Many times I would call tech support, and they would say turn off the laptop (take out the battery, hold down the power button, and try turning it back on. I have always wondered what purpose this serves. I recently read a article specifying for mac computers that this resets the SMC. Does doing this with a windows PC have the same effect? Is there a SMC inside all computers? What effect does this action have on non mac pcs? Is it the same for desktops?
02 Answers
It drains all residual power from the motherboard and memory modules, what that actually resets depends on the design of the motherboard.
The process drains stored electrical energy in some critical circuits on the motherboard. These circuits start the computer properly.
I'm not sure if its universal but its also true of thinkpads, and some other systems (according to the comments and this post about HPs ) and apparently even tablets.
Reasons range from ACPI resets, to static removal, to MAGIC. Its worth trying out, but dosen't always work in my experience
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