I am wondering if it is okay to leave your computer on all the time? I am wondering what can "burn out" or "wear out" if you do so. Usually if I leave my computer on it will go into "screen saver" mode and I guess this protects the screen. However, I usually leave my computer on because I do not want to wait for it to start up the next time I turn it on. I guess it is a good practice to turn it off between uses but I still wonder if it does any damage to leave it on all the time?
[question posted by momiecat]
responses and comments:
i do turn my computer off before i sleep. it is on for like 20 hours everyday but i don't think there's wear and tear. maybe that's applicable only to computers that aren't maintained well from dust and other particles which may damage the hardware. I've been doing this for years so i guess as long as you are taking care of it, it doesn't matter whether it's turned on the entire day. [modstar]
Hey we rarely turn off our computer maybe like once a week or so. Otherwise we only turn it off if its acting up just to give it a rest. Not really sure if that even does anything! Oh, we also turn it off if we leave for the weekend or if it looks like storms! Pretty sure we messed up the computer by leaving it on during a storm:( [ValerieAnn1215]
hi friend most of the time i will not shutdown my computer when i am going to sleep i will put songs in that and will sleep so i cant able to shut down it at that time [sunilparthan]
Hey, that is a good idea. I never thought of putting songs on in order to sleep. I do listen to the radio sometimes with my computer. I also sometimes download a countdown timer in order to sleep but to be woken up at a specific time. Computers are so versatile, you can use them for almost anything these days. Have a good day. [momiecat]
Well i have the laptop... and when ever i got outside for the long time.. say 2-3 hours.. then i definelty shut down my laptop// and in night also.. i shut down the laptop then only i sleep.. because they too nedd rest.. Some time when if forget to shut down the laptop then in the morning it will affect the speed of the laptop.. So it always better to shutdown the laptop when ever we are not using that.. Happy myloting.. [cool_bollywood]
You are right about lap tops. I think they tend to get hotter than desk tops. I forgot to specify what type of computer I was talking about specifically but this is good because I will get advice on both types and I use both types (lap and desk tops). In the back of my mind, I think it is a good idea to shut your computer down completely when you are not going to be using it for a while, but I always hate to wait the time it takes to start up again. I keep a lot of tabs open in my browser and that unfortunately slows everything down also. May be it is time for me to change my computing habits. I appreciate your reply. [momiecat]
Hi there!happy I think in general, when a thing or a machine is overused it will wear out easily. Maybe with computers the easiest to wear out by leaving it on for hours would the power supply, the CPU or some of its hardware. I always turn off my computer when I know that I can't work thoroughly. If I will keep on standing up or disturbed cause I have to attend to other things while working, I just turn it off and come back again when I'm totally free. I think it's much safer for the computer not to overheat and plus, it's a way of saving electricity. Ciao!wink [iskayz]
Ctually, frrquently turning it on causes damage to your power supply. Of course, you can be sure that your power supply will last longer than most of your PC parts, but everytime you turn it on it gets damaged (eventually it can lose power, but nothing more). Turning off your PC by pressing the power on/off button can also damage your components, especially your hard disks. The answer to your question is that you don't have to turn the computer everytime, but put it at least in standby mode because it will consume electricity and it will boot fast, also there is a contra; if you don't turn off your PC it might accumulate RAM garbage which will slow down PC (especially on Microsoft Windows PCs). Good, but Alternative in which you have to pay is buying ASRock motherboard which allow you to boot your computer in 4 seconds. I hope my respond was helpful. Happy mylotting and take care. [Fadolf]
I always turn off my computer once I am done using it for the day since it will help me save energy consumption and help my computer to cool down after a long hours of functioning. [entrepinoy]
Yes...I do turn off my computer at the end of the day...I am a student and therefore when I go to sleep I turn it off..Except when I have put downloads ON..lol [tejas1794]
It is better to turn off your computer at the end of the day to let the processor and hard disk cool a little. When desktop and laptops are new, the fan that cools the parts inside are efficient but as time passes by, the fan accumulates dust and begins to wear out. Try to give your computer a break once a day so you can use it longer and prevent unnecessary repairs. [m2ponce]
hi momiecat I have a laptop and I have to turn it off not only at the end of the day but several times during the day too. Simply cause it has a tendency to get too warm and I am really afraid to fry some nice components of it. Its annoying to give at least 15 minutes "off time" to the computer every two to three hours but it also ensures that I do other things besides mylot on weekends when I spend most of my time at the computer anyways [book1962]
I usually just shut my computer off at the end of the day. My computer is very old and I think I need to shut it off or it will overheat. lol. I don't really use it much during the day anyway. Some people use their computer a lot so I think it would be best for them to leave it on. [chunijole]
