Why restarting your computer resolves many problems

As a Desktop Support Technician, one of my most common answer to a problem a user is having is “Reboot the computer, call me up if that doesn’t clear it for you.” The reason for this is as simple as it is self-evident. It usually does the trick. Why it works, now that’s another matter altogether…
 
There are several reasons that rebooting your computer, either a hard or soft reboot (the difference is whether you use the “restart” or “shut down” options) helps resolve software related problems. Off the top of my head, here’s a few:
 
A reboot:

• frees up memory
• releases files
• shuts down all running programs

to mention just a few
 
The fact that it frees up memory means that your program has more memory to run in. The release of files means that if your problem was a result of a .dll or .exe file was already tied up, this file might now be accessible. The same goes for shutting down all running programs.