About two years ago, I had a computer
that was rarely cut off.
We left it on all day and then overnight.
I didn't have that computer for more than
four or five months.
It wasn't a brand new computer, though.
One day it just stopped working,
with no explanation.
I've always wondered if constant use
wore it out so it stopped working.
What do you think?
Does a computer need to be turned off daily
or will it suffer if it's not unplugged once
in a while?
How long should you leave your computer
on before turning off the power?
[question posted by beautyqueen26]
responses and comments:
I dont think it is necessary to shut down computer every day. We have some computers at office which run 24*7. They will be shut down only at weekends. Some times not even on weekends. They are being run for almost 5 years now and no problems what so ever.happy [pkraj111]
Yes, you should shut it down once in awhile. Reason for this is even if you don't use it and it's just open, it still wears the computer down.The processor is still working. It's just like a cellphone that you should drain its battery once in a while. Sort of making it "rest" for awhile. happy [jammyt]
yeah that's true in additional of this is your pc will cannot got hang... [jelai24]
i really need to shut it down to conserve energy and electricity especially that the cost of it is high now a days. [cloud69]
These days I find that I need to turn off my computer because I am having some problems with my monitor. I get some very strange lines which I'm afraid might mean I will have to spend some money to have it fixed. [underdogtoo]
You are correct.i think it is because of heavy heat generated inside it [Jouhar]
I only switch of my computer when I go to sleep and that is at the wee hours of the morning. It is practically doing a heavy duty job every day and it gets its rest during the day only when there is blackout. So far I have only replaced the internal cooling fan. Otherwise it serves its master well. [zandi458]
Yeah, my computer was a real work horse too. I did lots of article writing in the early morning, and would often get up late at night with an article idea, so I didn't want to take 10 minutes to boot up. [beautyqueen26]
I rarely turn off my computer. I'm on it at such random times, that it just doesn't make much sense to turn it off most of the time. If I'm going somewhere and know I'll be gone for several hours, I turn it off, otherwise it's on all the time. I know a lot of people turn off their computers when they sleep, but there are a lot of nights that I can't get to sleep, so I get back up and work some more. Right now, it's almost 5 am, and I haven't gone to sleep yet. I'll still be back up by 930 and back on my computer regardless. [carlaabt]
Sounds like me! I do stuff like that too. If I can't sleep I'm on the computer. That's the time I have available lots of times, so I use it. Sometimes if she is eating a snack or watching a video, I get a few minutes online, but other than that it's pretty much non-stop mom duties. [beautyqueen26]
we turn the computer off when we are done with it. we dont use it for anything major that would require it to be on all the time. and since the times when we are not on the computer there is another person trying to sleep in the room, it might as well be off. saves the comp, saves energy, saves me money-probabyl not a lot of money, but shoot every little penny counts now doesnt it?! [CinderInMySoul]
I only turn my computer off when I go to bed. It's on from about 6am till 10 or 11 pm. Even if I leave the house for a few hours I'll leave it on. I've had this computer for about 3 years now. The one I had before this lasted a good 5 years or so, then a virus got to it and hubby restored it and sold it, and that's how I got this one. I think turning it on and off too often would be worse on it than letting it stay on all day. It's like turning your car off for only a few moments and turning it on again... it wastes more energy to turn it on than it does to just leave it on for the few minutes you're going to be away from it. [katsmeow1213]
a computer need to be restarted every so often i find things work better if this is done if also refresh the computer from cintinue to run all the time.my anti virus would not open i had to clean my flies and restart my computer at least twice.before i could get it working like it should.if you don,t cut it off put it on stand by. [annjilena]
I don't shut down the PC daily once a weak. :) [praveenkumar06]
I think you should shut it down, because if you leave it on 24/7 at some point the processor will overheat. [adamleerollinson]
Yes,I think you should turn off your computer every.Because it is not only benifit to the health of your computer but also a way of saving the energy which is reducing day and day. I turn on my computer every morning about eight o'clock and turn off about ten in the evening when I go to bed.My computer rarely appears problems.Even through I cann't conform it has any relations with my way of using computer or not,I make sure that the computer's life will be reduced if you keep turning it on all day constantly. [clouds007]
