I was told I should never turn my new home PC off. What say you?

Question

I have a surge protecter, but I live in the country and our power poles and lines are subject to damage from high winds, falling trees and drunken cowboys in pick-ups. So our power comes and goes a lot. I thought if the PC is turned off it would be safe if the power surged. Not so? Why is it bad to turn it off at night and back on the next day?

Answer 1

1. I have a UPS hooked to my firewall / router and also have 7 networked systems, and keep three computers ON at all times.

2. I have serviced delicate computers and peripherals since 1965, the first 20 years on active duty in the USAF. Some were mobile, on the ground, or in the air.

My experience is that the systems left on all the time cost less to keep running, than the ones that get turned off and on.

The biggest user of energy is the CRT monitor, so they get shut off at night. And, I am switching to LCD monitors, having three so far.

The CRT monitors use between about 200 watts (15 inch) and 400 watts (21 inch). The LCDs use 20Watts(15") to 40 watts (19"). The LCD monitors us less power when fully on than the CRT monitors use when 'asleep'.

Thermal cycles of Power On vs Power Off cause failure. Many computers that have run successfully for years will not start back up, after they have been shut down.

If parts are going to fail, it is usually during the surge of current flow upon start-up.

Also, Microsoft FAT, FAT32, and NTFS do seem to cause a higher failure rate than Linux EXT2/3, ReiserFS in all my experience. One more reason I run http://pclinuxos.com

Answer 2

Great question. Think of it this way: Have you ever been reading a good book and all of a sudden the light blows out? Probably not. It always blows when you're turning the light on or off. If you think the filaments in a light are tiny and easy to blow, you should see the tiny wires that run your computer. By turning it off and on all the time will eventually take it's toll and can cause some serious problems. However, if you seldom use the computer, you could wear out the fans which keep it running cool by not ever turning it off. So, it's a decision that you'll need to make, depending on how much the computer is used. Larry RadioShack 01-9590

Answer 3

Believe it or not, turning the computer on and off everyday actually uses mor electricity than just leaving it on over night. It's not a bad thing to turn the computer off, but it is pointless. Each time you restart you have to wait for the computer to load, where as if its already on you dont! Imagine all the time we waste sitting in front of the computer waiting for it to turn on and load up? 1 minute a day times 7 days a week, times 52 weeks, you get my point. Its a waste of time. I would suggest just restarting once a week to clear the cache. As long as you have a power surge protector on the computer, you'll be ok. However a power surge protector is not the same as an extension cord/power strip. Make sure you do have a battery backup (surge protector) hooked up to your PC.

Answer 4

Your PC will last longer if you leave it running. The on/off procedure is a severe jolt to the system and will wear it down over time. (I manage over 1,000 PC's so I definately know) Newer PC's are better but will still wear down (hard drive motors, fans...etc)

That's not your biggest problem though. If your power is subject to frequent ons/offs, that will damage it wether it's on or off at the time a lot more than leaving it on or turning it off every nite.

I would invest in a good surge protector, preferrably a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). It'll cost a bit but would definately increase the life of your pc.

Answer 5

I also live in a rural area.
I am NOT on the grid, and have power only when my generator runs; therefore my computer's are off and on at least twice a day.

I don't know what idiot told you not to turn it off, but they are full of what comes from the south end of a northbound bull!

I have been doing tthings this way for over 10 years with no problems

PS. I have 9 computers on my system at this time, some over 15 years old. I have had 1 power supply "wear out" in that time, and quit working!!

Answer 6

I used to leave mine on all the time. For the past 3 months or so, I've been turning it off. My first hydro bill was $30 less. I use my computer only a couple hours a day. We are all supposed to conserve energy. It takes less than one minute for me to boot up. No big inconvenience. I posted the same question on about 4 different message boards. There is no wrong or right answer. It's personal preference.

Answer 7

It's fine to turn it off. But, that won't protect it. Power supplies stay partially on all the time to supply 5 volts to the on switch and computer clock. You need to unplug it if a storm comes through.
There are a lot of old wives tales about starting up being hard on the system.

Answer 8

I turn it off every day when I go to bed, then I turn it back on when I wake up in the morning, use it a little bit, and turn it off to go to work, and when I come back from work I turn it on again, I've been doing that since I got a computer, which was a really long time ago, and it works perfectly, never had a problem with it...

Answer 9

Unless your PC is old, once it goes off, it won't come back on unless you turn it on. I leave it on because I have broadband and I want to be able to get e-mails and security updates during the night. Most newer machines use very little energy and use even less if you set it to hibernate.

It really make no difference, in fact, it's a good idea to re-boot periodically to let files sort themselves out.
-MM

Answer 10

That's right, part of these online machines are so far back in the country that they have rattlesnakes for USB ports. I'm joking, I'm that far from the cities and it doesn't hurt to shut down and start up again. Mom does it constantly, the lightening.