What damage does it cause to turn a computer off every time you are finished using it?

Question

I know its bad for the computer to turn it off everytime you are finished using it, but my dad makes me do it to save money on the electric bill...does anyone know exactly WHAT it does to the computer so I can tell him that and he'll believe me?

Answer 1

it doesn't do any damage (:......you have to shut it down....or tell your dad he's cheap :)

Answer 2

I assume that you mean that you are shuting down the computer properly via Windows (or Mac OS X) and not just cutting the power.

If so, then it is actually debatable whether or not this is good/bad in the long run. It is true that powering up a computer does somewhat stress the system, but if you aren't using the computer (or having it do some long computations while you are away from it) most of the time, then 24x7 operation will also cause wear 'n tear.

I haven't seen any conclusive statistics one way or the other as to which shortens the life of the computer more: 24x7 operation or power down and restart. This is an area with a lot of urban mythology. Obviously, you don't want to power down and up every 5 minutes, but I'm assuming you are just being asked to power down before bedtime or when you won't be using the computer for a few hours.

You also need to consider cost and power/environmental issues of using electricity vs. recycling hardware. This makes the true scientific analysis of this problem difficult.

The truth is, for the average person, it won't likely make a difference if they do power off when they aren't using the computer for a few hours no matter what the theoretical statistics may be. This is also likely to be better cost wise and for the environment (energy conservation).

Sorry that this doesn't make a good argument to use for your dad, but in this case, the old adage, "father knows best", is probably true.

Answer 3

I've been using computers since the early 80's and it was always recommended that you switched on or off as infrequently as possible because the main cause of component failure was the power surges which occur during switching. Equipment is much better now and a good power supply unit should take care of surges, so it probably doesn't do any harm. I use mine several times a day and usually switch off unless I'm running a virus scan and I have never had a component failure. Software - yes. We all know how reliable Windows is (lol). Having said this, tempting fate, I now expect my PC to die at any moment!

Answer 4

Sorry to say this, but as far as I know it does not do anything harmful to the computer as long as you save everything and close all windows. Also, it can get very annoying to do so, soooo you can tell your dad that even though it is off it uses more power to turn it on and off than it does to put the computer to sleep

Answer 5

If you have XP Pro windows then simply choose hibernation, it will save electricity as well as avoid unnecessary shut down & start up process.

When you turn off your pc you get 3 options 'standy - turn off - re-start. Keep your cursor over the standby (dont click) & now keep the shift key pressed, standby will change to hibernate, immediately click on it.
Its easier to start in hibernation mode as the entire work is saved on the RAM. Even if you leave some file unsaved & hibernate,on restart you will find the files in same order.

Answer 6

I'm interested in reading your responses, because I do this also. I shut the computer down after each use.

When I leave the pc on, the pc & monitor generates a fair amount of heat around it which adds to the heat in the room. Makes the a/c work harder to cool that room too.

Answer 7

The problem with shutting down the computer everytime you finsihed degrades the motherboard and the chip of the computer. What comsumes more power is your monitor. If you shut that down you will save electricity.

Answer 8

First, it wastes energy. Second, it’s bad for your computer (computer processors and hard drives don’t have infinite life… the more you work them, the quicker they die). Third, the longer you leave a windows system on without reboot (don’t have this problem in linux usually, don’t know about mac), the more clogged up the RAM gets… if you notice your system is running sluggish, it’s because you never turn it off or restart it.

Answer 9

Who said it was bad to turn off the computer? It would only be bad if you were like turning it off over a hundred times a day. Its only bad if you unplug the computer directly.

Answer 10

Properly shutting down a computer will not cause any harm.

Answer 11

IT WILL BE FINE AS LONG AS YOU TURN IT OFF CORRECTLY SO IT CAN SAVE ALL YOUR FILES.