yes, I shut down my PC everyday. After I use my PC, it is a must for me to turn it off so that it can cause overheat and explode. Turning off a PC also saves electricity. I am not aware of how long one should leave after PC has been turned off. Remember that PCs are sensitive and they might cause any danger if left unclosed. [raylemy]
I turn mine on in the morning and off before I go to bed most nights. Last night I left it on all night though. I used to leave my computer on all the time and only shut it down if I needed to reboot to finish installing something. I have never had a problem with the computer because of it. I just started turning it off to save on electricity. [lilybug]
Computers sometimes expect to be left on. They can have their scheduled virus scans or check for downloads/updates at certain times -- often set to be in the middle of the night. Because I don't leave my laptop on all the time, when I do start it up in the morning it tends to run the virus scan which slows performance down for a while. It will also have to contact Microsoft during this time to check for the latest patches and updates to download. [DaddyOfTheRose]
Personally, I will switch off my computer everyday. However, one of my friends once told me that computers are designed to work around the clock, especially for those servers on the web. Sometimes a server works for several weeks or months in a row and is turned off for only a few hours to have all the systems checked. [takezero]
Yes I do. For Vista I know they say not to, but I hate just leaving it on all the time when no one is one it. I know it goes to sleep but it also wakes up off and on. My mouse goes to sleep and it won't wake up til it wants to so it is just as easy to shut it down if no one is going to be using it in the next few hours. I know Geek Squad recommends powering down the computer once a week. [Ruthep]
Yes, I will shut off my computer if I don't use it. Such as I will shut it off when I go to bed. It's no need to let it runs all the time. I think it will waste the energy. I love China [youless]
I shut off the computer every night and if i need to go out for a long period, because of power cuts.One can never be sure how long these power cuts last.My computer is nearly 6 years old, but, it has had many repairs and upgradations.. Personally i feel that it is better to give it a rest when either we go out or sleep. [kiran8]
Computers get tired too. Well, not in its literal sense, but it does. Anyway, a computer has many parts inside that gets old fast especially if it doesn't get rest periods. An example would be the hard drive where you store all data. After sometime, it gives up or slows the computer down because it cannot function the same way because of nonstop work. It's the same thing with the lenses of our cd players or dvd players. After a certain number of DVDs played on it, the lens will give up and you will either have it fixed, the its lens replaced, or buy another player. Give the computer a few minutes of rest every hour or at least 5 hours every night. [JAREDSQUALL]
I don't think it does any harm to leave a computer on- in terms of wearing it out. However I do think it is a big waste of energy and not very green. I turn my laptop off when I am not using it, and when I go to bed. There is no need to leave a computer on 24/7. [creative_genius]
For four years I have been using a computer, which was run for almost 7 days at a stretch. And is still running. The only problem I had was with the mouse and the SMPS, and I had to change both of them. All the other components of the computer are working fine and it has not put me in a situation where I'm expected to repair it. I think that most computer problems arise when it is not given a proper current supply. Fluctuations in the voltage often causes a computer to end up dead. So I do not think that switching off really adds to its life. Like a human being, a computer system also requires rest, but not as often as humans, that's why they do not make machines that can feel stress and strain. bournehappy [bournecaindelta]
My computer is on all day, every day. The only time that it gets switched off is in the evening before I go to bed! I know that I should probably turn it off when it is not in use, but that just seems too much like hard work to me. I will probably pay the price for it sooner or later though! [gemini_rose]
I think that leaving your computer on in the middle of the night isn't very safe. It could start a fire or something. I always turn my computer off at night. If my kids are using it after I go to bed, they always leave it on. I guess I am just paranoid or something, but I feel safer with it turned off. [sunshine4]
I do turn mine off every night but that is simply because I don't want to be running power that is not needed. My electric bill is high enough lol I don't know if it helps to turn them off or not. Some experts have said yes, some have said you can run them 24/7 and it's okay. [fwidman]
