Is it better to leave your Computer and Hard Drives on all the time?

Question

External Hard Drives and Desktop?

Answer 1

depends how much you use it? for running consumer level computer, I'd turn it off or put it to hibernate/sleep mode. Less energy used, better for environment :)

for server level, I keep them running all the time.

Answer 2

It is true that a shut down and a start up can cause problems like some components may not work every time you start up and you may have to restart again - this happens to me at home. But this saves energy and wear on the computer and I don't use mine that often at home.

I leave my work computer on all the time, but I have to restart it about once a week when it starts to have problems (I run a LOT of programs at once).

Just remember that a computer has many moving parts. If you decide to leave your computer on, remember that the fans will be continually running - pulling dust into your case. You will need to open it up at least once per year and blow out the dust which can prevent proper cooling in the hotter months. Also, listen to your computer - if it is getting louder you may have a hard drive bearing or a fan going bad which could fail with terrible results.

Answer 3

That's often a matter of opinion. I leave mine on all the time. I run things like Automatic Updates and Virus Scanners late in the evenings, so it doesn't interrupt my daily activities.

I've also found more stability in computers that run all the time. This again is a matter of opinion, but seems to be the case at my place of business. We run over 100 computers and I find the ones that we leave on all the time have less trouble.

Answer 4

business's do it all the time!