I am a little confused if it is a good thing to leave your computer on all the time, one friend of mine does and he set my computer up and assures me I am protected against viruses and hackers... and then I have another friend who just turns their computer on when they want to use it....I am just interested in what everyone elst does and/or thinks about this....
[question posted by lilaclady]
responses and comments:
Leaving your computer ON alawyas is good for the hardare, but leaving it connected to the internet all the time! here you have to be good protected from Viruses and hackers; I suggest Sygate personal firewall, norton AntiVirus corp edition, and Windows defender. [Salehd]
Thank you for your response, my friend who is against leaving my computer on says it is unsafe as far as catching fire or blowing up more than anything, is it safe in this way ??????????? [lilaclady]
i leave my computer alwayes on it's good for hardware if you tutn off and on maybe you have a elctric problem have a nice day [alonaz]
Thank you , appreciated [lilaclady]
Hi, As you write about computer, but in my opinion we have to power off the computer when we not use for a long time. And if we leave for few minutes then we have to keep in on. [Ssandeepworld]
Thank you for your comment, and welcome to Mylot, I just love being one of the first of a persons posts...I hope you enjoy it here...thanks again.. [lilaclady]
i always keep my system in standby mode whenever i had to leave it... its good for its hardware too .. my net will always be connected cause i do download lot of stuff... so ill keep torrents or p2p and will keep my system in Standbymode... [saajaan]
Thank you for your comment, very much appreciated [lilaclady]
I leave my computer on all the time during the day, but turn it off at night before I go to bed as a Safety precaution. Just to make sure nothing goes wrong with the machine while I'm asleep. [mogg20]
Thak you for posting...:) [lilaclady]
LBW remember that a computer consumes a lot of energy every single time you turn it on. It uses the MOST energy when you turn it on actually. It is good for it to be on for one long period of time instead of it beiing splip up into several where it is turned on and off.. You can put it into StandBy/Hibernate/Sleep which isn't as bad. 8) [lenywp]
Thank s leny, someone else suggested standby and I tried that and it saif my computer wa locked or something.....I will have to have that checked I think... [lilaclady]
Well It's not a good habit to leave the computer on all the time. It will consume a lot of electricity which is a total waste of the resources. It is always better to on your computer when you need it and let it be off rest of the time. I only turn my machine on when I need it and we all should be having this habit. Good Luck. [coolest1983]
Thank you for your response [lilaclady]
No, you shouldn't. leave the monitor on standby because it will burn electricity more by turning monitor on and off. But CPU I always turn off everytime I finished, not even stand by. It doesn't burn too much electricity to turn it on and off, but if you leave it on, yes someone can read your data (hack into your PC). I have antivirus, anti spyware program too, but there are so many hackers out there you never know what they can do. Since you can't turn off modem, it's recommended to turn off your CPU. The websites we visited might be secured, but any data we stored in the CPU after visiting the website, can be hacked anytime. You also have to clear your cache, cookies, temporary internet files and history every day just to be sure. [LittleMel]
OH OK, then I will turn the monitor off too. All this time I only turn the CPU off. Thanks for the suggestions [LittleMel]
TURN IT OFF AFTER USE! Those who leave their computer on all day are those who do not know the hazards of leaving it on. First, your electric bill is higher when you do this. Okay, granted you are rich, the parts of your computer could malfunction while you are away and could burn your house. So you'll just buy another house because you are rich but you will lose your data in that computer. The shelf life of your computer will be reduced because the parts are so used. just like our body, we are prone to sickness if we are always on the go and without rest. [everlasting]
Thanking you :) [lilaclady]
I have heard its good for your computer to leave it on because turning it off and on all the time puts stress on it... As long as you have good virus and hacker protection you will be fine to be hooked to the internet all the time.. [rlshaw]
There is always a "risk", there is a program called IP scan, this program allows the hacker to identificate his common hardware & software with yours, if it has something in common, you can be hacked. However, always leave mi PC on. Bye [ramza93]
Leaving your computer on is good for the hardware? 2 things I want to share... (1) if you leave your computer always on will shorten the lifespan of your hardware, i think all of as are aware of that, but if you keep it on and it perform a certain task that give something for you in return. But if you leave it on and it's just idle, I think you are just wasting something (2) a typical PC will consume a lot of energy, now a days it is a good practice because Global warming is one of a serious concern for all of us. Some lawmaker are pursuing to ban the use of incandescent bulb for the reason that it consume energy a lot but less light it produce... it is good for us to participate such action, maybe not for us today but for our children or grandchildren in the future. If our Electrical or electronic equipment is not in use, it is better to turn it off and unplug the unit in the wall outlet, to conserve energy. With this little effort you are helping not just your pocket or your parents pocket for the electric bill but also you are cutting energy consumption and help your country in the battle against green house effect. [benja1475]
