leave the computer on or off?

[homerunkevin]

Hi,

here is the question i have over the year. Is it better to leave the computer or off? just curious. I heard people just set the setting for hibernation after couple of hours or stand by ? DOes anyone have some comment on this issue.

Love always,
KEvin zhang
Techncial Support specailist
kevin@hsmc.com

 

[Win98User]

Your answers are in the enclosed thread. Please click it.

thread602-418404

Regards.

 

[cdogg]

One thing I didn't see mentioned in that thread was the OS. If you're running Win95/98/ME, then it's not usually a good idea to leave these systems on for more than 1 or 2 days at a time without rebooting. Of course, that depends on how many apps left running in the background and how often you use the computer. At max, probably 4 days is about all you'll get out of it. Windows NT 4.0, 2000, and XP are a whole different story. Usually a couple weeks at a time won't hurt.

For any hardware concerns, that thread that Win98User posted above should cover it...


~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[mudskipper]

Yeah, but I have one more thing to add--
Although 99 percent of them die when the computer is first turned on, I have seen enough power supplies flame out to know that I don't want that happening when I am not home! I leave it on unless nobody will be home--then I turn it off! (sure, use a good power suppply, blah blah blah, but I am still paranoid). Mudskipper
___________________________________________________________________________________

Groucho said it best- "A four year-old child could understand this! Quick! Run out and find me a four year-old child: I can't make heads nor tails out of this!"

 

[ben64]

True, I would like to be as far away as possible from a bad PS

 

[gargouille]

I just picked up a system tonite from a couple that had an immaculate house...spotless throughout...until I opened the computer.
Dust and dirt caked into the coolant fan...the power supply...everywhere inside the case. Power supply got so gunked out it shorted out.
"We leave it on most of the time," he said. She was embarrassed (unnecessarily) by the filth...but I reassured them that no matter how clean the house was...leaving the computer ON 24/7 was very effectively filtering the air...albeit depositing everything in the case.
Leaving them on accelerates it.

 

[homerunkevin]

It's very true. What your advice on whether to put the system on standby or hibernate? Doesn't this cut the harddrive short? this happen to my laptop. At times, it would be at standby or hibernate mode frequently and the harddrive is so slow. Data are consitently store on the harddrive. Also wouldn't the memory get clutter by leaving the system on? Love always,
KEvin zhang
Techncial Support specailist
kevin@hsmc.com

 

[gargouille]

This is one of those threads that can go on a long time...'cause it all boils down to personal preference...and of course that varies with the individual.

Having said that, I prefer the power-saving modes reserved for the mobile platforms and NOT using it with tower setups...turning off all the wake-on states and telling the computer thru Power Management settings on Control Panel to turn off when I say off.

I run across many maladjusted power settings that prevent normal shutdown...and many ppl asking why their hard drive won't recover from hibernate or why their monitor won't come back from sleep.

MTBF for most modern hard drives is high enough that IMHO there's little or no difference when leaving it on all the time.

Memory get cluttered? Don't know that I understand you, there...

THIS IS PROLLY OFF-TOPIC:
As usual, have to say to cdogg and his rote response to shutting down Win98:
I've had users that were so illiterate they NEVER shut down...even when the system got so trashed they were just sure it was ALL messed up, and I'd remind them "the poor man's fix is a reboot!"
Well, they would, and then they'd come back and say "Now it says there's an 'Invalid system disk', what do I do?"
Once you got them going and asked them when was the last time they rebooted...invariably it had been since the last power outage, some time removed.
There's one regular poster on another ng that I frequent whose sig is how long he's run Win98 since the last reboot...so I'm maybe just doing what a friend of mine says..."In conversation, as in love-making, it's not good sometimes unless there's some friction!" (hopefully no one will be insulted with this frivolous post)
I know for sure cdogg won't LOL