Do You Ever Turn Your Computer Off

My computer and the internet(DSL)is always on. Is that good or bad? Do you shut everything down at night or when you're not using it? Is there anything wrong with leaving it on?

[question posted by momalisa65]

responses and comments:

Hi momalisa, i always shut down my PC before i go to bed. I feel it may extend the computers life. I dont know is it sure or not but i do it. Sometime i keep the PC on sleep. i have a tip to improve the performance of PC , always defrag your pC, If dont know how to do it, search "defragment" and run once in week. enjoy:) [yogeshdhusa]

Me too,shut down my laptop before I go to bed. Don´t know why,but I think all things can live their own lifes.So you ever know what can happen [Garfield1]

I shut down my pc when I'm not using it. It doesn't make sense to leave it on when it's not being used. A lot of people still believe in the myth that they should always leave their computers turned on. I work in the IT industry and I always tell people who ask for advise, to turn off their pc when it's not being used. First of all, the main enemy of a pc is thermal heat. That's why the processor has a dedicated heatsink and fan, and that's why we put heatspreaders on the RAM, at least 2 auxillary fans on the cpu case, another fan on the power supply unit, a couple of cooler fans on the hard drive and a fan on the videocard. The ultimate goal of every computer techie is to find the best cooling solution ever. And what's the cheapest way to cool your pc down - well, turn it off. You prolong the life of your pc, you cut down on your power bill, and you help a bit in the fight for global energy conservation. Have a good day. ^^ [spoiledbrat802]

Thanks for u comment. [mfbz78]

I always shutdown my pc after use.I think it extends the life of each and every component inside the pc and also saves the power.Monitor consumes more power than any component.So it is better to switch off the monitor at least. [sreejithsreenivas]

My computer is on nearly all the time. I try to do the time consuming stuff at night like encoding videos or downloading massive files. As for power consumption I turn off the monitor when I'm not in front of the machine and the hard drives power down after n hour of inactivity. I think if you're a casual computer user you should keep it off until you need it. [rishabdhiman]

Well, I don't know about casual. Between my son and I, one of us is always using the computer. I get up from it around midnight or 1 am. And my son gets on for a little while before school in the morning, about 6 am. The only time I could turn it off would be between 1 am and 6 am anyway. Maybe that would be good if my son had to wait for everything to start up and load in the morning, maybe that would break his habit of looking at cars on ebay every day before school. Maybe he'd do some studying instead! Lol,... yea right. [momalisa65]

hi momalisa65 Its very bad if you don't shut down your PS.You must turn it down. I use it when I update anything. If you don't shut down it.It would be broken Sorry. [boloroo]

My husband used to work as a computer technition and that's not correct, sorry! [SassyKittyKat]

If there is no need of Use then you have to Shutdown your PC. It can save your system to Excess Heat. Then Processor Heatsync become cool for next use. Regular Running of Computer will make the life of your computer long run. Still the PC Nees to be cool. By the way you can also save Consumption of Electicity. [Himansu]

Well, I'm sorry but that's not accurate. My husband worked as a computer technition and he said it will not hurt your computer to leave it on. He actually said that it's better for it but that it's always ood to restart it from time to time... [SassyKittyKat]

my pc is almost on 24-7! the only thing that would be wrong about it is the amount of electricity your using up. good thing there are new PC's that are green & have low power consumptions & thanks to LCD's not much power is used unlike CRT's. [mengfei]

it's been like this for months, let me tell about those Servers that company uses, once those are setup to Run there's no shutting down unless really necessary. Those can be on for many many years! that's why they also have those redundant systems & hard disks just in case one conks out :) [mengfei]

The machine as people. Do you feel strong when you work all day and night Your computer is too. So you should turn off your computer when you don't use it. It want to relax to prepare work again. [pooh08]

Lol, No I would not want to work all day and night too. Maybe that's why it's so slow some days. Maybe it's trying to tell me it didn't get enough sleep the night before! [momalisa65]

i always shut dwon my system whenever not in use because it saves great amount of electic energy. if u want to all the windows open when you will again start your system then use hibernate option. Also keeping the your systems on always willl heat it up which can reduce the performance of ur system even sometime may damage it. one more option that u can use is windows power option where in use can setup time to turn off ur monitor, harddisk after specific time, this way u can save power. [kriskhedkar]

We leave everything on all the time except the monitor. My husband said it's actually better for your computer to do that. We do restart it every once in a while. It's always good to do that every once in a while however happy [SassyKittyKat]

I don't know what to tell you really. All I know is that we always keep our computer on and turn our monitor off and we have never had a problem. It's really up to you to decide what you want to do and what you think is best but my husband used to work on computers for a living. He even used to work on one for a cop friend of his and so he knows his way around computers and he said that if you leave your computer on, it will not hurt it. Just make sure that from time to time you restart it because it refreshes things and make sure you turn off your monitor when you're not using the computer. [SassyKittyKat]