Thank you for your response [lilaclady]
yes its true its ok to leave the pc on all the time if u have a good virus software and firewall installed, also see that you have a cooling system, a/c or a fan so that he system dosent heat up [rahuldmhatre]
You can let your computer on, there is no problem, but unplug the internet wire :)) It's rarely that a kacker gets in or a virus, that is the risk if you let it connected to internet. [jedy_master]
We leave our computer on all the time and never have had any trouble doing this. The only time I shut it down is when I'm doing major cleaning on it. I believe it's ok to leave it on. [jbones32103]
as far implications to hardware are concerned don't worry for next one year but after one year you will see the difference. So its not a good practice to leave your computer on. Moreover your pc will be vulnerable to online attacks if your pc is connected to internet. [holylotus]
Experts leave their Machines on,with the net off.The reason is that during each start and shut down,there is an enormous load on the machine,and the hard disk will crash sooner than later. [vijay12]
I only turn off my computer (laptop) when I go to sleep. The rest of the time it is turned on, and always downloading/sharing something or something else. I just fail to see the neccessity to turn it on and off every time you need something. About it being safe - I only use Agnitum Outpost Firewall (latest) and don't seem to have any virus or hacker problems. I do a scan each month (Kaspersky), and it rarely shows up more than 2 viruses. Usually just some spyware that got in while installing some apps. [yanger]
We personally leave our computer on....but then I am home and am usually on it doing work...etc. I do sometimes shut it off if I am going out...because we have had power outages in the building before and it ruined the computer...so I try not to let that happen again.... [icequeen]
yes I guess power surges is something to think about, they do happen, thanks [lilaclady]
Turning a computer on and off many times a day may damage the hardware over time. On the other hand, having the computer on for 8 hours plus will make you consume a lot of energy especially if you have a desktop. [spiderman05]
WELL I HAVE SAME HABIT AS U HAVE..MY PC IS ALMOST ON FOR THE DAY..I THINK I JUST TURN OFF FOR 5-6 HRS WHEN I SLEEP...AND SOMETIMES THEY ARE ON FOR WHOLE DAY.... I HAVE PROTECTED MY PC FROM ANTIVIRUS AS WELL AS SPYWARE....AND I DO NOT THINK THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG IN KEEPING THE PC ON EVEN IF U R NOT USING IT..YEAH U POWER BILL KEEPS ON RUNNING..BUT THEN MYLOT.COM TAKES CARE OF THAT I SUPPOSE. [chintan_inc]
hey there is no problem leaving ur system in standby mode i always put my computer in standby mode and when i have to go out i ll just turn off the monitor and go [vamsirokzb3]
First of all i have a very interesting story to go along with your question... a friend of my in england used to run a teamspeak server from his home desktop. There was no problem for the longest time, except he said it took him a while to get comfortable with sleeping with the computer on, everything went fine. Then one night he woke up to his whole desk on fire! He quickly put out the fire and started checking out the damage. All that he could salvage was his graphics card because it was still under warranty. Other than that, he lost his desktop, his monitor, tv, dvd player, as well as having to pitch his entertainment desk thingy that he kept it all on. The problem was a almost unheard of failure of his CPU and GPU fan as well as a short circit on the motherboard. The total cost of all his losses was well into the $1,000's. The ironic part about this story though is that he still, to this day, keeps his new desktop on. Anyways, back onto subject, i myself keep it on occationally but i just unplug my ethernet cable from the port and rest at ease. Keeping your computer on helps your hardware too. [nexuswolf]
OMG that s something to think about....:( [lilaclady]
In my opinion I would leave my computer on standby I have been leaving the computer on standby for a very long time and nothing has happen so far. I agree with most of the comments in which they say that turning the computer on and off puts stress on the components. I hope this helps you decide what to do if to leave the computer n or off. Good luck. [hektorjr]
Thank you so much... [lilaclady]
yeah, the best way to protect your computer hard ware from damage is to leave it on. I turn on my computer at the beginning of the work, and turn it off until I leave my office. [shenzhouplaza]
We leave our two computers on 24/7 and we have had no problems with them... [buttons101]
Thank you appreciated [lilaclady]
well depends on why u leave ur computer on;i usually leave my computer on at night when i go home,actually from 9pm till 6am the next day because i have to watch forex market;lately i leave it for 24/7 and i am using my laptop;everything is ok;i leave it for 24/7 if for one purpose besides watching forex market,i am also making money online by leaving computer on;if u wanna know more,u can go to http://yourpctroublecenter.com/mmwt.htm check it out,the program is great and it works,but u have to follow the exact instruction.try it. [talk2mepls]
