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Leaving PC on permantly or switch off when not in use ?????????


lui

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swings and roundabouts really. Servers are always left switched on and they seems to perform for long periods of time without failing (well some do anyhow).

Shutting down and re-starting on a daily basis does put its own stresses on cooling fans and other components that have to wind themselves back upto speed from a standstill.

You will of course be wasting energy by having PCs on whilst not in use.

But if you've got good stable room temps where your PC is located then you shouldn't have many problems leaving it on.

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There is an increased security risk associated with leaving your PC on constantly connected to the internet! As long as you are well protected with a solid security package including a desktop firewall (not just anti-virus) you should be OK.

 

So leaving pc on permanatly ok & just turn off modem when not in use ???????????

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I have two PCs.

 

The main one I switch off when not in use. To save a few pennies and the environment.

The other I use as a download/backup/web & FTP server and is on 24/7 (When it doesn't fall over that is).

 

Unless you're switching it off/on every 30 mins, it's better to turn it off.

 

That's my opinion, no one else can use it now... ;)

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swings and roundabouts really. Servers are always left switched on and they seems to perform for long periods of time without failing (well some do anyhow).

Shutting down and re-starting on a daily basis does put its own stresses on cooling fans and other components that have to wind themselves back upto speed from a standstill.

You will of course be wasting energy by having PCs on whilst not in use.

But if you've got good stable room temps where your PC is located then you shouldn't have many problems leaving it on.

 

Servers are designed to be left on 24/7 though. PCs aren't. Personally I always switch mine off when it's not doing anything - I do a lot of video processing, so I leave it grinding away over-night or whatever, but set to switch itself off once it's finished.

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One component that takes the biggest hit is the hard disk, heat cycling and spinning up and down will reduce the life span of the disk considerably.

 

It all depends on how often you use it, if you're going to come back to it an hour later then leave it on, but if you're not going to use it for several hours then best to shut down :)

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Its fine to leave servers on, there intelligent and look after themselves, and they are usually in very cold rooms.

 

But would defiantly turn pc's off. I find the ATX cases are terrible for cooling really, especially off the shelf PC's. and leaving the harddisk running that long to heat up is asking for trouble.

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Mine stay on 24/7 and so do almost all of my customers. It's convenient when coming back to the computer, and it suits remote access too, although magic packets could be sent etc but I just leave them on. Switch the screens off though or set the screen to be turned off after some time.

 

I'd say it is personal choice though, and I'm all open to being persuaded to change my practice in this regard ;)

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There is an increased security risk associated with leaving your PC on constantly connected to the internet! As long as you are well protected with a solid security package including a desktop firewall (not just anti-virus) you should be OK.

 

Agree, most registry dependent viruses need the PC to be restarted anyway, Thats why I leave mine on all day and nothing to do with downloading any form of pirated material :sly:

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XP 64 bit will just annoy you more.

I've got a few quirky games that crash, camera drivers don't work, hp drivers, other misc hardware. Driver support just isn't happening from hardware vendors as they all seem to be putting in their efforts for Vista. Which rocks.

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my router, switch, firewall machine and webserver are on 24/7 and typically only go down if there is a power cut (rare so not that worried about a UPS). Never had a problem, don't notice it on the elecy bill. But as mentioned, if you're on the internet 24/7 especially with a static IP you need some decent protection or the PC won't last 5 mins

 

EDIT: I do switch the monitors off!

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