I seem to have more issues with computers when I turn them off then when I leave them running. But I do try to power the laptop down overnight at least once a week, and unplug the power supply. I'm less worried about the computer then the power supply though. A computer does need to be rebooted every so often, to clear the prefetch and other data, otherwise it can get bogged down. If I didn't leave my computer running, I'd have no concept of time lol. [RaiscaraAvalon]
you dont need ot shut down unless its storming becasue my friends computer blew up when it stormed. [sillyswilley]
I used to have a desktop that I ran constantly. I had it for 3 years and I never had problems with it! I only got rid of it because I go a laptop, My laptop I always shut it down at night when I'm using it. It give it a chance to charge not being running so it doesn't go out on me anytime soon. [samijo719]
My husband is a computer engineer and he usually left the computer on whole day. I didnt see anything wrong with our pc. So i guess it has nothing to do with turning the computer on whole day. [belk89]
I don't know that it's necessary to power off your computer, up until this year, I hardly ever turned ours off, unless there was a storm being forecast for our area, just to prevent a power surge. However, due to the fact there are now WAYYYY to many computers in this house, (my mother and I both have a laptop + there are three other computers) I have started turning off the "kids" computer at night, mostly it's in an attempt to save some $$$ on the power bill though. I haven't noticed any problems from leaving the computer on, in fact, I probably notice less. Now that we're powering down, the kids have to be told repeatedly "how" to power it off....not to just hit the power button! lol [XxAngelxX]
I don't think that it is the reason however I read that it is better to shut it down once in a while at least to refresh the memory, and to save electriciy. [frenchmom]
I dont think that we need to shut down the pc. I never switch if off in office. Even at home, i keep the downloading on at night. No issues faced yet [preetam9533]
I think one needs to shut down the unit at least for 16 to 24 hours a week. We do that in the office. We work from Monday to Saturday and we leave the stations on after work so that we won't have to run the so-many applications that we needed the next day. But all units are shutdown every Sunday, it's part of the System Department's maintenance program. I [WildWetJoyce]
you can leave the computer on for years if you want but you need to make sure the ventilation is good so that the computer will not overheat. if you have good cooling system and/or cool room temperature it should not be a problem. i have no problem leaving the stuff on for days. sometimes even computers that are shut down when not used do the 'unexplained death' thingy. usually physical damage to any part of the computer. there are many factors that could cause computer problems. it is a good practice to shut down the computer when you don't use it but you don't have to if the cooling mechanism (internal+external factors counted) is working great [bloodhunter13]
I shut off my computer after everytime i stop using it. The only time i don't is the networked ones at work because those are set up to be a shared computer that will always start up and run well no matter what. But ours at home are stored with all are crap and that's what ends up making them crappy and full of viruses and what not. So yea i shut mine off every night. [dookie03]
It is a good question. Not only you, I too got my answers through your responses. We do shut down our computer at night. And if my sons are not around, I shut it down during the day too. This saves us electricity, wear and tear. [trixyteddy]
I have heard that it is best to leave computers on all the time, but if I am not around I shut mine down because there is a risk of fire. I didn't always do this, and left it on all the time, but my machine stopped working completely within about a year. This computer I've had for about 5 years and it is shut down every night, and all is still well with it.. (touch wood!) The computer that I left on all the time, often needed restarting because some programs would be causing problems, so I did see the difference between a re-start and a start-up from cold, the hard-drive still had a lot of work to do. [derek_a]
I very rarely shut my computer down. Most times it is on 24/7. I have not encountered any problems. I have had my computer for 5-6 years now. I keep it cleaned out, and I think this helps greatly! [SuzyQ12]
hey.. if you dont like to mouse click, shut down, then just one press is enough for turning system off. press power button in keyboard. if you didnt turn off, your hard disk will be affected. [raghul77ster]
