(please forgive me if this has been asked before. If someone wants to post a link to a previous thread, that would be just as good as an answer. (I tried searching, but none of the threads that came up seemed to fit.))
I know that I have heard in the past that it’s better (for the health of your computer) to leave said computer on overnight, rather than turn it off and then on eight hours later. Is this true? If so, what’s the reason? Am I wearing out the on-off switch? Does re-booting cause more stress to my machine, or use more power?
It seems to me that, if one assumes that the mechanical parts of a computer (like the fan) have a finite lifespan, you’d be better off shutting down a computer overnight, saving 33% of the wear and tear. Plus there’s 8 hours of computer-drawn electricity you’re not using.
Can any computer-hardware-savvy types here cure my ignorance?
Generally speaking it really dosent matter if you leave your system on or turn it off. Just do whatever you would like to do. It is unusual for you to wear out the power switch (one unnamed company that has cow spots did have an old system that would break, but the new ones don’t.)
It’s been asked in many places (including here, I’m sure) but there is no definite answer. Leaving the computer on does wear down some components and waste power. However, the rapid heating and cooling that takes place when you turn your computer on or off can be hard on many components as well. And sometimes bearings continue to work fine if left on, but seize up when stopped.
So my advice would be to stop worrying and just do whatever is convenient for you.
I have an old Acer P75 that I bought in early ‘96. It was my primary surfin’ n’ gamin’ machine up until… well, about a year and a half ago. I used to turn it on in the morning, off at night, and on again in the morning. I’d occasionally cold-boot it as well. For about four years.
It still has the original fan (no noise) the original power switch, the original hard drive, monitor, CD drive, modem, etc. That’s right, I never upgraded it.
Still works great, though I use it for little more than a word processor these days.
Well here’s some info that holds up with what I think. So I see that if the turning on/turning off routine would be a problem computers would come with a warning taped over the power button.
I am in the “off when not in use” camp, but for a different reason.
When you’re not there, you don’t know what your system is doing. It may be participating in a DDOS attack, or any number of other undesired activities. I do run a software firewall, but I also never underestimate the ingenuity of a malicious hacker. The only truly secure computer is one that is turned off.
Sure, my computer may wear out sooner, but it will be so obsolete by then it will be time to upgrade anyway.
Speaking from experience, if you do leave your computer on at night, you run the risk of having lightning damage your computer while you sleep through a horrible thunderstorm. Surge protectors help reduce the risk of this happening, but probably aren’t 100% reliable.
I’ve also lost three modems during storms, one of the losses coming when the computer wasn’t even turned on (the modem gets the surge whether the CPU is busy or not). If you do leave the computer on all night, at least unplug the modem.
My take is it doesn’t much matter. The way hard drives and other moving parts are made, they seem to either last forever or die in a year no matter how much you baby or abuse them.
I have several servers that have been running for years non stop. One died after 2 years of service (motherboard just stopped working one day) but all the others are still chugging away fine.
I leave my personal computers on all the time. I run their power from the AC wall outlet, through a USP (battery back up unit) and then a surge protecter. The phone line runs through the surge protecter as well.
The only thing which will die quicker from constant use are the cooling fans. If you leave the system on 24/7, make sure to check all fans every few months. You don’t want those failing on you.
I turn my monitor power off when I’m not using it.
In all the years of my computer use I personally have yet to wear out a power switch. I have seen dead power switches come in to the shop in the past, but the new ATX motherboards (what is used in almost all current PC’s) is a simple momentary switch which triggers an electronic relay on the motherboard. So there is not much to die on those.
I tend to use the night as the time to do the routine checks: Virus, Defrag, Trojan, Norton’s Utilities, etc. Reboot in the morning and onwards ! Doesn’t seem to have caused any problems over the past year+.
I have, on occsion, left my computer on all night. I woke up Parched. they dry up the air, adn heat up the room.
Obv. this aint a problem if the computer aint in your bedroom.
I leave my computer on all day, keeps my room nice and toastie, but i have to open window when i get in. otherwise i choke.
Turning your computer off does not reduce its exposure to surges from storms, power grid fluctuations, etc. You have to unplug it, and not just from the power, but also the phone line, cable modem, and any other devices that connect to it. Most people aren’t willing to do this.
I leave all but one of my computers on all of the time. Of course, all but one of them run Linux. The one that runs Windows is a laptop (and is the one that gets turned off from time to time).
I called the people who make my HD. They said that in theory it shouldn’t matter but in practice the HD lasts longer if you turn the computer off at night. shrug. I don’t see why one should keep it on. Especially in California with this idiotic electric situation.
Lately I seem to be hearing of people IRL who think that it’s “better” somehow to leave a PC on 24/7, even though none of these are used for anything but ordinary home PC’s. Only one offered a reason, and that was that if it had a memory leak, you would know sooner or later and be able to “fix it”:
~
“I COMMAND YOU, EVIL MEMORY LEAK, BE GONE FROM MY MACHINE!”
-or something like that. I didn’t ask.
~
If I’m feeling cheeky, I ask why then does it have a power switch? -But I do not expect an answer. ~ My guess is that it’s b******t planted by ne’r-do-wells in anticipation of WinXP/haxploitation. - MC
The only argument for leaving a PC on that made the slightest bit of sense to me was that the power running through the circuits kept everything warm. That would reduce any moisture condensation from the environment, and prevent possible problems from such moisture.
Of course, my PC goes off every night, and I’ve NEVER had a Wintel box that could go more than a day or two without rebooting anyway.
We do work for an Insurance company every once in a while and almost all of the flood damaged computers still work fine. The only things that it tends to ruin are cdroms/floppies, and maybe a fan here or there. I doubt condensation would ever cause a problem.
That reminds me, I leave my computer kit in the back of my jeep every once in a while and everything gets covered in dew. That has yet to cause a problem.
I always tell my customers to do whatever they want.
Sometimes one must shutdown each night, we have a customer that is using a Win98 machine as a fileserver (don’t ask) for peachtree and it won’t unlock files. We told them to shut it all down each night and it fixed the problem. (go figure)
