Computers: On or Off?

[Pagerron]

I'm so glad to still be able to check in here. I wasn't sure if I would be able to until after Christmas, but anyway on to the question.

My computer has been giving me lots of problems turning on, so I've decided to just leave it on all the time, logging off when I'm not actually using it, to give it a bit of a break. I don't know how great that is for it, but I'm afraid that if I actually shut it down, it won't come back on again. (The last time I tried to turn it on, it took me six tries.)

Do you turn off your computer when you are done using it or just leave it on all of the time? I've heard several opinions supporting each.

[Armored]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

Mine has been on for like over a year.

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

The last computer we had in the basement we never turned off (mostly because there's a fish screen saver that needs feeding, and I feared that if I turned it off I wouldn't turn it back on and the fish would die), but the Alienware we turn off each night, and when I leave to go to school.

I'm a little worried, because I heard that for some computers it was better to leave it on 'cause there's this spark that runs through the motherboard each time it turns on.

Considering that the last motherboard blew out and required us to reinstall windows and half our programs, I'm starting to get a little worried about turning it on and off so many times.

[Alex]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

My Macbook's been on since I bought it a year and a half ago.

I'm pretty sure this isn't a problem with most computers.

[AbstractOrigin]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

My laptop's always on. Been on for a year and only powered down
for restarts, installs and of course, wiping.

The main reason it's on 24/7 is cause my laptop functions as my
alarm clock as well.

[Translucid]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

I usually keep mine off when I'm not there, because it probably shaves a few bucks off of the electric bill.

[truekid]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

mine's on all the time.

[The Ice Cream Man]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

I used to leave mine on but it started getting over heated and crashing constantly so I turn it of at night. Hasn't crashed since.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

I turn mine off when I'm not using it, mainly because at night I like to have my room as dark as possible and as quite as possible.

As for your problem, I would recommend looking into a new power supply as I had a similar problem on one of my computers a year or so ago and that fixed it. If you have a tech savvy friend who can find out what kind you need you get them for around $50 or so.

But beyond saving some money on your energy bill and conserving energy, there is no harm to leaving it on all the time (unless it's prone to overheating), though you will need to reboot windows every now and then as it tends to clog up if not reset every so often.

mostly because there's a fish screen saver that needs feeding, and I feared that if I turned it off I wouldn't turn it back on and the fish would die

I'm seriously hoping your joking.

If not :facepalm.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

I used to have that same problem with this computer a while back. I'd turn it on and it'd other fail to start up or reboot while starting up several times before I could actually get it going, so I started leaving it on. After a while it started to freeze coming out of hibernation or a few minutes after. So I went back to turning it off. Now I have it turned off and unplugged when it's not in use, it still has trouble with booting up and freezing while being used but I've come to realize that's just because it's an old piece of crap and it doesn't make much difference how I treat it at this point.

[JPS]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

we really need that facepalm emote

I always heard that its best to leave it on all the time because of the initial rush of power that goes through the system at startup will decreases the life of the motherboard/processor, not sure if its true or not.

But I turn it off once a week just to give it a break

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

I'm seriously hoping your joking.

If not :facepalm.

I'm serious. It's MOPy Fish.

He really would die if I didn't feed him for two weeks.

[Duel]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

Mine is always on for 24/7 quick access.

[JLaCroix]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

There's nothing wrong with leaving your computer on, as long as it's got a good cooling set up and is not in a small, tight space.

The majority of computers that die and are on all the time, are the ones that people shove in a small, tight, enclosed area of a computer desk where the computer can't breathe.

Also, a very popular trend with brand name computers these days is the cheap ass power supply they give you. Especially Emachines.

Other than that, I can officially debunk all the rumors you guys might have heard, computers are built to stay on. In fact, the current trend with Operating Systems is to put the computer on standby by default rather than shutting down.

As for me, I mainly only shut mine off when there is a thunderstorm, and I also unplug it too. (But that's just because the wiring in this apartment sucks, I do have a surge protector though).

The only other issue I can think of is people that are anal about their energy bill, which is getting expensive.

[Kefka Jr.]

Re: Computers: On or Off?

I usually put my laptop to sleep when I go out. I turn off the power strip it's connected to, too.