Need to reboot your VPS or reinstall it with a fresh operating system? This article separates the two — because one is a two-minute fix and the other erases everything — and shows how each is done at ZedgeHost today.
Restart (reboot) — if you can still log in
- Connect via SSH (see the SSH guide).
- Run: reboot — the server closes the connection, restarts, and is reachable again in a minute or two.
- Reconnect via SSH to confirm it's back.
Restart — if the server won't respond at all
There is no self-service VPS panel yet on our platform, so a hard reboot of an unresponsive machine goes through us: open a support ticket saying "VPS unresponsive — please reboot", including your server's IP address. We will power-cycle it and confirm in the ticket when it's back.
Reinstall (fresh operating system)
- Back up everything you care about, off the server. A reinstall wipes the VPS completely — files, databases, configurations, all of it.
- Open a support ticket requesting the reinstall, naming the operating system you want (for example a specific Linux distribution and version).
- We perform the reinstall manually and deliver fresh login details in the ticket.
- Log in and redo the security first steps — a fresh machine deserves the same first hour as a new one.
⚠ Common mistakes & fixes
- Reinstalling to fix a small problem: a reinstall is a sledgehammer. A broken service or a bad config usually needs one command, not a new operating system. Describe the problem in the ticket first — we may save you the rebuild.
- Backing up ONTO the same VPS before reinstall: the backup dies with the machine. Copies live on your computer or cloud storage — nowhere else counts.
- Requesting a reboot during your own network outage: check from your phone's mobile data first. If the server answers there, the problem is your connection, not the VPS.
Related articles
- How to Open a Support Ticket
- How to Secure Your New VPS (First Steps)
- How to Connect to Your VPS (SSH — Windows & Linux)