Like all electronic products, a computer will need to have a rest every once in a while. Humans needs their rest, the same goes for the computers. However, it does not have to be switched off daily.. that's a bit crazy. Lol lol You are a bad owner if you had not switched it off for a rest or at least to herbinate it for the last four to five months of using the computer!! I had my computer for 1 year plus before it conks out Of course, I had not let it rest at all too and the computer was left on every single day. However, the current laptop that I have is on for four to five days, and it is left to rest for at least one day per week. Till now, after 2 months of using it, it is still running as fast as the day 1 I bought the computer. So.. running it for a few days is no problem at all.. Just remember to hibernate it and give it its rest at least once every 3-4 days! Happy Mylotting!1 [angelia286]
I have to shut down my computer every night, plus do an occasional restart during the day. There are 7 of us in the house (6 that use the computer) and I think that some people download things and such that just make the computer run very slow. So, I end up doing a restart and running my system and security scans at least once per day. Even without my case, I do think computers should be shut down a few times per week for a break. [chellekellam]
I am not sure if never turning it off affects it more but I have heard that switching it off every minute can affect it equally badly. So I do switch mine off every night, just to give it some balance. I have had it over 2 years now, from new, and it works perfectly, so I must be doing something right.:o) [MsCYPRAH]
Yes, I do think if you keep on switching it on and off too quickly - every min is really too quickly, then yes, you will end up spoiling it. If you switch on and off once a day, in my opinion, that is perfectly ok. That's what I do btw. happy [lordwarwizard]
Hi, a computer is an electronic equipment. If you take care of it, obviously it will last long. I normally everyday keep it off after finishing my job and I cover it for protection of dusts, sands etc. When computer runs, then some components of computer become heated up and to cool it there is a fan. But if you continuously run the computer, then this fan will also run continuously. If this fan become unserviceable, then your whole computer will be unserviceable due to overheat. More over, in the monsoon, there is a chance of lightning and thereby creation of over voltage. This over voltage can cause burning of some parts of computer. For better lasting you carry out some period maintenance also. Because, it has got a lot of connections which might get corossion depending on the tropical humidity. Do you agree? Does anybody differ? [aminul8427]
Dear member, thank you very much for your kind advice. I am basically an Engineer (Mech) and I have written that article from my conception. I have already put an UPS to protect my computer from over voltage and surge electricity. [aminul8427]
Hi Beauty Queen, I think you would want to shut down your computer when you have no need for it if you wish to extend its life span. You can only use the computer for x amount of time and if half of the time, you are not using the computer but it is still switched on nevertheless, then you are effectively cutting the life span of the computer by half. I know some people will say they are too lazy to bother... well, I would say it is up to them. If they don't mind the excuse the change/upgrade computer sooner than possibly, why not? So there is really no right or wrong. If you have the budget and/or enjoy upgrading as soon as the newer techs come out, sure, push it to the limits. Just my thought. lol [lordwarwizard]
I always leave mine on. I just make sure I clean it once a month, open it up and blast some air into in and clean out the dust and whatever has found its way in there. If you keep it clean it will work just fine. I know some people will say to turn it off every night but your cooling fan will keep it a steady temperature. [gitfiddleplayer]
I always shut mine off just before I go to bed at night, beautyqueen, because I received that advice from a computer guy when I first began using one. Besides, why waste the energy when you can't use it while you're sleeping? [worldwise1]
this is funny but you need to know that everything needs to rest even huma beings so there is no way you can leave your computer on all day that it will not depreciate its life of usefulness besides you would have heard of the term depreciation of the value of an asset,so the more use an asset is put the lower the value it has [BYOLA2871]
Hi there. My husband worked as an IT tech for almost 5 years. Your computer should be left on most of the time mainly for virus updates and virus scans. Virus updates happen all the time and that is the biggest reason you would want to leave it on as much as possible. Shutting it down every once in a while is okay. You also want to shut it down the proper way instead of just pressing the button to turn it off. I don't know why your computer would stop working by leaving it on unless it was an old computer like the one we used to have. We don't shut ours down unless we are going to be gone for a few days or if it is storming. If it is storming, our power my go on and off turning our computer off and on which can be damaging to your computer. Even though we have a surge protector, we shut it down during those times. Some OS like Vista, don't recommend you shut down your computer that often. Our computer will go to sleep and the monitor will also sleep after 15 minutes if it's not being used. It cuts the energy being used more than half even though it's still on. In fact, if I were to shut down my computer everyday, I wouldn't see a difference on my electric bill. [dustinnikki]
