Re-what? What does foot wear have to do with computing?
The term “boot” is used to describe the process of turning on your computer and the software starting up. The origin of the term is actually in literature where the phrase “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” means to get yourself started or get a job done. Abbreviated from bootstrap to boot, this means just the same on a computer… get the thing started.
When a computer boots, it starts with a totally empty memory and processor queue; then a pre-set command in the BIOS (Basic input/output system) tells the computer where to find the start-up files on the hard drive. Once that tiny start-up file is running, it goes on to run the next in the start-up queue, and many thousands of steps later you get to the desktop and start using your computer.
All computers start in the same way whether it’s a phone, a router, a server, your car stereo; it all starts with the hardware asking the software to boot.
While you are using your computer, software applications load and exit, frequently. If you leave your computer on all day then it’s possible that many many thousands of processes will start and stop, such as antivirus, browsers, messaging, emails, print monitor, etc, etc. These processes are probably well written bits of software, which clean up their memory mess when they leave and close gracefully. But sometimes software can have software bugs where the software isn’t written very well. Buggy software can leave traces of information in the computer’s memory and this causes future programs to be unstable.
As computer technicians we often ask customers to power-cycle their computers, or reboot. This act of closing down your computer and starting it again allows the memory to fully empty, and start again fresh. Many little glitches are caused in this way by buggy software, and restarting, or rebooting, or power-cycling your computer should always be the first thing to try before calling anyone for support.
The same thing applies to other devices that run software. It’s common for domestic routers to need rebooting once or twice a month to keep them healthy; their buggy software can leave rubbish in memory and this causes other processes to become unstable. Rebooting the router clears the memory and starts the process again.