# Leaving the Computer on Overnight?



## Coleman (Jan 31, 2003)

*Is Leaving the computer on 24/7 a good idea?* 
I have set my Norton Antivirus to scan my computer at 1:00 am so it doesn't interfere with my time. Though when I shut my computer off for the night, it don't work. Can I just Leave my computer on overnight? Can it do any damage?
Thanks


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## itsmeitsmeitsme (Apr 29, 2002)

I leave my computer on for days at a time and I have not had any problems. I would like to see some other opinions on leaving on or shutting down and restarting all the time


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## The_Egg (Sep 16, 2002)

Hey, I haven't shut this thing down for more than a year.
It's always on, 24/7.
Sure, I reboot from time to time, maybe once a week, or after installing new software.


Does this affect the hardware's life-expectancy?
Hmm, maybe yes, maybe no . . . lol 


. . . ok, I tell a lie, I've briefly shut it down twice. Once to install a new system fan, and the other to install a 2nd 80Gb HDD.


I can't see any problem with leaving your comp on a few days at a time. Most modern pc's were designed with this in mind.


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## JustMe2 (May 31, 2001)

Coleman,
I have 2 machines at my office that I leave on 24/7. Like you, my virus scans are set to run in the middle of the night. Never had a problem with either one of them...yet...knock on wood! I do re-boot them at least once a week.
JustMe2


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## Del (Aug 31, 2001)

I have 2 machines and one stays on, the other off every day.
The one I turn off has more hardware problems the the one left on, ie, power supply fan, processor fan.


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## Nothingface (Nov 10, 2002)

Should be no problem. I leave my comp on all night sometimes. In fact, i think it's better to leave it on than turn if off. I heard the hardware gets 'stressed' from it powering off and on, and reduces its life throughout the years.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

FWIW, there have been numerous studies of varying quality about this issue, and the general consensus is that the difference in longevity isn't measurable. I have three machines that are always on, and a few that are only turned on when I'm using them for development. My wife's machine is also always on, she can't be bothered to wait for it to boot to check her email.


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## Rikku (Dec 11, 2001)

I have a dozen machines (desktop type machines) that I leave on 24/7. A few are Pentium IIs that have been on for years!!! In fact, one machine I can safely say has been going for 5-6 years. 

I think computers actually like being on all the time


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## boyoh53 (Nov 28, 2002)

Does "leaving them on all the time" mean that they are running all the time, or does it include "standby and hibernation".


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I don't know about other folks, but I have no use for either standby or hibernation. My concession to energy savings is to allow the monitor to shutdown.


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## danielno8 (Oct 18, 2002)

does that not bump your electricity bill up by **** loads??


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## boyoh53 (Nov 28, 2002)

The computer is switched off at the wall at bedtime.
During the day I am "coming and going" all the day. I would be on the net up to eight times a day. During this time I put into
hibernation cause I start from where I left off. During these periods is my computer switched on or off?


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## Del (Aug 31, 2001)

Yes, the monitor sucks more power then anything else, I turn it off when I leave but never use hibernate or snooze.
If I did, the NIC would drop the connection.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

> _Originally posted by danielno8:_
> *does that not bump your electricity bill up by **** loads?? *


The actual power consumption of the machines with the monitor in power-down is from 70-80 watts. I figure it cost me about 30 cents a day to leave a machine on. Doesn't seem like it's enough to really worry about.


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## danielno8 (Oct 18, 2002)

oh well thats nothing to worry about then!!!I dont pay the bills anyway so it doesnt worry me!!!
Thank god for parents!!

lol

Daniel


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## boyoh53 (Nov 28, 2002)

When I leave on "hibernate" it also means I don't have to load up the four little utilities I use each boot-up.
I think it is a very cool feature.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

The problem I have with hibernate is that it's a good to periodically reboot a Windows machine. It's less necessary with W2K/XP, but even then it's a good idea. Since I don't boot but once a week, I don't worry much about the boot time.


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## n2gun (Mar 3, 2000)

I leave mine on 24/7 except the monitor which I shut off when not using. 

I have another computer networked to this one and this has the internet connection so It has to be on for my daughter to access the net.


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