I dont think it is neccessary to shut off computers. I always have my computer on. I think the only reason to shut them off is to save electricity. I think it is bad to keep the monitor on though. I always turn that off. I think your computer probably had another problem like maybe a virus or something. anyway, did u get your money back because I think all computers have at least a 1 yr. warranty. [_sketch_]
Hello my friend beautyqueen26 Ji, Meeting you after long gap. It all depends upon, what kind of computer , Desk top or lap top. Right now I have lap top, after I complete my work I will turn-off my Lap-top, but it will remain on as stand-by batteries have to be charged so long supply is avilable. Next thing, there is a convention. If any thing is used , whenevr it is not required, so when you need, it may not be avialbale for you. Give me one simple convincing raeson, why should computer be kept On, when you do not want. Everything has got shelf life, as per taht also, if you use contineous shelf life will come to end. You can prolong its life by limiting its use and at laest switching-off, when not needed. have a nice time. [chintoo07]
Hi Beautyqueen! I leave my computer on all the time. The only time I turn it off is if I'm going to be gone for a few days or if they are calling for a Thunderstorm. I have my computer set so that if it is not being used it goes into sleep mode after 15 minutes -the screen also goes in hibernation. When I'm ready to use the computer it comes back up once I move the mouse or press any key. I've been told its hard on a computer to turn it on and off EVERYDAY. Where I work we are told to leave our computers on when we leave work each day and to only shut them down completely when we leave for the weekend. My company has a virus scan set to run on the computers each night and to do necessary updates during the night time hours while the computers are not in use. ( I have also set my computer to do updates and virus scans in the wee hours of the morning when I know I will not be using or needing my computer) I think computers need this type of daily maintenance to stay health and running at their best. If it was bad for computers to stay on for extended periods of time or if they used an excessive amount of power, I don't think my company would ask us to leave them on. (we are talking 1000's of computers they advise to be left on on a daily basis) I have had my current computer for 5 years now - - have left it on most of the time - and have had NO PROBLEMS with it. So I will continue to follow the advice of my company. [pennyroo55]
hi beautyqueen I do shut my computer and monitor off every night as we live in an old apartment complex with old wiring, otherwise our electric bill goes wayup.besides the machines do better with a rest ocassionally. mine is also old so I do baby it a lot. my monitor is a led thin one and brand new so I also baby it. got to last for awhile. [Hatley]
When I'm finished on the computer I always shut it down as if you leave it on all the time it drains the battery and I have been told it is easy to get viruses or trojans etc...wether that is true I don't know...littleowl [littleowl]
Yes, shutting down the computer when nobody uses it already. Unless it's a webserver should not turn it off. [fsound]
Theres two schools of thought on this...and i ahvent decided what to follow. Some say yes do turn it off because it uses less power, causes less wear and tear on the fans and its less likely to get the power surges that occur during thunderstorms and such that it would if you left it on and werent home. Others say it still uses power when its off, the power surge turning it on causes as much wear and tear over time as leaving it run. I think its all a matter of opinion. I tend to turn mine off because we get alot of power outages and i have to fix it less and loose less data if its already off when the power goes out. [saundyl]
It's like jogging. I'm sure you can keep jogging forever once you 'hit the grain' (i.e. once you're running entirely on auto-pilot), but you eventually have to stop. Besides ... although I'm sure your computers run on the most-minimal amount of energy when you're not using them, you're still using over 100% more than you need to if it's on when you're not using it! [mythman]
i dont think so u should do so, mine has run more than a week without even turning off my monitor. only ur current bill be high and nothing else. if u want to have computer run 24/7 then try to kkeep the room in which u run ur system cool that will be much enough. [parthieie]
