DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

Why we Refresh?

17 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/why-we-refresh.123290/

Gauravs90
Gauravs90 Original post #1
Dec 16, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Hi guys

Is it necessary to refresh whenever we boot into windows?:chinscratch:

For me it's a habit of refreshing whenever i boot in windows or exit any application:unsure:, I really miss it in linux:crazy:, don't know why i refresh.

When i started computing five years ago i was taught to refresh when starting windows and when shutting it down. I still wonder :huh?:

So can any one explain me why we refresh?
TheHumanBot
Dec 16, 2009 at 11:56 AM
i refresh to check CPU usage
if refresh is lagging it means there still
some app. using resources
so i terminate all unnecessary process
for better performance with my applications.
tarey_g
tarey_g #3
Dec 16, 2009 at 12:03 PM
I had this habit long time ago. don't remember when was the last time i did it. May be it when the last time i used XP, 3+ years ago.
CA50
CA50 #4
Dec 16, 2009 at 10:27 PM
i usually don`t refresh, but when my pc acts like slugs then i go for refresh.
But guys why do we have to refresh??
Faun
Faun #5
Dec 16, 2009 at 10:37 PM
It just redraws the desktop IMO. Dubara mat poochna.
skeletor
Dec 17, 2009 at 12:06 AM
It just redraws the desktop IMO. Dubara mat poochna.
This.

But it is NO way 'necessary and important' to refresh the Desktop at start up or before shutting down. I've seen people who have a habit of refreshing without any reason. Quite funny. :D
CA50
CA50 #7
Dec 17, 2009 at 12:25 AM
from what i have come 2 know is that when we refresh out pc, then the dsktop image is redrawn, means if out desktop is kept @ 1024x768 resolution then the GPU redraws 1024x768 pixels.

But i don`t know why is it necessary??
a_medico
Dec 17, 2009 at 12:41 AM
I recently attended a workshop in Delhi. A technical staff there inserted the speaker's pen drive into the computer and refreshed it some 50 times before it got detected.


I felt like destroying something beautiful
- Edward Norton, Fight Club
MetalheadGautham
Dec 17, 2009 at 12:51 AM
This is one EPIC question even I'm finding answer for.

I mean, I used windows for 3 years without questioning common activities and now for past 2 years I question EVERYTHING in linux. Regret all those years I could have been asking questions about pointless things.
R
rrrmanish #10
Dec 17, 2009 at 2:00 AM
hatth ko aadat hai bus issliye
hansraj
hansraj #11
Dec 17, 2009 at 8:24 AM
This question should be addressed to Microsoft... with every new release of windows the refresh option always remains a "right" click away!!!
krishnandu.sarkar
Dec 17, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Well......My graphics programming teacher once said exactly what CA50 said. It also redraws the icon and everything related to graphics. As a_medico said, the pen drive is instantly detected when he inserted the pen drive but for system lagging the he cudn't see the Graphical Interface.

We generally think tat if the machine is performing slow/lagging then refreshing makes it refreshed. Its not like tat. If we r using GUI then we face this problem coz the internal processing tat is done shud be shown in GUI and thats where refreshing comes. It redraws every pixels.

You may have notices tat when inerting a pen drive u may hav to refresh to make the icon appear, but in that time go to terminal and u can access ur pen drive.

Well.......It redraws all the graphics and icons and anything related to graphics. That is y if any window starts lagging due to system load refreshing may solve the problem.

Well.......guys correct me if I'm wrong.
arpanmukherjee1
Dec 17, 2009 at 3:48 PM
You may think I am little out of line, but what i am going to tell is the TRUTH abut :"REFRESHING"
::
actually refreshing increases cpu utilization WHY:
- it redraws every thing for the window which is refreshed (already many of you know it)
- all child processes of the window are checked for WM_EXIT message (C# concept)
- the hanging processes are recalled or exited according to the status
- any gloabal process utilizing CPU is backgrounded and the window process has higher cpu affinity for short period of time (used for "HUNG" windows)

So there you are ===> refreshing is simple measure of responsiveness of the system ((still better to check cpu utilization)) . refreshing frees memory and might end (or resume) unresponsive tasks.(showing of pen drive in my comp)

but too much refreshing is bad and utilizes cpu instead of freeing it ::reason being refreshing function places request to windows to define status and that itself is exhaustive task.

on dual (or multi) cores refreshing is of no use ::reason is core management takes care of unresponsive prgs on machine level (refreshing is application level)(obviously)

DO A SIMPLE TEST :=>
open task mgr and run no prog. cpu util may be 2%-4% ocasionaly.
now open my_comp and press and hold F5 (refresh button)
on dual cores the cpu util is now giving avg 35-40% util
(objective of test :: guys know better)

---------- Post added at 03:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:44 PM ----------

on Linux the shell manages all processes and its interface. Linux uses System Flags and not Message passing. this the reason no "refresh" on Linux

---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 PM ----------

still if i am wrong plz correct me
Zangetsu
Zangetsu #14
Dec 17, 2009 at 5:22 PM
@Gauravs90: Refresh is like taking a bath...to get fresh...:reading:

Sometimes programs/icons stick to the screen even if they are not there! Refreshing is a way of clearing the desktop or any stuck images.

Example: I was burning a CD in Nero in minimized but the progress in title bar was 36%
i waited but it never increased...but when i refreshed it jumped to 99%...:doublethumb:

I generally refresh when i insert a DVD/CD in drive...to get the drive icon quickly...

Note: refreshing is like.....telling to CPU....soo mat aage baddo...:idea:
CA50
CA50 #15
Dec 17, 2009 at 9:15 PM
when we refresh, some memory from RAM is freed. [my theory, correct me if i am wrong]

---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 PM ----------

Refresh is used to remove the old page from the temp memory(RAM or page file)

---------- Post added at 09:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:13 PM ----------

Refresh is used to remove the old page from the temp memory(RAM or page file)
A
Dec 17, 2009 at 9:41 PM
what
arpanmukherjee1
XLr8

has said is correct, its like telling the cpu to stop all the processes in queue and follow my command first, as it were,
[A]bu
[A]bu #17
Dec 20, 2009 at 2:43 PM
There is no reason for refresh. We think we refresh to clear out most thing but once refresh continuously and see the CPU usages, u get that there is increment in CPU usages and it makes your processing more slow. so never refresh. But I don't mind that coz I use LINUX :D