2007-03-22 05:22:57 · 12 answers · asked by MICHEAL A 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
It is not a good idea to leave a laptop on for a prolong period of time. Laptops were made to be left on for a long time, where desktop were.
If you leave your laptop on for a long period of time, it will have a shorter life and you could over charge the battery, where the battery will become useless and you will have to pay around 100 dollars to get a new one.
I turn my laptop off a night and unplug it before I go to bed.
2007-03-22 05:27:39 · answer #1 · answered by Linds 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, it will do no actual harm itself.
But, as with any machine...electrical or mechanical, the more you use it, the shorter the time until a component fails. Just like a car engine wearing out. Electrical components will "wear" out as well.
In practicality though, you will probably have long since upgraded to a new laptop/computer before this really makes a difference.
edit: plus turning it off or putting it on standby will save some electricity. Laptops are very efficient, energy wise, compared to larger desktop computers.
2007-03-22 05:27:16 · answer #2 · answered by pharmman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on what you mean by harm and what you mean by long periods :
If your leaving your laptop on for Long periods say no more that 3 - 4 hours in a single sitting thats not a real problem ( as long as your using it ) - not using your laptop will cause several issues - screen burn is one of them. ( before someon gets clever and tells me that LCD's dont burn - its true they dont burn as the old CRTS and plasmas do they have image persistence ).
Also several heat related issues come from long periods ... power pack failure and CPU overheating all of these things will reduce the life expectancy of the laptop.
Standby uses power ... perhaps you'd like to save your laptop , some money ( elec bills ) or just save your laptop either way if its not needed turn it off. Not standby ... just off.
Hope that helps.
2007-03-22 05:34:09 · answer #3 · answered by Rob B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3 reasons it's not good the first being the worst. Environmental damage - a huge carbon footprint. Electricity bill or using up the battery faster. Why not just turn it off completely putting it on standby still uses a third of power as full use.
2007-03-22 05:32:01 · answer #4 · answered by truth_and_time_tells_all 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are running it from mains - ie you leave it plugged in and on for hours, it will end up knackering the battery as it will lose its abilty to hold any charge. You can damage the screen, but just use a screen saver when idle.
If its left ding nothing, then switching it off will only really help the environment, won't do much harm to the laptop.
2007-03-22 05:27:40 · answer #5 · answered by Marky 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The problem with laptops is heat dissipation. They are getting better and better all the time, but I wouldn't leave one on in a situation where it's difficult for the heat to dissipate. I wouldn't leave it sitting on a comforter or covered with magazines for example.
If you ever worked for an extended period with one sitting on your lap you've probably felt how hot they can get.
Heat is the enemy of all electronics.
2007-03-22 05:28:37 · answer #6 · answered by Fester Frump 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends. If you put it in Standby, it saves energy. If you're not going to use it for about 3 hours, it's best to Hibernate your comptuer.
2007-03-22 07:15:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Apart from the power use, there is a risk of burning out the screen. Or at least getting ghost images on the screen.
2007-03-22 05:27:47 · answer #8 · answered by MellowMan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yea, it wastes power. u should put it in standby
2007-03-22 05:27:12 · answer #9 · answered by peaceful_waters 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
not really ... but u should set ur screen to shut off after a few minuets to prolong its life .... and running it needlessly just clogs it up with dust faster ...
2007-03-22 05:26:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