Posted on 11/28/2008 2:22:46 AM PST by CE2949BB
Q. Sometimes a day or two can pass without anyone using our desktop computer. Should we leave it on or turn it off? Do we extend the life of the hard drive when the PC is turned off?
A. There are two issues involved: power consumption and component wear. On both counts, I think it's better to leave your computer on.
Computers don't require much energy, particularly when they're inactive. On a PC, you can set your screen to darken and your disk drive to stop spinning when the computer has been idle a certain number of minutes. You can find these settings under Power Options in the Control Panel.
Computers also tend to suffer less wear and tear if you leave them on. Turning a computer on and off creates tiny power surges which eventually can damage electronic components. You can also reduce wear by using the automatic disk drive power-saving option mentioned above.
Another benefit to leaving your PC on is that programs that run automatically, such as antivirus scanning software, aren't interrupted. For more about whether to leave the PC on, see http://www.5starsupport.com/tutorial/on-off.htm.
(Excerpt) Read more at physorg.com ...
Not terribly true any more. In fact, you're probably more susceptible to power surges if you leave it on, especially if you don't have decent power surge protection.
Really, whatever you want to do is fine.
If it works,,,,,don’t fix it.
Turning a computer off allows the board to cool. Turning it on heats it up. The shrinking and growth causes the connections to loosen and crack.
Plus, it angers Binatonka, the Aztec God of Digital Equipment.
I thought that God’s name is Vista!
Exactly.
Some of the stereophiles I knew on the 70’s and early 80’s said NEVER TURN OFF a high output solid state amp. (tubes are different).
On and off, heating and cooling, destroys semiconductors.
I have been turning my computer off for years and have never had a problem with it. In fact turning the PC off will reset some problems you might have.
leave it running... The RNC has a computer project in which they are polling residents (larger group than citizens) looking for the LAST CONSERVATIVE.
At the time I was able to find parts at an electronic store, (first in Dallas), an installed switches as required, memory upgrades and gulp a floppy drive!
My computer is on all the time and whenever an update arrives it will restart. Make sure your PC has a condom, (Norton) and surge protector. They do work despite what OBummer says!
This is a valid point- although "surge protection" is not an adequate phrase. Brown conditions can do as much damage as surges. One must have an Uninterruptable Power Source (UPS)- a battery which acts as a power dampener of sorts, and supplies clean power to the machine all the time. Especially for always-on machines, surge protectors are not enough.
On an unrelated matter, there is a person out in California who has had Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" playing on a CD player constantly since 1985. He simply has the CD player in repeat mode and it has been spinning Pink Floyd ever since. I assume that he puts it on mute from time to time to keep his sanity.
Hey, start your own theology thread.
Mine goes all day. Many of the newer items automatically go in to ‘sleep’ mode for inaction.
If I am going out for a while, I do turn off the monitor.
At night, occasionally, I will do a full shutdown (WinXP). Most nights, I just do a standby/hibernate, as it turns off the ‘mechanical’ parts.
I have had three PC’s and turned them all off at night. I have never had a problem with any of the three, They have all been Dell’s. I don’t want any updates running on my machine unless I know what it is. I spent 30 years in DP and that is a little habit I picked up from that time. If an update is going to cause problems I want to know about the update. I keep my PC’s 3-4 years before getting new ones.
It doesn’t really matter anymore. Computers last approx 4 years at the most. Keep it on 24/7 is no big deal.
This would beg the question of why check the general populace?
Answer: After polling the RNC ranks they couldn’t find anyone who was conservative.....
LOL....
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