Welcome to the July 2026 issue of Ken’s Korner Newsletter

The short answer is yes. This will fix several problems by clearing the cache files, completely wiping the RAM, and fixing memory leaks.

Memory leaks happen when an app is closed or just poorly optimized, and it doesn't release the RAM back to the system, even when you close the app. (Not everyone writes good clean code.)

Sluggish system response. Open applications and background tasks can build up and overwhelm the system’s short-term memory. Rebooting clears this temporary data and resets active processes.

Unresponsive system deadlocks from background apps that conflict or hold onto shared memory incorrectly. A restart clears these locks and restores normal operation.

Program crashes and freezes can cause problems because they often leave junk data or conflicting processes in memory. Restarting forces all processes to close and then reload only what is needed.

Just restarting will clear the memory but it is only a short-term fix. It will clear the RAM, but it won’t fix a bad memory chip, a failing power supply or an overheating problem. Hardware problems will take another level of repair beyond just restarting. Also, new junk will begin to fill up the RAM just like before. This is a quick, short-term fix that doesn’t cost anything and anybody can do it. But it won’t solve all your problems.

Does turning your PC off at night work instead?

Well yes, it does. In some ways that is better. Some functions only occur during POST, (Power On Self Test) and startup. The downside is of turning your PC off at night is that it does not do updates, malware scans, backups and other planned events during the off hours. Instead, it will wait until you start up again and a few minutes later it will start to run those tasks, often in the background. This could leave you with a slow computer to start your day. Bottom line, it will work but it is kind of the long way around when all that was needed was a simple restart.

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And remember — always back it up!