# Why can't turning a computer on be analogous to turning on a light?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 7, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446 "2015-03-07T16:00:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446/21 "2015-03-08T03:45:20Z")

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I remember a very old anecdote about a machine that was built with core registers. Can’t have been exactly fast, but maybe cheap. The story goes that the machine got stuck in an interrupt level loop or something similar. Non responsive. So they power cycled it. Of course that didn’t work, as the entire state of the machine, including the PC, control register and other registers remained the same. Eventually they killed it by pulling a circuit board whilst it was still running and that crashed it enough to drive it out of the uninterruptible state.

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**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446/22 "2015-03-08T11:56:40Z")

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> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#):
>
> A lot of this is also simply accidents of history. …

Thank you, Francis, for your explanation.

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**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446/23 "2015-03-08T12:25:47Z")

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I have a SSD “C” drive. I turn my computer off if I leave it for more than a couple of hours. It takes 15 seconds to boot up, FFS, can’t people wait that long?

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**Author:** ![ZurBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71e660/32.png) [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446/24 "2015-03-08T12:51:41Z")

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> [@jz78817](#):
>
> Look, you’d do well to dispense with the fluffy language, it doesn’t make you look smart.

If I were attempting to “look smart”, I would not be the one asking the question… I would be the one with the snarky reply.

My intent is to communicate in a clear manner, to the best of my ability. Nothing more. It is unfortunate my effort so inflames you.

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-turning-a-computer-on-be-analogous-to-turning-on-a-light/714446/25 "2015-03-08T17:32:40Z")

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There has recently been a breakthrough in technology called the [memristor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memristor) which may make PCs instant-on. I’ll let those knowledgeable expound on it.

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