Should computer be turned off when not used

Hi,

I have heard different explanations as to why the computer should be turned off or left on when not in use. What is the best policy to follow?

Thank you.

 

Depends. There really isn't a best policy or any scientific evidence that leaving your pc on is better.

However I'm a strong believer that if you leave your pc on it will last long because if you consonantly turn it on and off your causing a power surge every time you do that. Also what happens to something when you get it hot and cold very often? it starts to get weak.

 

I normally shutdown overnight. During the day when I'm going to be away for a period of hours, I usually use Standby/Sleep mode; I occasionally use Hibernation either during the day or overnight. In other words, I don't usually do a complete shutdown during the day.

I understand pclover's point but that does not, IMO, justify leaving the computer on 24/7. Regularly shutting down overnight is highly unlikely to lead to component failure. Your computer will probably become obsolete long before any component failure occurs as a result of powering off at the end of each day.

I'm sure you'll get a variety of viewpoints on this. I'm giving my opinion. In addition to my comments above, I'd like to see everyone give some though to energy conservation. It may be a very small issue for individual computer owners but it's a little more significant from global (all users around the world) perspective.

 

Hi

I leave my computer on 24/7. This is for a variety of reasons:

-My computer takes several minutes to boot up/log on.
-I use file sharing software, so I'm constantly sharing files with others (yes, there's plenty of legal files to share), but my sharing bandwidth is increased for non-personal use hours
-The computer gets actively used from about 4AM to 11PM every day (not much down time)

As far as energy conservation goes, that's a highly cultural topic. Europeans don't shower every day... usually every 2-3 days. That simple act alone conserves fossil fuels (heating the water), water, and sewer treatment energy (electric, which is again from fossil fuels). They also have smaller appliances (fridge, microwave, oven, dishwasher, etc.), which use less energy when used. They also drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars. Etc. Notice I say "they", because while I'm in Europe, I'm definitely American. Leaving lights on in rooms you aren't in in your house usually end up using/wasting a lot more power than leaving a computer on all the time.

Concerning the original question, it doesn't make much of a difference to your computer whether you leave it on or not. Most corporations leave all of their computer equipment on all the time for network-based updates, etc. Computer hardware is generally designed to last 10 years running 24/7.

 

This is a personal thing. :-D There is no hard and fast answer.
It all depends on everyone's/your personal usage, requirements and setup.

I turn mine OFF after every NET Session.
My Windows 7 is pretty quick to boot up so I see no need to leave it on.

Too many years (over 30 years) in the Australian tropics with the threat of Storms, cyclones, etc., have ingrained in me the habit to turn 'em off if not actually being used.

The less it is on, also, the less the risk of naughty people attacking my laptop, despite my efforts to protect my PC to the best of my ability.

Bazza

 

Turn mine off, and unplug the Prime surge protector everything is plugged into also. Lightening, hackers, and electric bill, oh my...:eek

 

PCLover, I want to thank all of your for your responses. I think that I will side with conservation and green on this one, but it is definitely good to learn that either leaving the computer on or powering up every day will have negligible effect on the live and health of the pc.

Happy holidays to all....

jamesfg

 

Hi James,

I always shut down when the comps are not in use. That could be 3 to 5 restarts everyday. No real problems noted. Leaving it on and letting it go to standby with drives shut down may not be a bad idea. Leaving the drives spinning always is almost sure to cause a failure to restart when you lose power. Drives have very little startup torque, bearing can go bad and keep you from restarting. Shutting down can give you a clue that the drive is going bad soon enough to get your files off before it completely fails to spin up. Just my thoughts.

James L. "Jim"

 

I would personally go green as usafveteran has said but within reason of course. I leave both my higher end machines on 24/7 as I fold for medical research but the monitor goes off when I expect to be off for over 20 min. At least we have hydro electricity. TV's and home theaters suck up a lot of stand-by juice along with regular light bulbs, all mine are florescents and will soon be LED based, as soon as the prices come down a bit.

 

Thanks for your responses jlphlp and augiedoggie. Since I have no compelling reasons to keep my computers on all of the time, I am going to joint the Greens and make my contribution to the environment by cutting my computers off when I am not using them. What I have learned from this discussion is that leaving the computers on does not really harm them. And that is what I wanted to find out.

Everyone have a real Good one....


James