I usually turn off the computer, when I go to sleep. The computer is also a machine which needs a rest and on the long run, you will definitely harm the computer if you are going to keep it on for all the time. Finally it is a waste of electricity, and it is our duty to save electricity and save the world. [rameshkumaar57]
Sure if you leave it on for a long time , i mean a few days i think yeah some damage will occur , but it's hard to say . As you see the computers on the web bar turn on all the time . i will turn off my computer when i go to sleep at night . During the daytime if i don't use it i will set it into "scree saver" to save electricity . [grace118224]
i used to shutdown my computer at night before going to sleep.. why to waste electricity, if we are not using it... and turning off atleast in the night will reduce the static charges in the computer i suppose... [renjinivinu]
one i switch on my computer i dont want to off it. but before i sleep . I need turn it off i've read a topic before about this turning on/off your computer may stress and destroy your computer. . ^^ [rcjp03]
I don't know about damage, but wouldn't it run up your electricity bill? I almost always turn mine off if I'm not using it. (Sometimes I get up to do something else and get detained longer than anticipated...) [BarBaraPrz]
The server here runs 24h a day. And most services run on it. So I turn off my desktop and laptop. Longer downloads happen on the server. If you got good cooling and not a contant CPU usage from 100% you are fine. [aurerm]
At work, our computers are on all the time. We log off before we leave, but never shut completely down. At home, I turn my computer on when I get home home from work. I don't turn it off until I leave for work the next day. I would leave it on all the time, but my kids would get on it and mess it up and download a bunch of kid stuff. [AvonByCarmen]
Oh yes.Not only at the end of the day but every time I get off it.Its to save electricity which is a major situational problem in India. [ravirai8616561]
I leave mine on all the time - the last one worked for YEARS [ElicBxn]
at the end of the day when i am burn out and tired. i will just leave the computer on while i sleep. it was because i was always i am just going to be able to wake after half an hour sleep and i could get back to the computer. but i always end up having a full sleep till the early morning or late morning and i will just turn it off upon waking it up in the morning and then after taking a Bath and eating breakfast i will again turn it on after having it turned off for an hour only. [hotsummer]
I was like you before leave the machine and monitor on when left office, but since beginning of this year, our company sent formal messages to us requiring us to shutdown PCs when leave office to save power, and save environment. [croamer]
i always do turn off my computer everytime i dont use it. when i go out or go to the office i always make sure that it is totally off. i dont want to have or gain any problems by leaving it on through out the day that i am not here in the house. maybe there could be some short circuits or some hardwares will egt damage by it. so its better to be safe than sorry later on. jhelaihappy [jheLaichie]
It can burn an image into your screen. I have mine set up to hibernate after so many minutes. [OzarkLiveWire]
happyI turn off my computer because i spent too much time on mylotting. besides the fan in my computer's power supply stopped working that i had to limit myself from using it almost every day. if you leave it all the time, it will slow down.sad [LetranKnight25]
i've heard it actually causes more damage in the long run turning it off and on. as long as it has a screen saver on it ought to be ok.some things might wear out a little faster like the power pack. [scarlet_woman]
sometimes i do, sometimes i dont. im using a laptop and i spend many hours on the net. whenever i am going to do something, i just close it and it stays on stand by mode and it dont get hot or something, even the adaptor is not hot. there are times that i have fallen asleep and have forgotten to turn it off. it works perfectly fine though. i hope this will not get damaged easily. but i have heard from a friend a long time before that it is ok to do something like this. [jayrene]
I turn off my computer at the end of the day. I do not like to leave it on when I am not using it to help watch electricity usage as well. Sometimes it will go into a sleep mode, but otherwise I turn it off. [nangel78]
Nothing much will happen if you leave it running all day. But accoring to principles of machines (and men too!), you need to give your PC the rest it deserves. Heating up of computer components is the killer and CPU fans and heatsinks have their limitations. Allow your PC to at least few hours rest so that the components get cool. Imagine yourself with your eyes open for days and nights. Give the poor PC a chance to survive more [wink] [mysf71]
I turned it off, so I can spare some money. The electricity costs money, so don't waste your money on something, you don't need. Yes there are a lot of people, who don't turn their PC's off, but I can't understand them really.. [kircho]
I turn it off when I'm not using it and am not going to be for hours at a time. It's a waste of electricity not to, in my mind. We are trying to do the little things that we can do to save energy. [KandyKaty]
We sometimes shut off the computer. However, when we're downloading stuff from the Internet. We keep it on because sometimes the files are pretty big. [CRSunrise]