no not at all atleast reboot once an 8 hours [aps_shankar]
Thank you your the first person that has mentioned the rebooting thing, I know a friend of mine who does a lot of serious transfering is always rebooting...thanks [lilaclady]
I would say putting your computer on may strain some part on the hardware, like over heating and stuff, but most recent hardwares are mostly immune to over heating. For the internet, you may get sudden virus attacks, which are a remote possibility if you have a good strong firewall. But in view of conserving energy, I would say turning it on only when you use is a better thing to do. Why waste electricity? [Kangleicha]
Leaving a computer on is NOT good for the hardware (it wears out at a faster rate), it leaves you open to hackers (even with protection software; if left connected to the Internet) and it wastes electricity. Please don't do it. [Kenaomi]
I leave my computer on sometimes but I dont think it has an effect either way. If you have proper virus software and protection then you should be fine from getting any viruses. Most viruses come from you downloading something. [magdollars23]
Well I only turn my computer on when I have to use it, yeah I have some friends that turn their computer on forever but I just think that's not really good, especially for the bills that I got to pay every month. [othala]
they tell me that it's best to leave it on all daylong until when you are going to bed because too much turning it on and off is going to mess it up [lordsgurl]
Yes thats what I have been doing [lilaclady]
I've hear that turning it on and off is bad on the chips. The surge of electricity can fry them after a while. I leave mine on and I'm hooked up to the net all the time. I only shut the computer off when I leave for the day or the weekend. My old computer my dad uses was bought for me back in 1993 and he doesn't shut it off at all anymore. It had some trouble with the monitor but it seems to have worked that problem out by itself. [mikeyr6000le]
First off, you are wasting energy. That doesn't leave a whole lot for the future if we all tend to leave them on all the time. Second of all, you will never know when something will stop working in that system, in which it will be a catch-22 and you either see your computer simply stop working or catch on fire. Plus, you never know what will get through on the Internet if you are connect by DSL/cable. No matter what type of program you run, nothing is ever EVER 100% protective, even if you set up everything to automatically update and run if there is even a small sight of a threat. There are always people out there looking to outsmart the most reliable and best proven programs out there! Besides, you are also wearing down your power supply through the adapter. Those things can tend to just give up and not work anymore! [karlana]
That all sounds logical, thanks [lilaclady]
Just leave your pc on but protect it against virusses with firewalls. Switching it on and off is not good for it. And while you leave your pc on you could try to earn money by running a surfprogram that pays you at the same time. Oh and if you have kids block them from entering the pc by installing a password. [mobyfriend]
I don't think it really matters. If you leave it on you are waisting power, so you could save some money by shutting it off. Usually if there is no point of having it on I shut it off. [gstrouth]
in our house we alwasy leave the computer on and stay connected to internet we have a good anti virus and i dont know if closing firewall is a big help to prevent hackers to get in but i think anti virus is good enough. i dont think that leaving your computer on teh whole day will do any harm jsut have the right device and softwares. [lossforredwords]
It's ok to leave it on if you have updated anti-virus or something to protect your desktop, have a cool place or well ventilated place and you can pay your electric bill when it comes each month. You really have to consider these things. [mikhail7]
Leaving your computer on all the time is not good for your hardware. You should give it a break every once and a while. We had a computer that got left on for a while downloading things. We have left it on for a long time before and the electric bill was not too much more than normal. One month the electric bill came and it was double my normal bill. Then the motherboard on the computer went. There was something wrong with the computer which was only 2 years old. The next month my electric bill went back to normal after replacing the motherboard. You are taking a chance by leaving on your computer when you don't use it. If you do need to leave your computer on one good thing to do is to turn off your monitor becuae depending on what type of monitor you have you can get screen burn in if you don't have a screensaver. Not to mention monitor bulbs only last so long. [wolflvr]
Thank you that is very interesting.. [lilaclady]
If you're behind a router, your chances of being hacked or getting a virus are incredibly, incredibly low, unless you're running something that connects to the outside world constantly (remote admin software, etc) As for power, it does wear things down turning your computer on and off, and even if it's off, it's still consuming power. So...Take it as it is. [Alphasee]
