# [Merged] Why Click Refresh



## Tom Thomas (May 27, 2006)

very simple question.....

Why should we click Refresh (right click ) every now and then in Windows OS but why not in Linux ?

What does Refresh Command do ?

Technical answers appreciated....


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## puja399 (May 27, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

It does nothing other than redrawing or repainting the screen/active window, and is generally used to arrange icons/files which have got scattered over the window/screen. 

However, most often than not, u will watch some people (who call themselves 'Computer engineer'  and are usually engaged in computer maintenance) to use this technique every now and then to (somehow) refresh the computer memory (??!!!) etc., especially if some sluggishness is apparent from the computer (which is a futile excercise, btw).


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## selva1966 (May 27, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

You are very observant puja399.  I also noticed these engineers doing this.  I am now copying them but with NO appreciable change in anything.


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## sakumar79 (May 27, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

Yes, I think they do it as if to look busy and that they know what they are doing... Once you start interacting with them and indicate that you have good knowledge of computers, I have seen some of them stop doing it 


Arun


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## puja399 (May 27, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

I remember when I was learning computer in the MS-DOS era, I have seen some of these people using 'dir' command to check (??!!) the speed of computer (by watching the speed of directory listing onscreen  )


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## MysticHalo (May 27, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

Refresh is just a sort of time pass---ppl get irritated if their comps take too much time to load a particular application, so they just click arnd refresh to reduce their anxiety<any other appropriate word, maybe> 




			
				sakumar79 said:
			
		

> Yes, I think they do it as if to look busy and that they know what they are doing... Once you start interacting with them and indicate that you have good knowledge of computers, I have seen some of them stop doing it
> 
> 
> Arun


ROFL


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## aryayush (May 28, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

Well, refreshing the desktop once after XP has booted up properly does make it more responsive. For example, when you first click on 'Refresh' after booting up, it sort of takes a few seconds to do so. But the next refresh gets done instantaneously.


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## vandit (May 28, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

just a sort of timepass.... or a hobby or even a automated mechanism by their body... or maybe its their fav. button.. .. and yes i do agree with aryayush ... even after using a heavy weight application it does become more responsive when u click refresh...


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## puja399 (May 28, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*



			
				vandit said:
			
		

> .. and yes i do agree with aryayush ... even after using a heavy weight application it does become more responsive when u click refresh...



It is just an illusion. Windows auto-redraws the screen when the CPU is idle, so just after running a resource hungry app, Windows is more concerned with the memory /disk cleanup and DLL unloading etc. than to redrawing or updating the screen. But when the user specifically asks Windows to redraw by using 'Refresh', such command takes priority over the 'cleaning up' task, and Windows redraws the screen as soon as possible, and thus defers the memory clean up for later. 

     However, it is a known issue that Windows is not that much famous in clean up job, I guess defering such an action is not recommended as sometimes it may result in memory leakage. However those having greater knowledge about the Windows internals may please comment on this matter.


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## MysticHalo (May 28, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

Hey, thats nothing to do with increasing responsiveness of the PC. 
Try this-: Press ctrl+alt+del and see the cpu usage, now keep refreshing...nothing happens..on the other hand, if the CPU usage is high and u refresh ...its gonna increase further.
Looks like some u believe that refreshing clears ram or something like that


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## the deconstructionist (May 29, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

Well this is the reason for the F5 key to exist " You can press F5 when viewing a Web page to make sure that you have the most current version of that Web page. You can also use F5 when in Windows to refresh the screen. This can be a handy shortcut. If perhaps you are viewing the contents of a floppy disk and you insert a new floppy, your screen will still show the contents of the first floppy. Just press F5 to refresh the screen and see the contents of the floppy you just inserted."


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## alienspiesu (Jun 2, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

ya i too agree.. sum show off wit it.. n othrwise it cn b usd aftr u r finishd usg an app wich is resource hungry..
n on the web or floppy disk as mentioned in the post above mine..


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## eagle_y2j (Jun 2, 2006)

*we can't just say it is some short of show of ?*



			
				Tom Thomas said:
			
		

> very simple question.....
> 
> Why should we click Refresh (right click ) every now and then in Windows OS but why not in Linux ?
> 
> ...


Windows Explorer can be slow to update its display when other programs change files and folders. Refresh  speeds Explorer's reaction time.So we can't just say it is some short of show of ?


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## Vyasram (Jun 2, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

doing once maybe some good. But doin it 20-30 times is idiotic


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## speedyguy (Jun 3, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

agreed vyasram, its useless refreshing 20-30 times....
take a practical example....i agree does not clear ram or reduce cpu usage but does have to do somthin related wit dat...

try it practically....quite a heavy program or application...once u hv ur desktop click start button...it takes a little time to it...esp wit non optimistic rig....now try again by doing a refresh once after quitting d program....u find it operates faster

basically, wen u quit an application there r some temp and cached files which were used but need to be cleared b4 ur system stands by the desktop but windows is not able to do it quick enuf esp after getting older...(tis not d same wit freshly installed os or very fast system....this happens usually after more start-up services r installed n pc becomes lil unstable)...refresh actually means refreshing things wit the actual one..so it forces clearing of those temp files for redrawing ur current display

u even have softwares for auto-refreshing....thereby faster closing of programs....refer to page - "www.winguides.com/tweak"

cheers


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## Tech&ME (Jun 3, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

Ya I think this is something to do with Windows Explorer (File Manager), refreshing might be enabling the Explorer to update its file status faster and hence, we feel the system light as soon as we click on refresh once the desktop loads up when we start our comp.