We've been told both, to turn it off and to leave it on so we don't rightly know the correct answer so we just leave ours on but turn the screen off. However, we do turn ours off about once a week for an over night time and then turn it back on when we return to it just to give it some time to cool down or what not and reboot. [CatsandDogs]
Not unless you can afford your electricity bill. Leaving it on too long will overheat it, but not damage it. [frozenimage]
definitely i will shut down my computer end of the day . this is to save energy and also protect my computer to have longer life span. [klwheretogo]
no i hardly ever turn my computer off. i think i should start but i haven't done it in so long. i usually leave it on overnight. [kennishababy]
it depends,sometimes i do sometimes i don't i have, i usually leave it on for 3 days at most.its bad for the computer.its shortens the computer's life span [Richardyang]
Turning Off The Computer when You Are Not At Your Seat Might Reduce the Power Consumption .. I Turn it Off Every time, I Am Not at the Seat .. At the End Of the Day, It's Surely Turned Off .. [prashanthalva]
hi momiecat! everything that you use in this world in excess always has damaging effects. especially with electronics and machines. in my opinion, i think that if you do not turn on the computer for days it will be broken. the part in the computer the CPU especially the processor easily heats off. the processor is the one doing the calculations and because it heats off it has a built in fan. if that processor becomes extremely hot there's a good possibility that you'll damage it. other parts of the computer like the monitor needs to cool down too. so it's best if you turn off your computer. it saves energy and electricity and it saves your computer. happy [tomjoad]
I use to switch off the computer even if I have to go out for just 15 minutes.The area in which I am living is supposed to have power cuts anytime and mu UPS will not last more than 2 minutes.So,I have to switch off even for a short period.So,leaving it on for the whole day is out of question for me.Cheers! [srganesh]
I always use my laptop everyday especially I'm on a vacation. It is open for almost all day. Sometimes it is running for more than 12 hours. I'm using the power so to save the battery. Before I sleep I do turn off my laptop and make sure its free from dust or whatever may cause it to malfunction. [jenskye03]
I always shutoff my computer whenver i go out.Coz for me it will be more safe. [vzerocool]
I always turn of my computer at the end of the day. It saves electricity but what is more important to me is that the fan is not running to keep it cool. I had one computer where the fan did stop and I was lucky enough to notice it before it completely burned out my computer BUT it cost me $250.00 to get the fan replaced. So I NEVER leave it on over night. [whiteheather39]
Well when you typ to fst thts how it is!!! I love you too! [marciascott]
I turn my computer off every night as I do not like to risk anything overheating or going wrong, and that may cause a fire. My friend leaves his on all the time saying that it saves wear and tear, but all I can say is that I have used one computer to his three, and mine seems non the worse for being switched off every day. happy - Derek [derek_a]
I usually turn off my computer before I go to bed or if I go out also I turn it off since in our country power cuts are frequent we cannot leave our computer on when we go out. I think keeping your computer on for several days may reduce life of the computer. Every instrument gets wear and tear if it is used continuously. That law applies to computers also. [ENVY68]
Any gadgets not in use should be put off for better safety. [meapas]
I will turn off my laptop after I am done with it, provided I was disturb by my baby and I have to attend to her until I totally forgotten about it. I find it better for the computer to work, if I have it start up every day instead of leaving it running. [cwong77]
I have started turning off my computer at night recently because I have been trying to conserve electricity. I don't like to wait for it to turn on either, but I have found that I sometimes have to do a restart on it because it is running slow if I don't turn it off at night. The last couple of nights I left it on because I was running a defrag on it. If I weren't doing that, my niece would have turned it off when she logged off last night. My brother had always left his computer on but turned off the monitor, but I'm not sure why he had done that. It makes sense if you have high speed internet and there are programs that use your memory when you aren't doing something else on the computer, but if you only have dial-up, then it doesn't make a difference. I only turn it off at night now. It runs all day. Thanks for bringing up the topic. [daeckardt]
It is better to turn off your computer when it is not in use. First, you prolong the life of your computer. Second, you save energy. If you leave your computer ON, all the time, it may overheat. Just follow your guess that it is good practice to turn your computer OFF between its' use. [olepmis]
Hello friend, For me my friend, I don't leave my computer on. After doing something I just always shutdown to make sure that the processors can be cool again. One common thing if we off our computer after work is that we can save energy and sure about our safety once current overload that create short circuit... Happy mylotting...!!! http://bit.ly/cAKzT [aerous]
