posted on October 1, 2000 10:17:11 PM new
Since I've been selling on ebay, I use my computer about 6 hours a day, but not consecutively. Basically, I'm on and off it all day. Usually, I leave my computer on all day and only shut it off at night. Would it be better to shut it off whenever I'm not using it, or should I just leave it on? Does starting it a lot cause wear and tear, like with cars?
posted on October 1, 2000 10:23:26 PM new
If u are running Windows 95, it is a GREAT idea to shut down, or at least restart daily.... with Win98 SE, it is not so important...just make sure to ALWAYS refresh yoour auction pages!
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
posted on October 1, 2000 10:48:15 PM new
Repeated power-up situations can be hard on your computer. From what you describe, it sounds like you would be better off leaving it on throughout the day.
If your computer doesn't automatically throw your monitor into power saving mode you might consider turning the monitor off when it's not in use. This will make things a little easier on your electric bill. Leaving a monitor on all day with a screen saver running is using the same amount of electricity as having a television running for the same amount of time.
Most newer computers will also put the hard drive(s) in your computer after a specified amount of time. This saves a little electricity but will significantly lengthen the life of your computer hard disc drive. Hard drives spin at thousands of times per minute and the mechanisms certainly appreciate the break if they're not needed. To know if your drives are being shut down after a long interval, wait until your computer has been left untouched for a significant amount of time. Click the mouse button or press a key on the keyboard while listening carefully to the computer. You should hear a whining sound as if something is spinning faster. It won't be loud but you should be able to hear it. If you can hear that then your computer is set to turn the drive off. If you don't then it probably isn't.
ubiedaman is correct about it being a good idea to restart the computer once a day if it is left on all the time. This gives it an opportunity to set everything back to normal and start fresh for you.
posted on October 1, 2000 10:48:36 PM new
Provided you have your monitor set to go off after say, 10 minutes of no activity, and the hard disk switches off into a 'power saving mode' after so many minutes, the system will not really be much of a power drain. In terms of wear and tear, there really is no difference between keeping it on all the time, or shutting it down when you aren't using it.
If you think about it, if your hard disk switches off automatically in 'power save' mode anyway, you're starting it and stopping it the same number of times whether you shut down the system, or just leave it up and running. The wear and tear on the other components is pretty negligible as well - these things are designed to last around 5 years - and as you know, if you have a computer that old, you're so out of date anyway...
You may as well just save yourself the couple extra minutes of having to restart it and leave it on, providing you don't mind paying the extra few cents a day it'll cost you to keep it on (it's really the monitor that drains the power).
posted on October 2, 2000 03:48:23 AM new
We rarely shut our two desktops sytems off, even at night. We do shut the monitors down each evening however. We restart when needed, usually every two days or so, and the main system is still running Win95b. This system has been running since August of 1998 without a reformat.
My portable system gets shut down each evening, but they are a whole different animal.
During lightening storms, we power down and disconnect the power cable and the internet cables. We get some pretty heavy electrical storms here in Northeast Ohio. We also have a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) attached to our main system to prevent damage from power loss and spikes.
It is the powering up and down that is hardest on a system, since the hard drive spins down and essentially "goes to sleep" when not in use, not much is pulling power as long as the monitor is shut off.
posted on October 2, 2000 04:55:56 AM new
We leave our computer & monitor on all day and all night. I am constantly making my way over to the computer so turning it off only to turn it back on later makes no sense.
We DO turn it off if there is a storm coming. We learned the hard way. Although we have one of those surge protectors that is supposed to save your computer from a lightning strike, um, lightning hit the pole right outside of our house and killed my modem. Everything else worked fine but it fried my modem (and a nightlight in a different plug--black to a crisp!). We also shut off and unplug the computer when we go away on vacation. I don't notice any big difference in my electric bill from leaving my computer on all the time and I like the convenience of having it on whenever I want to use it!
posted on October 2, 2000 06:55:10 AM new
Technically, you can leave the machine on all the time. If you are using Windows(any version), you want to reboot/restart every so often because the operating system commits slow suicide when it runs. Maybe every other day or so should do it to clear up any dumb stuff it accumulates.
Turning your computer off is a good idea if you are going to be away from it for a couple of days.