there is no harm in keeping ur computer on even if u want to keep it on the whole day....dat will never harm ur computer...bcoz my elder brother is a computer engineern he says that its perfectly all right but u should not keep it logged on to the net the whole day...any virus or hack as u said can happen....wen u need to go online then only log into the net otherwise dont.. [chandrakanoria]
Thanks heeps..and thanks to your brother, appreciated [lilaclady]
yes computer is very necessary,,,,it is most important in our life [manmaxman]
yes computer is very necessary,,,,it is most important in our life [manmaxman]
I normally have mine on. But occasionally if I am going to be gone all day I shut it down...give it a rest. [missmuffet]
i just leave it on all day so when i want to use it i can, i only have free zone alarm firewall lol i dnt get viruses [superwobbie]
Well... it depends on what you use your pc for. For example, I have 2 pcs, one of them is this one which is just turned on while I'm around here but at night I turn it off but I have another one which is always turned on downloading things and running some processes I need and never happened anything wrong to it. As long as you are well protected it doesn't matter if you let your pc turned on 1h or one day, it's all the same. Besides it doesn't even spend that much energy so that's not a problem (I think). [ownado]
With sometime ago, when I downloading something i was leaving computer ON, but now i don't leave on only if i don't stay at computer for a little time, when i go until a friend or when i eating. [siluka]
I you keep on swithing you PC on and off then it will start giving you problem.Its a good idea to leave it open when you are leaving your seat for few minutes.Its good if you keep it on stand by mode because it saves lot of power which your monitor cosumes. [sahyd2don]
They say it's not good for your computer to leave it on all the time. It may just have to do with it having to work constantly. If nothing else, you save quite a bit of energy when you turn it off. Of course...I do leave mine on. [vmoore709]
YA ITS GOOD FOR THE HARDWARE TO LEAVE THE COMPUTER ON, BUT WHENEVER UR NOT USING UR COMPUTER THAN U CAN SHUTDOWN UR COMPUTER, AND IF YOU WANT TO CONNECT ALL THE TIME TO THE INTERNET, THEN USE SOME FIREWALL OR ANTIVIRUS, I RECEMMED U TO USE AVAST ANTIVIRUS, IT IS THE BEST ANTIVIRUS, I AM ALSO USING THIS ANTIVIRUS, AND IT IS GAVINGE ME THE GOOD RESPONSE [smartlubana]
For me it is better to turn off the computer if you will not use if for a long time, let's say, you wont' be able to use to it for the next five hours or so. You have to save electricity but if you are downloading and you won't be doing anything else in the computer, just turn off the monitor. I do that to save electricity as well. [faylinn_chaeli]
good to be writing to somebody who enjoys computer a lot. Leaving the system on is good for hardware and yes can keep it in standby mode or if you keep on downloading stuff all day can turn off thne monitor only.. saves energy . [gops123]
wow.. i never knew leaving the computer on all the time is good.. i thought it would be bad because it would slow down the hardware.. and overheat the computer... annddd it's a waste of electricity to do so. but if you have a good virus protection then leave it on.. but if not. i'd turn it off when you dont need it [andiruleu]
My cable installer (internet too) has informed me of the pros and cons to this very thing. It's not a question of viruses or hackers because if that were so we would all be afraid to even turn them on. He said that it is taxing on the hardware, to get it hot then cool down again. It expands and constricts the components which can cause needless wear and tear on your PC. This is second hand news and comes from another so please don't shoot the messenger if you do not agree. Even though he told me that I still turn it off at night when I retire for the evening. This is simply a personal preference and a habit. [rakinitin]
Well as you have seen different people have different opinions on this. I can tell you what I was told by a computer builder and what I've observed. I was told not to use standby mode, it actually puts wear and tear on the parts because they are still powering up and down. I was told to leave the computer on, only reboot as needed but when I was going to not use it for long periods (like when you go to bed) to turn off the monitor. Now I have compared electricty with shutting off the whole thing as compared to leaving it on, no major difference. Now with turning the monitors off I have noticed a difference in the electric bill, it is lower when we are shutting those off. It's not hugely lower but it is a bit lower. So up to you. [emeraldisle]
This is basically what my computer tech has told me too Thanks [lilaclady]
Well, we leave ours on all of the time and I have never had any real problems from it. The only time we turn ours off, is when we are going to be out of town for a couple of days. So you are safe leaving yours on. [KrauseHome]
i leave my computer on 24/7 tho i shall have to stop coz i moved home a few months ago and my mum is complainin that the electric bill has doubled! i neglected to mention my computer habits, but i shall have to start rememberin to turn it off. so far i keep forgettin! MJ [MJ_junkie86]
It dose not really hurt to leave it on. the one thing that you can do is go into your power settings in your control panel and set when you want your monitor and hard drive to turn off this save a little power and keeps the processor cooler. i leave mine on have been for about 4 years. [gillejc]