This is actually still being talked about by IT communities. There are entire groups of people take either side. I do shut my computer off, however this is because the machine emits heat and can make the room incredibly hot. This is a problem especially in summer and electronics are especially heat sensitive. But if your room is well ventilated and it won't be an issue, then I see no problem. My laptop shuts down and stores the last state in memory so when I reopen it, the machine returns to how I left it. Plus it starts in a quarter of the time. [ryouga]
Most of the time I sht it down, when I am not using it, if i am going to e home most of the time i leave it on. because it takes to long to load, well, it really does take to long, I just get impatient that's all! [marciascott]
Correction Time: I sht it down??? (I do that in the bathroom!!!) when I am not using it, if i (I) am going to e ??? (perhaps be ) home most of the time i (I) leave it on(.) ?? because it takes to (too) long to load, well, it really does take to (too) long, I just get impatient that's all! [whiteheather39]
I will turn off my pc and avr it is so important to make us safe always at home. I'm afraid to make it so much hot and can cause something eles. I just leave it if I will back right away. But if I wanna sleep everything will be turn off and unplug so that safetiness will be made. [geniustiger]
I always shut off our computers when we are done using them. Even in sleep mode, it wastes energy to keep computers running if they aren't in use. Also, I have been told that the computer's fan can wear out if it is constant use. I just don't see the need to leave the computer on if it isn't being used. [cafn8me]
No damage can be done to your computer, only your electric bill! And even then, it really does'nt hurt. You're okay. [cathywright]
I always turn my computer off when I leave office or go to bed. I will also switch off the power at the mains. This conserves energy which brings down bills and save the environment. There are also periodic updates which doesn't take effect if I don't restart the computer. So all in all I prefer to turn the computer whenever I'm done for the day. Cheerswinkwink [applefreak]
I always turn my computer off if I'm not going to use it for an hour or more. This is just an energy-saving reflex. One trick that I do when I'm starting the computer again is to perform some other little task after I push the on-button. If I just had lunch, I'll turn the computer on before I brush my teeth. When I get back to the computer it's up and raring to go. [charles63]
To turn it on and off constantly could eventually damage some of the more intricate parts. I usually put mine on sleep, especially if is to be down overnight. :) [geminikid]
My computer is on all day every day and so is my wifes one! I think that it is OK and we have not had any problems. We have been doing this for the last three years or so! We do not bother with screen savers or anything either. I do not know if they help or not, I get the feeling that they are more of a gimmick!:-) [RawBill1]
I do not turn mine off. It takes to much time to load the machine when I need it for a quick minute. I have a laptop with windows 7 beta and it is faster but it still takes time to load all the programs. I leave mine on all the time unless an update is done and it shuts off automatically. [gilc613]
I shut my off when I am done using it. I took some classes at a local college and at first they would leave them on all the time. Then the next semester when I had a computer class and was going to leave it on the computer people at the college were told that is was better to shut them down so I did and that is why I usually shut mine off. [happy6162]
i turn my computer off, just because i don't want for a virus or someone with not the best intentions to get in... [saraines]
If your computer do not have enough of air flow or air cool such as proper fan or heatsink, it could damages your processor or motherboard or even your hard disk. Next you can damage your monitor by leaving it on without power-off it. Why not just turn you monitor off. You are just increasing your electric bill. I would suggest you to check your operating system, for it should not boot too long. Maybe by turning off some special effects of your OS might just speed your boot up.Remember there are lots of possibilities that slows down your system. [heehaw78]
I am not the last one to use the computer so I do not get to turn it off anymore, but we do turn it off at the end of the day, I hear both the monitor and the modem need to rest. [ShellyB]
I turn off my computer, for me it is a safe to turn it off for my file to be save and safe. I don't know the reason behind but that is only my thoughts to save my file safely. I think its okay on screensaver as I do that also sometimes when leaving my computer but not for long. [grecychunny26]
The only time I completely shut down my computer is when we're having thunder/lightening storms, otherwise when I'm not using my computer I have it in "sleep" mode (mine's a Mac computer)--guess that's the equivalent of a PC screensaver mode?? Want to tell you a funny story though. Like I said I keep my computer in sleep mode when not using...and can go on by just touching a key of the keyboard, or touch the mouse. Well my computer is located at the one end of the living room and opposite end of from my bedroom..my bedroom is really an "alcove" so no door, just an archway--that means I can see my computer from my bedroom. Well, one night I went to bed...just nestling in and drifting off to sleep. A few minutes later I nearly fell out of bed as I was awakened by a brilliant light that had suddenly come on--it was my computer! A four-footed kitty had stepped on the keyboard which activated the computer to go on---mmmm...think he was trying to order cat food?w00t [pyewacket]