About the question"Do you need to shut your computer off ever day?",i think the answer should be based on the detail condition:If the power supply is not rare in the city that you live,and the computer's nois is very low,you cann't shout your computer off,but if the noise of your computer is very high,especially in the bedroom,you should shut the computer off,because the noise can defect your sleep.If the power supply is rare in the city that you live,you should shut the computer off when you sleep.I didn't shut off my computer several mouths ago,but i shut it off recently,because the noise is too high [qinchenglim510156]
I have owned the Computer I am using for over 3 1/2 yrs, and the only time I seem to shut if off for more than just a couple of minutes, is when I am going away for a couple of days out of town, or the other night when we were having a Wind storm and I thought it might be Best to turn it off. I have heard that it is safe to leave your Computer on all of the time and since I have no real issues with mine except for needing to clean the inside of it from time to time, I continue to leave it on as well. Unless I hear otherwise from someone who works with Computers in repairs, etc. something different, I will continue to do this as well. [KrauseHome]
Let me talk just a little about computers in general. The time that a part on your computer is most likely to fail is when turning it on or off. There are servers out there with years of uptime (they have been on continuously for years). When I hada job where I traveled, I would leave my computer on for weeks at a time. I've heard people argue both ways about power consumption, so, I won't address that. Having said all that however, I will say that it depends on your personal situation. If you are in a room where the temperature is hard to keep low, or if you have frequent power outages or spikes, or the computer is loud (or bright, mine has these 4 blue lights on it and sometimes it is like waking to a bright blue dawn)and you can't sleep with it on, or for whatever reason that suits, turn it off when you are not using it. One thing I would suggest to anyone who has computer, whether you leave it on or turn it off, is to get a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). This could potentially add years of life to your computer. Power dips are almost as bad as power spikes. [DarkDancer]
Like you i am always keep my computer on whole day n overnight. I am doing this since one year but still not got the problem. Hey, and i am a hardware engg. and if i got problem, i can fix it. So i don't mind keeping it on. [rohit1161]
There are different opinions. At one point, working on what was an expensive computer at the time, I was told to leave it running. Apparently, power on and power off with temperature fluctuation was harder on the computer than leaving it run. [DaddyOfTheRose]
It doesn't have to be turned off, but certain parts, like the heat sink and fan, only have a limited number of hours they're built to be of use. It's not hard changing a fan, though. I turn my off at night because it saves electricity. [desertdarlene]
no i'll maximum never shut down my computer i always use to hibernate it coz i have lots of works pending i use to keep them running so i use to hibernate and standby [ravitejareddy]
Even the computer requires rest is it not? Then only it will give good service. Further it will save power and the system will not get heated up. [Buchi_bulla]
Using a computer for a longer periods without restarting may effects the performance. If we left a computer running for a period of 37 years, and after that period, even if we touch the mouse, all the parts of the computer will gets damaged. It was a reasearch that I read when I was in my college. So try to give some rest. Not only for computer, for everything. Continous prolonged usage of any thing will effects its performance as there is always some losses. If it was mandatory to keep online for a pc, then try restarting atleast twice a day which can resets its performance. [adihindu]
In my previous part time job, one of the computers remain on for 24 hours a day. That was a file server that serves other computers not only within the office but also serves another server from our main office that is located in another place. We never had problems letting the server turned on for a long period of time. It will just be turned off automatically when there is power interruptions. [neildc]
I shut down my computer after I have finished with it but I dont unplug it. I wouldn't leave my computer on night and day for one its using unnecessary electric and why leave it on when you are sleeping!!?? Its not healthy for the computer as it may cause the computer to over heat and will possibly damage your computer. [cinderella2007]
I've no idea about that. But my fomer roommate had never shut her computer off. To my surprise, it still went well until she went away to another country. She gave the computer to someone else and bought a new one! [hiddenwing]