Gee 4 years....wow, thanks [lilaclady]
I dont think so i mean eventually unless u have a fan next to your computer it might overheat your computer and could explode [joelofcow]
It won't hurt your computer to leave it on. Unless your fans are malfunctioning, the computer won't overheat. They automatically kick on if the temperature rises. I leave my laptop on almost all the time. All the research I've read says that it does not hurt the computer and it puts less stress on the hardware than turning it on and off. [thirtyonethirty]
i dont see whats the connection b/w leaving the computer on and you getting viruses... the problem only arises if you leave the computer connected to the internet all the time... but even that can be solveed by using an intelligent anti-virus s/w like kaspersky or norton there is no harm in leaving the computer on for a long time buddy! [nishanity]
don't worry on the hacking thing.. better worried on viruses,spywares & adware. much better if you keep always your Security Software uptodate and running before leaving your computer on. provide a UPS too so youre pc will be still running and protected just incase the electric goes down for a few secs or a minute. [ScarlettGurl]
I tend to leave my computer running all the time, partly because it is so slow at booting up that I would rather avoid that process as much as possible. I don't have any idea wether it is a good thing or not. [daddyduke]
You know, your computer probably have a sleep mode and you can use it if you don't want to have to boot up each time you want to use your machine. Leaving it on for a long time (I'm sure you're aware) adds up to your electrical bill and is basically not practical. I'm not telling you what to do here, I'm just saying that you have other options. About your machine being online all the time, that's a no-no too. There is no 100% hackproof software that can protect you....if you leave it on and connected to the net for a long time then you're just asking for it. But then again, out of the millions of computers users out there, why would a hacker want to mess with your machine? ;-) [gaylordfocker615]
If you leave your PC on all the time you just need to make sure that all the bits connected to it don't get warm. I've seen a monitor blow up before from being left on for too long ... but on saying that it is possible that the same could happen while you are sitting in front of it. A lot of PC's have an "idle" feature where it just goes for a nap until you press the keyboard or the mouse a nd then it wakes up =) Maybe that is a better option [Sasselle]
I usually leave my computer on during the day and I turn it off only when I go to sleep. Anyway, I have internet via cable and my ISP has recommended me to leave my modem connected during some nights because they update the drivers of the modem at that time. Otherwise, when I connect my computer in the morning I usually have to wait about 2 hours to be able to surf the web because they have to update it first. Some years ago I had my PC connected to internet 24 hours per day and if you have a good firewall and a good antivirus there's no problem with it (at least not in my experience), although I have the impression that if we let the computers rest some hours they will last longer. As I'm leaving my modem on, I'm starting to think about leaving my PC on a few days also as I did in the past. [jotace]
I don't see a problem leaving it on...just take it offline when you're not using it.Do you run a good firewall & antivirus? If you need one or both you could checkout download.com they have some really good things there. :) [paradisesuns]
As long as you are protected with a firewall you are going to keep honest people honest and petty thieves out. From a hard ware stand point the less you turn off your comp the longer (theoreticaly ) your comp will last. when its on it gets hot and expands when its off it cools and contracts the less this process happens the less likely youll have that type of problem. one down side to leaveing it on is power serges that can fry a comp. but a good surge protector can help with that [Lazaras_Long]
im not usually leave my computer is on..but sometimes i do it when i was suppose to download something..and can wait until it finish..then i leave my computer on..i think its ok ..nothings happen when im come back..but be sure if your electric circuits it ok..it can makes fire.. [Mitch_Miyaka]
when i wanted to beta 2 of windows vista i left my laptop on overnight. In the morning, I noticed slower speed of laptop. one week after that i left it on overnight to defragment the hard drive. i noticed slower speed once again. processor might be getting way hot than fan can cool. [Lucky0347]
i feel no problem as long as u have antivirus s/w installed on ur system... [sunilkonda]
I think you must start conservation of energy. Who nos about the future. [Soilienkhoul]
i leave my computer on all the time except for when i go to bed. I have a router so i think that i am pretty protected on that end. If i am downloading something then i will leave it on all night as well. I have on occassion left the darn thing on for weeks on end without even a reboot. Just depends on my mood i guess. Lately i turn it off when i go to bed so that my husband doens't get on it in the morning when he gets home fom work and play loud annoying games while i'm trying to sleep lol. [Sissygrl]