I don't see anything wrong with not shutting down the computer. But don't you think it needs is rest as well? Shutting it down will also help you save up on electricity as well. I personally shut and unplug my computer as well as my internet connection when not in use. And not until I need to use it or have the time to use it continuously then I don't open it at all. Computers may be addictive but I try my best to do other stuff so I won't be shut off to the outside world. [lorelie78n]

That's true, maybe if my computer was not on all the time I wouldn't be so addicted to it. [momalisa65]

i would not recommend that to anyone else if he/she is not a computer freak i can trust. lol i don't normally turn my computer off unless i feel that i need to (normal/forced shut down, restart almost immediately). if i were to switch on/off the computer everytime i use it, i'm afraid the power button will wear of. just kidding. but i'm the type of girl who sits in front of the computer for a long long time and when i'm *finally* away from the computer i usually get back to it in a couple of hours. sometimes i fall asleep doing some task so of course i don't turn the computer off when that happens :P i leave my bro's pc switched on most of the time for all the upload/download activity to happen while everybody is asleep (the network is almost always better around 3-5 a.m. than anytime else). sometimes i leave it for pc scanning or dvd burning. if you're not doing anything like this i would recommend that you switch the machine off when you don't use it. if you really want to leave it on, make sure the space around the unit is not crowded. you need a cool place for your computer or else it will overheat and shut down. the cheapest way is to put an electric fan nearby so it will constantly blow cool air to the cpu and let the warm air out faster. this will not guarantee that your computer is safe from damages caused from overheating. external cooling will only help a little, but warm air lingering around the unit is never good because the internal fan uses the air around it, so external cooling helps getting rid of it faster. the more expensive way is to get a good cooling system for your computer. this will let the system cool internally, suitable for heavy duty users with money (it's going to cost little to get the best) [bloodhunter13]

Haha, that was funny what you said about the power button would wear off if you switched it on/off every time you used it. The space around my unit is not crowded at all, so that is fine. Would I need to have a fan to blow cool air on it even if it does not seem hot or even warm at all? [momalisa65]

i usually turn off my computer when im gonna go to be and sleep. then i cut it back on when first thing in the morning... [joimarquez]

I always turn my computer off at night. It is not good for the cooling fans to leave them on constantly. You will end up needing to replace your fans if you leave it on 24 hours a day. [Goodie123]

Oh yea, Spoiledbrat802, I always do it the way you said I shouldn't. I turn off the modem, hit restart on the computer, then when the computer starts to come back on, I turn the dsl box back on so they start up together. I remember the phone company telling me they need to start back up together, but I guess I got the first part mixed up and have been doing it backwards. Thanks, I'll try it the way you said next time. [momalisa65]

I usually shutdown my computer after my work is over. When I have to go outside and my work is not over I usually hibernate the computer. I think keeping computer all the time will affect the computer unless you have very good cooling system. But how much ever you have better cooling system, pc will get heated up. So whenever electronic parts are heated up, it will get spoiled. So it is better to shutdown the computer when you are not working. It also saves the power and you will be contributing something to the country if you save power. [montagia]

i turn on my computer at nights during the week but i turn it off when i am about to go to sleep. i just keep it on the whole day so i would know who is getting in touch with me.there is nothing wrong keeping it turned on but you make your PC engine rest so it won't over heat and besides that would save you some money on your electric bills. [tigerdragon]

yes, and did you know that it would also lessen your stress? less free radicals floating in the air, that weakens us.don't you feel tired even by just being beside any electronic gadget? [tigerdragon]

I shut down my PC every night. Some say I shouldn't do this because it shortens the life of the computer, but my machines have always lasted several years and a friend of mind, who leaves his computer on all the time, has used up 3 computers whilst I still had the same one. I don't like leaving it on, because it uses unnecessary power and there's a slight chance that there could be an electrical short that may cause a fire. I grew up in a house where everything was shut off when it was not being used, so I guess it's ingrained in me to do that. [derek_a]

That's true, my mother always unplugged everything, even the toaster when we were not using it. Unfortunately I did not pick up that habit from her. I leave the toaster and everything else plugged in so it's ready when I'm in a hurry...which is all the time. Lol. [momalisa65]

I always turn my computer off at night as there are some updates, installations an un-installs that need the computer to be shut down and then started to work properly. [whiteheather39]

There is nothing wrong with leaving them on except the electricity bills gets higher. I shutdown everything when I am no longer using the computer. Partly because to save energy, partly to preserve the life span of my computer. [whyaskq]

