A common practice for Windows system is to restart the system at least once a day. As programs are being opened errors may occur that result in resources used were not freed back for the system to use. When this happens the only way to recover those resources is to restart your system.

To aid in checking how long was the Window system is running System Information utility can be used. This program not only shows how long it has been since the last reboot but it also shows the amount of resources currently available to the system.

Steps to run the System Information utility:

1. Click Start -> Programs -> Accessories
   On the Accessories submenu
2. Click System Tools -> System Information

The Microsoft System Information utility window will open up showing the system uptime and the percentage of available resources.

A small freeware program developed by Rundegren.com called Windows Uptime can also be downloaded/installed and used to determine the system uptime.