Well for me, I turn it off once I wont use it anymore. It saves you energy too, plus not all anti-virus softwares knows all viruses so its still the safest to not turn on your pc 24 hours a day. [hikarushidou]
I just downloaded adware software to counter act hackers...I had a discussion about turning on a computer for more than 24hours... They gave me nice answers and i just knew it that i can have my computer turn on even months or more than 24 hours a day.. Thats good thing on computers. [jtmblossom]
well you can leave your computer on if you have are Hosting a website which you want to be up 24/7 and you want people to have access to your database or whatever files you may have granted public access to... otherwise, it is better to turn it off when not in use. it saves electricity and your pc will have a longer life and avoid deterioration and damage. [lotsa_cash]
i use the hibernate option instead of shuting down the computer and when i have completed my work on internet i close it [gharinder]
what for? your friend making the PC as a server? or downloading files? I always fear it will be burnt if it runned overnight, my location had news of some youngers open the PC overnight and then the PC burnt up and also kill the teenagers when slept. That is exceptional cases but quite horrible to hear of. I will open it overnight only if i rendering 3D graphics! [dentkk]
Leaving your computer on all the time will consume lot of electricity. I am not sure if it will consume electricity if it is in standby mode. The power supply may not be able to take the load. There was one incident that I left my computer on for 4 days and the 6th day I had a blue screen. Then I shut off my computer for half a day and it worked properly. I thought maybe the supply can't handle the computer if it is turn on always. [klystron635]
I found something on the web concerning this. I was actually concerned about my laptop. It stated that laptops should be turned off since to leave them on all the time will cut the life of the laptop to about one third. I also heard that it is hard on the filiments of the monitor. I use standby on my laptop during the day but I shut it when I leave the room for a period of time since my cat has been known to use my computer to send emails. No joke! My friend called one day to ask about a message of various letters that came from my address. At the time listed I was busy and I caught the cat sitting and standing on the keyboard. [loujac3]
I usually leave my pc on whenever i need to download big files from the net. My brother leaves his pc on almost 5 days a week. Having a good firewall and virus protection is a big thing when you want to leave your pc on the whole night. It also depends if you need to leave your pc on or not. If you will not going to use your pc the whole night then it will be wise to set it off. [jep_toyo]
Hello, There is No problem Leaving a computer on all the time,as long as is it well ventillated and you can afford the hydro Bill. [decrepit]
We leave our computers on in our house, unless there's a threat of a power outage. We have virus protection from internet cable--I hope it's good :) [lilibetha]
Hello, Cable companies will sell you anything,which anti-virus did you get with you internet? Mcafee Norton NOd32 [decrepit]
I do leave my computer on during weekend as I am at home most of the time. The reason is switching on and off the computer every now and then will cause my hard disk crash easily as I have encounter it previously. During weekdays, I prefer to off it as I am not at home and I am afraid of the sudden overflow of current that will burn off my computer. It happen to me few years back and luckily I have a power surge protector to protect my PC. Thank god for it but after this incident, I am not willingly to take the risk. [kfwk2175]
its better to make the computer standby mode than on at every time when we not using the system. it will be safe for our hardware. at night, system should be switched off, to protect the system. we require some rest while we working like wise machine also need some rest. so, its better to switch off atleast at night time. [vembukumar]
I don't think it makes a difference for viruses really. But I shut mine off when I'm not using it to save power. We have enough blackouts out here without more people wasting power. [Pigglies]
Use a good anti virus, an anti trojan and a firewall. It will protect you from hackers and viruses. And also please run an anti spyware every day. You can use the various power saving options which are present in the windows. The monitor takes a huge amount of power to start. So using power saving options and keeping it on all the time is not only safe it also saves. [rhood2019]
always keep my system in standby mode whenever i had to leave it... its good for its hardware too .. my net will always be connected cause i do download lot of stuff... so ill keep torrents or p2p and will keep my system in Standbymode... [titaniumhijau]
i leave my computer overnight when im playing ran online..my character is vending in the game so i set it overnight..im not afraid of overheating coz i have air condition inside my room..i never had any problem with that up to now.. [mkeanel01]
i say install a reliable anti virus software, but please do turn off your computers when not in use. that would just be wasting energy. [lovelyprune]
i turn my computer on when i'm going to use it. i dont leave it on for the simple reason that i want to save on electricity consumption. second, i'm afraid my processor will overheat. i suggest you set to hibernate or sleep when you're not using it but you don't want to turn it off. [payatot]
