Power cut

[#1]

Had a brief power cut today and when I switched the computer back on the signal was OK but laptop not connected. Am running Vista and the little blue circle was gone from the monitor icon - also there was a cross between computer and Internet in Network and Sharing Centre. I re-booted and it was OK.
Wondered if someone could please tell me how to re-connect it without re-booting? Tried repair to no avail.

[#2]

when a power cut happens the system can't shut down 'gracefully' and errors can occur.  rebooting is the best way to 'reset' all the data.

[#3]

Thank you for the reply - I see your point. Will just have to continue with the re-boot if it happens again.

[#4]

Probably. If you are worried that power cuts could be a regular problem then get yourself a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) . This is a battery backup thing that will keep your PC running long enough to save your work and shut it down properly. They are quite cheap these days.

[#5]

When xp and vista startup they right to the hard disk that there is a fault so next time it starts it can run checks like disk check. If it shuts down normally then it clears that fault set so its not there, if it dies like in a power cut then the disk indicates an error on startup.
A simple but good idea how it does it.