Yes, if u're not using it, shut it down. Saves power, money, and chances of attacks , however , Leaving it on all the time doesn't matter. Servers run 24/7 for years. To save power you can also set it up to go into standy or hibernation if you don't touch it for a while. It will wake up automatically once you touch the mouse or push the power button, but it will not take as long as a cold boot. However, you may not want to stay connected to the internet at all times. You can turn off your DSL modem or you can unplug it if need be. You should have anti-virus software (McAfee, Norton, Kaspersky), and your firewall should be turned on. [Jadesh]

A screensaver is a computer program originally designed to conserve the image quality of computer displays by blanking the screen or filling them with moving images or patterns when the computers are not in use.... with the advent of newer computers and LCDS there is no need for screensavers , but some like to play it save... Standby mode however conserves power by turning off the display and the hard drive after a predetermined period of inactivity (a time-out). When the computer exits standby mode, it returns to the same operating state it was in before entering standby mode. It is necessary to have a firewall install for protection , i hope you dont mind me saying this but AVG is crap ... try using a good anti virus program , maybe thats the reason you are getting the crashes .... I usually take off my modem when i finish using the internet without any problems... i feel that is the safest way to go... hope this helps with your questions. :) [Jadesh]

i do shut my system down once its not in use i only bookmark my favourite sites,also i automatically log in to my favourite sites once i log in. [BYOLA2871]

i have my DSL too, but i keep everything off in the night, because we dont know what will happen if we are sleeping, so much better to be in safe, specially to the electricity. [Ohara_1983]

I never turn my computer off and I have had it for 8yrs. [manalove]

No I don't think so my bill runs about $60 in the witer and $140 in the summer but I run two window units. [manalove]

The only time that I ever turn the computer off completely is when I go to bed for the night. Other than that it is switched on in the day time and then left on all day, I am not sure if this is a bad thing or not but it is what I do!!! [gemini_rose]

I ALWAYS shutting it down when I'm not using it, unless I'm doing a disk defrag or a virus scan. Even then, I at least shut the screen off. Anything to save my electric bill works for me. Most electric companies can now do tests to tell you how much electricity is being used on one outlet. You'd be surprised at how much electricity gets used on appliances that stay plugged in even when they're not being used. It's why they tell you to not only shut it off, but to unplug it when it's not in use. Also, I think it saves the life of your computer too. [dmillman]

Wow, Thanks, I didn't know that before about appliances using electricity even when they are just plugged in but you are not using them. Everything of mine is plugged in all the time...my computer, printer, external hard drive, toaster, hair dryer,...you name it, it's plugged in! [momalisa65]

I try to remember to turn my computer off every night before I go to bed. I do it just to save electricity. But, I don't always remember to turn it off, and as far as I know there is nothing wrong with it, especially if you have an antivirus going all the time. I think it's pretty safe then. [kfrisk]

i always turn off my computer before i go to bed...its safer that way because it keeps my computer clearing the cache on the temporary files everytime i reboot...that way i wont get much problem when i browse online. [joimarquez]

I will turn the computer off if I will not use them in a hour to save the energy. Several month ago, I will leave the computer in the waiting mode, if I am away for about half an hour. Now I will leve it in the mode of sleeping, for it is said that it can save more energy and run faster. i do not think leaving the computer on is a good habit. For one thing, a computer will not work will if you let it run for 24 hours in a day, and for another, it is a way to waste energy. [nini168]

well lady if u will leave on as such there is no problem if u r ok with the light consumption and also if u have taken the unlimited package of net than its ok else it keep on consuming ur bandwidth as well [ayush2008]

I always shut my computer off at night. I guess its just my habit of doing so. When i am not using it i shut it down also. I havent hearad anything about the fact if you leave it on and your are not using it can cause harm to your PC. But that is an appliance that is being ran on and on without any use, and thats where electric bills can come into play. But i guess its whatever you are use to doing. [punkin1803]

I like you never shut it off... but I also have dsl and have gomez running! LOL he makes me a couple extra cents while running! [KKKBsmom]

What's Gomez??? [momalisa65]

I always leave mine on, million dollar ideas come at 2:00am and I don't want to have to wait to start my research. I shut the monitor off though. I restart it when I install new software or make changes. [gitfiddleplayer]

I started shutting off the monitor too, and also the DSL box since people have been talking about hackers getting in that way. Thanks for your comment. [momalisa65]