I always keep my computer on cose I have a program called Gomez peer that earns me money even while I'm sleeping. So, it's worth to leve-it on all the time :) [danmarius7]
I usually turn it off when I'm not using it though sometimes I leave it on if I know that I'm going to be using it again after an hour or so. I never leave it on all night though or when I'm not in the house because it's wasting electricity and as it's in my bedroom, the noise of the CPU fan is enough to keep me awake :( [jwfarrimond]
Incidentally, I like your little computer girl picture :) [jwfarrimond]
its easy just use windows vista.how about that. [zonaib]
I feel Leaving computer On is good. It improves hardware performance. HDD Performance . Same way if we setup the good firewall and antivurus, then we dont bother about virusses also. or while leaving just disable the network connection. It will also avoid the network activity. Do over come the viruses and hacekers these are the two solution i know.. It is better if anyone gives more i can also know. [sripraneeth]
i don't think it's a good idea and not because of the internet threats but of heating components in your PC especially on summer days that will drasticly shorten your PC's life span.My advice is that your turn it on when you need it and keep it on as long as you need it on and than leave him to rest. [supra_guy]
its not really the heat that you should worry about unless you have a really old computer. nowdays computers are build with standards in order to maximize the life of a computer. however the when you turn your computer on all all day and then shut it off at night it will creat a heating and cooling of metals. when Metal heats up, it expands, and when it cools down it shrinks back. excessive wear and tear on a computer can decrease the life span of your computer. once again computers have higher standards now days and can last longer even with this but still. leaving your computer on for days at a time really cant hurt it. mines been on for months now XD not 1 fault. the only time it was off for more than 5 minutes was durring the power outages. [shawn2008]
i always leave my computer on. i usually have to restart once or twice a week but then again im a hardcore gamer who uses his computer to the max. there is never a time when my computer is not on because i never actually shut it off i just restart it. besides all the heating and cooling can make the metals of your computer expand and retract and eventually decrease the life of things. [shawn2008]
Keep your firewall and antivirus on. They help keep you safe when your at the keyboard or not. :) [CraftyCorner]
my son always tells me to leave it on all the time , but I still switch it off at night , I just think its silly running all night when I'm aslep , xx [weemam]
We do turn our computer off when we are not using it. That protects it in case of power going off. It can do damage to everything if power goes off while the computer is on. [villageanne]
if you are not next to your electrical appliances and they do not need to be on then it is always safe to turn them off for extra security. It also depends on the room temperature etc, PCs can get quite hot inside and as with all Appliances they consume power, in fact they'll consume power even when off so I have everything plugged into a main socket and when finished i turn everything off. No fire hazards in my house. [123bart]
It's okay to lave your computer on if it's adequetely protected and you have unlimited connectivity at no extra cost. Most anti-virus and anti-spyware software are updated automatically during the subscription period you have paid for, even the free stuff is automatically upgraded. I think your friend must have set it up for protection and also for regular scheduled checks. To save on power, I suggest that you shut off your monitor only, and switch it on when you need it. [tarachand]
keeping tour computer on is good fo the hardware [thegreatroy]
The first time ours is turned on it stays that way for the whole day .... but is turned off at night .... or when we know it won't be used for rest of day. When not being used during day .... it is on standby mode .... think it is supposed to save on power .... or something like that. We are on dialup internet .... so no advantage in leaving it on all the time .... not sure that it is good for the computer to leave on all the time ..... heat which is awful here must have some affect .... the fan would be working all the time to keep it okay ...... that cannot be good for computer. [oldboy46]
I leave my computer on all the time and I also have antivirus protection. I shut it off sometimes and let it cool down for a while and clean it. It also gives it time to rest any new changes. I think you will be okay if you have a good antivirus protector installed. [stephcjh]
I shut mine down when I am done with it for the night, Reason being I have heard , unknow forces can get into your computer and hack it , while it is idle, and this will not be a good thing. We are never safe these days with our own home computers . Thats why we must take more action to protect ourselves. [irishmist]
there's no harm in leaving the computer on...if you are connected to the internet, make sure none of your automated update programs are on..otherwise there's no harm as long as the outside weather is cool... [jade1986]
