Leave It On Or Turn It Off
Leave It On Or Turn It Off?
One of the oldest unresolved controversies in the computer world is: Should you leave your computer on all the time, or turn it off when it is not in use?
Compelling arguments have been made on both sides. I’ll try to sum up the important points on either side, and I’ll even give you my recommendation, but ultimately, it’s up to you.
LEAVE IT ON:
Constantly warming up and cooling down is bad for electronic equipment, and the computer experiences some mechanical wear and tear every time you turn it on and off.
There’s also the issue of convenience. It’s much easier to plop down and go to work when you want to, rather than having to wait several minutes for the computer to turn on and boot up.
TURN IT OFF:
The hard drive may last longer. Since it is composed of moving parts, it stands to reason, the less they move, the longer it will last. This may not be much of an issue with newer computers. The hard drive will probably last longer than the useful life of the computer, regardless.
If the computer is on all the time, it will suck more dust through the ventilation vents. More dust = more heat = shorter life span for the computer, so it may be worthwhile to turn it off when not in use.
All computers can benefit from the occasional reboot, and turning them off allows this to happen. Over time, minor things go wrong and the computer doesn’t bother to inform you; it tries to patch itself up and moves on. The cumulative affect of all these little hiccups can be to reduce performance or even cause the computer to freeze or crash. Turning the computer off now and then gives it a chance to reset itself and start fresh.
Turning the computer off when idle uses less electricity. Depending on your computer, it may use as much electricity as one or more 100 watt light bulbs. That can add up to quite a few dollars over the lifetime of the computer. Also, less electricity expended means less carbon emissions, which is better for the environment, reduces global warming, etc. etc. etc.
ON THE SUBJECT OF ELECTRICITY: While we’re talking about electricity, there are settings on all computers that we can adjust to save power right now.
If you have a PC running XP, right-click on the desktop, and choose â€