I would never leave it on when I'm not using it anymore or when I go to sleep or go outside. First, I have limited internet connection, what if someone hacked into my connection and used all the bandwidth and even made the over quota usage? Second, even if the connection was unlimited, I will make sure that no one hacked my computer and steal all things inside my computer, including my emails, the contacts, my data, pictures, my projects. To avoid such things, of course, leaving the internet connection on would not be a wise action. Someone would realize I was connected and seek for any opened port of my connection, then turned off my firewall or antivirus, and then sent me any worm or Trojan to control my computer from their place. So, I would not let myself fall into that situation. Third, I still want to use this modem for a longer period in the future. By leaving it on all the day, all the time, it means I would actually do harsh things towards this modem, if later it would be broken, the one should be blamed would be myself. This rule also applies just the same for my computer, I don't want any short-circuit happening towards my computer when I am not around. Forth, our government has passed a law that would have us pay penalty for using excessive electricity resources. I would have to be wise in using electricity, or I would be fined for using more than I was allowed. Other people got problems in getting electricity in their areas, by wasting electricity such way, I would be guilty towards those who could not even enjoy any electricity at all. So ... I have known what I have to do with my computer and internet connection, and other electric appliances. [bongkarpasang]

the machine also have their life span like us. if it is over use will it lessen it's life's span. maybe if you can afford to buy a new one, that is not the problem. machine needs also rest to function properly. if ever i open my computer almost 20 hours a day by the next day i will turn it off. [julyteen]

Nope, I definately can't afford to buy a new one! Thanks for your comment. [momalisa65]

i always shutdown my pc you need to shutdown for 15-20 minutes after every 4 hours [pulkit1]

i always turn on my computer all day long. but, i usually turn off my computer once a week and do some maintenance like defragment, clean the computer hardware (like motherboard, memory) if needed (it affect the computer performance). [killer_s]

I just read through the discussion and I have to say, you got a lot of informative responses. I'm definitely going to make sure I shut off the computer at night from now on. Lovely having tech people on here isn't it? [whittby]

I don't know. Alot said to shut it off, but some said not to. Mine has been on for years with no trouble. I'm still confused. [momalisa65]

I always turn my computer and laptop off. I don't see the point in leaving it on if I am not using it. I do leave it on if I am going to be using it in about 30 minutes or something, but at night I always turn it off. It doesn't take that long to turn it back on when you want it. It wastes electricity to leave it on, my parents would kill me for costing them more. I have left the computer on a few times if I am running a disk fragment or a virus scan or something that I know will take hours. [Elixiress]

Mine gose off at night, or when I'm not using it. It's in my room, and leaving it on at night makes it hard for me to sleep. Plus you can save abour 100$ a year by shutting everything off just at night. [jsmith12]

Saving $100 a year sounds good to me! Thanks for your comment. [momalisa65]

I seldom turn my computer off, except for when I run maintenance on it. I do turn off the monitor and speaker system when I am not at the keyboard. The reason is I have programs running all the time. * I run daytime programs during the day such as email and MyLot. Those are very interactive, demanding my personal attention. Music very often plays. The modem doesn't work terribly hard. * When I sleep, I run night time programs that basically run themselves but eat up the bandwidth. They do not need monitoring. The box that is the computer can run unsupervised while I lay snoring. [CraftyCorner]

Sounds to me like you have your computer speaker, that's a separate system than your stereo media system, turned up too loud momalisa65. Here is a little more info on the subject. It can come back so you might want to dig a little deeper... * http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article05-017 [CraftyCorner]

I Shut it All Down at Night as the Heat from being left on can Add Wear to the Modem & P.C. as it gets Hot. You cut the Life Down of any Electronic Device by Leaving it On. [mrgpk66]

I shut down everything when I am not using it. The reason? I am trying to do my part so my kid have a future. Computers take energy and most enery sources are polluting. Unless you house is 100% green, you are polluting when you leave your computer running for no reason. [fanfreluche]

my bf never shuts down his pc for more than 2 years lol and up to now, his pc was still in good condition. i think it just matter on how good th specs of your pc is [rhane7315]

I guess its bad because you should shut it down because the monitor could go out before [Nesha1]

I turn mine off every night when I go to bed and I usually restart it once or twice a day depending on what I've been doing. I don't think it's really good to leave them running all the time b/c I don't think it gives it time to rest. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ [twoey68]

I trun mine off every night befor I head off to work for it gives it a chance to cool down and when I reboot it it will boot up quick and when surfing the internet it dosn't take a long time for it to do so. I used to leave it on all the time and found that it would get to hot. I couldn't tell you if it would cause a problem w/ leaving it on all the time they have cooling fans but try asking a computer place they might be able to give you the correct answer. I just didn't want mine to burn out on me so I now just shut it down at night. [Remembering1996]

Mine also remains on 24/7.Ithink its not bad if you need your pc very frequently the whole day because then you cant go on turning it on and off the whole day.To save power i turn off the monitor and sometimes leave the system in standby mode. [tarungoel11]

I shut down my computer every night and any time I don't plan on using it for at least an hour. I never understood why people left their computer on when they weren't home or went to sleep. It's better for the computer to rest, and doesn't waste electricity. [goodnightmoon]

Do You Ever Turn Your Computer Off

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