Hey Lilaclady i dont know what are you talking about because i also leave my compute on in the night and may be yes sometime whole day because it downloads data from the internet through the medium of torrents . But first time when you switch off /on your computer then it consumes the most power and hence takes a lots of time in starting time as most of the files are loaded into memory and then they will execute one by one . Many registery keys also execute like the ones which are in HKLM/software/microsoft/windows/currentversion/run as well and the one in HKCU as well they will execute and others which have been kept in startup options . They will all start up and slow down or take a lot of time momentarily to start your PC and as a matter of fact protecting yourself with trojans or Viruses you need to have some kind of Firewall or Antivirus {By Antivirus i mean Good antivirus }it will help you in protecting your PC . I use AVG professional as the updates are downloaded daily from the internet without any hassle . so I am protected . [onlineravi]
I think leaving your computer on without you using it or others will not subject your computers to any viruses. The only thing there is additional cost of electric usage. I would suggest if you are going to not use your computer for a given time, let us say even for an hour or so, shutting it down will be surely to your benefit. So, shut it down, lilaclady. [molusk]
You are confused on the right thing. Your computer is not safe if its turned on all day long without an anti-virus installed on it. Only anti-viruses protect the system from hackers, virus intrusions. Try buying CD of Norton Antivirus of download free copy of AVG 7.0 Free edition from: http://www.download.com [ashar123]
its not realy good leeving your computer on allways it wil slow down it, it is allways good to restart your pc lets call it give yuor computer a refreshment thats how it is specialy if your computer run on the net. [semodders]
I think keeping your PC permanently on is a drag on your Computer and Monitor as well it leads to more use of electricity.So, unless it is a Server from which you have connected more computers, I don't think why you should be keeping it always on . p.s- A friend request send . Just keen to have more friendz on MyLot [ptrikha1]
well it depends if you have your computer connect ot Internet all the time so you could be attack for a hacker if you don't have important information it would be a problem and if you have your computer infected with a virus it turn off the computer doesn't help much. when I am not using my computer I turn off my computer always because I got outages often so I don't want that my computer getting some damage, when I am downloading something I leave my computer on all the night but I never leave my computer on for more that 4 days it would cause that the computer don't work corectly because the memory ram need to be energy suppy for stop to work and your processor would over heat. [steve9737]
I have two computers and never turn either of them off. I have had them on for years. I like it when I don't have to wait for windows to load up. I have never had a problem with my computers. I think for me it just makes things simpler. [bwrattybaby]
I shut it off at night for the evening. Even with all the virus protection, if the computer is on, a hacker can still get into it. [margieanneart]
Don't kill your computer in that way. Everything must "relax". We can leaving our computer on for several day then turn it off for hours. I think that's better. [minhtan]
when you give overburden any item will fall down thats the same case for computer.so keep it safe from all even hackers,spyware etc [kfg20012003]
I do not leave the computer on only for two reasons: 1. My kids are bullish they will take over it. 2. I wont waste electricity. I only open my computer when I have to use it. I wont ever leave it on not unless I will only be gone to pee or what. [hersmart4ever]
over winter i tend to turn it off due to storms etc, but generally its on all the time but turned off over night [rueandash1]
I've wondered about this as well. I turn mine off at night and whenever I'm going to be away from it for more than an hour or two. My brother on the other hand never turns his off unless there is a storm or a cable outage (they have cable internet). He swears that it doesn't hurt anything and that its actually good for the pc...I think the pc needs to rest, cool down and reboot. AT PEACE WITHIN [twoey68]
I'm just on my computer when i want to use.If i dont want to use it,i will off it.Not just because of viruses or hackers attack,but also because we can make the life of our computer more longer! [ayris77]
u can leave ur pc on all days, just u have to do only backup ur all data in other Storage media or u need to have stand by storage media which contains all mirror copy of ur working system,whenever it fails u can switch with standby. by using this u dont need any firewall system or any other protection [xtreminator]
my computer remains on for 10 hours a day specially at night frm 2 to 8 am for download purposes [inderjeetnogi]
I wonder why some people do that. I think it's a waste of electricity. Well I always keep my computer shut down if I don't use it. I am worried it might have overheat problem and may cause some fire. I am not sure if it may but to play safe I turn it off after a day use. And I give my computer some rest before I use it on the next day. Well I think i need to turn my computer off always. some people do leave their computer for open most time of the day. isnt the dangerous. well my computer rest i go to rest also. [bluewaves]