My computer is used by others in my family so it is rarely if ever turned off. Usually if the whole family is going to be gone for all day it will be turned off. I donot turn it off everyday because people in my house don't all sleep the same hours and awake at the same times, so the computer is in use a lot. [sweetbabyjane]
I turn off my computer and moden at the end of the day each day. I do this to save electricy and to prevent damage from lightign storms. There is no need for my computer to be on during the eveing when I sleep so it gets shout off. [scififan43]
I don't do it because I don't want my computer to catch any viruses while I'm away and at home, I always turn it off when I don't use it to save electricity consumption. If your computer takes long to start up, maybe you'd want to disable some startup items. [autumn13118]
Good evening momiecat, I dont know the technicalities of the subject..however, I know only these things 1.Any electrical thing if its on,it shall consume some electricity..small or big 2.The fact that its on means ,we r eating out the life of the various parts.And thus, to my mind, its not good to keep the system on...when not in use..and therefore, I do have this practice( right from the days of 386 computers which required a long time to start) to turn off the pc or lap top when not in use..have a nice day..bye [ishavasyam]
I not only turn it off I unplug it whenever I am done using it. Just letting it sit wastes a lot of electric. [OpinionatedLady]
Hi there! I usually turn off my computer, when I have done with. I think if I do not turn it off, it keeps consuming some sort of electricity and that inflates my electricity bill. I believe that if the period of absence is longer, then it would be wiser to switch it off to save electricity and money. [dpk262006]
The best idea is to turn any appliance off at the wall if you won't be using it for a few hours. Switch your computer and screen off then turn off at the wall...same with your telly and any other appliance that doesn't need to be left on. This will save you money and save on energy also. I believe it will also extend the life of your computer. [MsTickle]
I always turn the monitor off when I am not using it, but I usually leave my computer on. I am an insomniac and work from my home computer, so when I can't sleep at night, it is easier just to get up and get on this way. I do turn it off if I will be gone for a day or more, or when there are bad lightening storms going through the area (just as an extra precaution), but otherwise I mostly leave it on. [quinnkl]
Yes I switch off my computor at the end of the day to save it from consuming the electricity unnecessarily and getting the compononants warmed up.It saves a lot of wear and ter of the precious componants and saves them from getting burned up from the spikes [balasri]
I don't turn it off - i pretty much never do. Well, that ain't true. When i have to move around, I have to put my laptop to stand by, but i don't remember the last time i turned off my laptop for anything else, than a restart. If i were to check the uptime clock on the current session, I suppose I'd be getting about a week or so. Had to restart it some time ago for some new software. [Sleepingcap]
turn off the computer at the end of the day, after I use it, I am using my sister's computer, so I think turning it off, saves on the electric bill any way, when I had my own computer, I turned it off every night, I use it because my electric bill would be high, from using it so much, so turning off the computer at the end of the day is a good thing.happy [notlistening2]
I don't turn it off... I know I shouldn't leave it on all night but I don't like waiting for it to start up again. My computer doesn't burn out and it isn't even one of those new ones. No, its one of those gray big fat ones. my computer treats me really well. lol [animegirl334]
Yes i turn off the computer at the end of the day.I will give rest to my computer after doing a lot of work.If you keep your computer on screensaver mode lot of electricity will get wasted.Also there are chances that the processor will get heated up and the motherboard will get spoilt.If you don't want to wait then switch on the computer sometime before you start work from it.happyhappy [vicky30]
I don't think it hurts anything to leave it on most of the time. I do shut mine down in storms just because of the lightening. If I begin to hear the fan work overtime and it's annoying, I also shut it down. I was gone the first part of this month for a week and I turned it off. Nobody was going to be using it so there was no point in running the risk of storms and having it on. My screen turns off after 15 min. of idle time. [carolbee]
I never understood why people leave their computer on when they sleep. That's, what, at least seven or eight hours that you know you won't be using it, so why not shut it down?! To save yourself a minute or two on start-up? It's a waste of electricity, and it WILL do harm to your computer over time. It'll burn out, even with screen saver (which is better than nothing). Though, better than screen saver is the "sleep" mode. Please do the environment and your computer a favor and shut down at night. Turn the computer on minutes before you need it (before you eat, dress, brush your teeth, etc) that way it'll be on when you need it, but it won't be burned out. It needs a restart too, to reload all needed programs. Otherwise, you may notice it running very slow after awhile. [goodnightmoon]
hii i always turn off computer at the end of the day.. because.. there is no need of .... to on computer every time.. when your worked are finished,..then you should always.. turn off computer carefully.. [anurag3786]
Yes. i will turn off my computer once the day ends. During the I will switch off the moniter [vathsala30]