
This method, also known as a Hard Restart, is typically used when there is a problem with your laptop that causes it to be slow, unresponsive, or you can’t access the start menu. As a result, you should only use this as a last resort if you are unable to reset your laptop the conventional way.
You should start by unplugging everything that is connected to your computer, including the mouse, any external hard drives, external keyboards, and any additional USB devices. If you don’t do this, your USB devices and hard drives could be damaged.
Then, after pressing and holding the laptop’s power button until the device has completely shut down, you can press it once more to turn it back on.
Method 3: Using the Command Prompt
This method should only be used by advanced users, since using the command prompt (commonly shortened to “CMD”) can be quite daunting, especially for new users of Windows.
To start, you must open the command prompt. To do this, type cmd into the taskbar’s search box at the bottom of your screen. you can then open the first option that shows up and you’ll be presented with a black window with white text called the command prompt.
now you’ll have to type shutdown -r and press enter to restart your Dell Laptop, you can also type shutdown -s to shut down your computer, instead of restarting it.
Method 4: Force Restart
Start by unplugging every cable from the Dell laptop. This applies to anything that is plugged into the device’s USB ports or power adapters for charging, including cell phones. You don’t want them to be using up additional power elsewhere.
Next, take out any external drives you have so they won’t drain your laptop’s battery when it hasn’t been used in a while. Finally, depress the power button for 15 seconds to discharge any remaining energy.
Reseting a Dell Laptop
Your Dell computer may experience some irreversible problems that force you to perform a complete reset, which means you’ll lose all of your data and end up with a new installation of Windows. One reason you might want to do this is if your computer is running slowly; a fresh install of Windows will get rid of all bloatware and make it run more quickly.
Your device might also need to be reset because it became virus-infected. The sooner you do this, the better because you can be sure the virus has been completely removed.
How to Reset a Dell Laptop
You should back up your data beforehand to prevent losing your crucial files because this process involves several steps, so you can be sure you are performing it correctly.
Step #1: Back Up Any Important Files
It is always advisable to back up any important data onto a USB Stick or External Hard Drive because resetting your Dell laptop will result in the loss of all files on your hard drive. Another option is to use a cloud storage service like Google Drive.
Step #2: Navigate to the Windows Recovery Menu
The next step is to go to the Windows Recovery Menu, this process will change depending on your version of Windows, so we will show you each method for Windows 10 and Windows 11
If you are using Windows 10, click the windows icon to go to the start menu, and click on the gear icon that appears above the power icon in the start menu, this will open the settings app, you can also open the settings app by searching for it in the search bar found in the taskbar
when you are in the settings app, click Update & Security > Recovery to reach the recovery menu.
If you are using Windows 11, open the Settings app by searching for it in the windows search bar, then navigate to System > Recovery, or Settings > Windows Updates > Advanced options > Recovery.
Step #3: Reset Your PC
The next step is to actually reset your Dell Laptop, by clicking on Get started under Reset this PC in Windows 10, or selecting Reset PC next to the Utilize Windows 11’s reset this PC feature.
Step #4: Pick What Files You Want to Delete
Depending on why you want to reset Windows in the first place, you’ll now have the option of doing a complete reset of your computer or just the Windows installation. It is always advised to perform a complete reset of your computer if you’re trying to remove bloatware or a virus, though.
Step #5: Pick Your Windows Installation Method
You will now be given the option to choose whether you want to download Windows locally or remotely using a bootable Windows USB. For the majority of users, the cloud install option will be sufficient. The Computer Reset will now be started.
Conclusion
As you can see, restarting or resetting a Dell laptop is a very simple procedure, and this article should have pointed you in the right direction regarding the process of restarting your Dell laptop.