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## mohit sharma (Jun 4, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

we can see some repetive sort of exercise by some people which eventually gets spread to a vast chunk of people , i too sometimes think whenever most of the people came to a system they just start refreshing the desktop , even if the system is p4 3.0 ghz. and everything is running quite smoothly , and then evertime i think , what the hell this / that guy is trying to do !!!!
is it something related to accelarating the throttle of the bike when it is ideally standing on a redlight !!!!! lol !!!


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## speedyguy (Jun 4, 2006)

*Re: Why Click Refresh in Windows*

well thats certainly no use repetatively hitting refresh n torturing ur mouse and F5 key....

cheers


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## CT Squad (Jun 29, 2006)

*Why Click Refresh in Windows*

what exactly does refresh do?
while refreshing by right clicking on the desktop


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## dheeraj_kumar (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

it reloads the wallpaper, icons, files, shortcuts and other enhancements on the desktop, or any other folder where you right click.


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## ilugd (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

something like repaint in java, isn't it?


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## Rollercoaster (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

it merely updates the icons n stuff. sometimes u copy/create something on the desktop and it wont be instently shown on the desktop so u refresh.


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## Vyasram (Jun 29, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

another thread on this already exists

Very rarely u wud find the use of refresh if u r usin xp

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28985&highlight=refresh


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## arijit basu (Jun 30, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

Some technical talks:-
there are two types of RAM,static RAM and Dynamic RAM,and the ones we use...like SD RAM or synchronous dynamic RAM or DDR RAM, are all but dynamic RAMs.
static RAM stores bit of information as voltage,and dynamic ram stores bit of information as charge..
so charge leaks with time and thus we have the first form of refresh,,which stops the RAM from malfunctioning by sending the information again,,thus you have the basic idea of what refresh means,,is it alright???


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## JGuru (Jul 1, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

Any modern OS refreshes the data (reloads) of the directory you are viewing. There
are also processes running to check for any other Plug n Play  devices  being 
attached , so that the drivers for that device are loaded & you can access the 
device (Digital Camera etc., ) immediately. So you don't need to refresh anything!!


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## siriusb (Jul 4, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

arijit_basu, the refresh you are talking about is the Tref of sdram. It takes place automatically via the memory interface at the h/w level (though you can change it via bios).
What the OP is asking is the 'refresh' in the desktop/explorer context menu. I use refresh to rearrange icons correctly when a "Arrange icons by" rule is in that folder and I've just copy-pasted a file. I think refresh is also used to enforce a new icon, as in when you've just changed a file association to a new program. Maybe it has more uses. Never really gave a thought to it.


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## nitish_mythology (Jul 6, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*

I saw the refresh option in Kde based Linux disrotros but not on Gnome based one...
Why? Pls explain.


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## Vishal Gupta (Jul 6, 2006)

I think we hv Refresh in GNOME too (Cleanup by name or something like that).
Not sure coz I don't hv Linux installed on my comp


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## eagle_y2j (Jul 7, 2006)

*Re: what does Refresh do?*



			
				JGuru said:
			
		

> Any modern OS refreshes the data (reloads) of the directory you are viewing. There
> are also processes running to check for any other Plug n Play  devices  being
> attached , so that the drivers for that device are loaded & you can access the
> device (Digital Camera etc., ) immediately. So you don't need to refresh anything!!



but can any explain why microsoft is not removing the hell refresh if it is of no use to end this discussion:--------------


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## rajasekharan (Mar 25, 2007)

well, i refresh to arrange the icons, .....i usually put it as type.....and at times it does not do that , so i refresh ....either by f5, or right click...


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## phreak0ut (Mar 26, 2007)

[offtopic]Puja really a girl here or just a name?? Sorry, I never saw a girl here. Also, JGuru, welcome back Guru! Long time no see[/offtopic]


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## shantanu (Mar 26, 2007)

i think i too refresh insanely many a times...  even i dont have any particular idea behind this


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## Rollercoaster (Mar 27, 2007)

funny fingers


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## hailgautam (Mar 27, 2007)

I think ppl refresh the windows because they are thinking what to do next..


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## Sukhdeep Singh (Mar 27, 2007)

Good way of acting *tech geek* and also timepass :d


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## casanova (Mar 27, 2007)

It was a prob with windows 98. I rarely use with windows XP. If windows does not auto refresh the screen with the changes, u have to click refresh.


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## knight17 (Mar 27, 2007)

Sometimes (rarely) the desktop icons are not redrawn properly by windows, or some program draws junk on the desktop.Then you can rightclick the desktop and refresh it.Simply doing it time and again ( as many novices I see ) is dumb and has absolutely no use.


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## the_moon (Mar 28, 2007)

Even I have this Refreshing syndrome, but it does solve my purpose. I dont know  whats th tech theory behind it but yes, the response does improve by refreshing.


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## alok4best (Mar 28, 2007)

My reason for refreshing many times...
A gud time pass when u  r not sure what to do next 
Just after I finish some heavyweight operation,it takes some seconds to come to normal processing speed.now if refresh is taking time,that means i shud wait more..and if it starts refreshing instantly then its time to assign some new burden to CPU...  ..that means they are a pointer to how much load ur CPU is having...


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## piyush gupta (Mar 28, 2007)

Simple hai yarr

agar refresh nahin kiya to fresh kaise hoga


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