Does this help or hurt?
By jhl930
@jhl930 (3601)
United States
October 21, 2008 7:14pm CST
ok i have heard that if you leave your computer on all night that it helps it some because it is running at its full speed the next morning and then i have heard that if you leave it running all night that it can possibly damage it and cause it to run slow and with my laptop a lot of times i will watch youtube at night to just calm me down and relax me and i will fall asleep listening to it and it stays on all night and i was just wondering if that might be slowing my computer down and tearing it up or if it is good for it...what are all of your opinions? i would like to take this time to thank everyone for taking the time out of your day to come by and read and review my discussion and hopefully answering, and trying to help me, and i hope that you all have a great day and night tonight, thanks again for taking the time to stop by.
1 person likes this
4 responses
@emojboy (632)
• Philippines
23 Oct 08
Well that's not true. As long you keep it cool then its ok. Computers are made for that reason just give them proper cooling. But I have heard that Windows xp will crash down after four days running without shutdown. Laptops and desktop are built to run overnight.
@psspurgeon1 (1109)
• United States
22 Oct 08
If you leave it on all night it is hard on the fan that keeps it cooled down. I learned that the hard way. Apparently the fan gave out from the constant running and my computer caught on fire, while I was using it!! So it is good to give it a cooldown and a break as often as you can...
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@psspurgeon1 (1109)
• United States
22 Oct 08
Your welcome. When I had smoke rolling out between my lets I kinda had a moment of terror. My husband had to tell me what I had done. Good luck to you! BTW, I have a laptop now and it only takes 30 seconds to get completly started up and be online!
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@manodogs (415)
• United States
23 Oct 08
This is a great question.
I have been computing (seriously) for over 15 years now and with 98 - even XP - desktop computers, it's best to leave them on. The technology just wasn't there back then and the analogy I always heard was, "When does a lightbulb blow? When you turn it on."
It is hard on the fan, but most everyone has at least one "spare parts" box laying around from which you can salvage the fan and install it in maybe five minutes. Of course, not all fans are the same, so you may have to do some jury-rigging to get it to set right, but that's what tape is for!
Nowadays, I leave mine on basically all the time - unless I am going to be away for several hours (usually even then) or out of town for a day or two. It is partly because I just got into the habit, partly because it's hard to shake that lightbulb analogy, and partly because my computer is the central hub of my... everything. If it's down, people start calling to see if I'm okay!
Laptops are whole other matters and mine gets pretty darned hot if I leave it on for long, so I would say it's best to turn it off.
@Matthammer (385)
•
22 Oct 08
If you optimise your pc and its processes the time it takes for bootup etc is barely visible. It is a far cry from the old days where you could go away and make a cup of tea and have a wander round whilst it booted/restarted ;)
I always switch my PC off overnight. The potentially reduced lifespan of the components is far more of a concern than being patient for 20secs whilst it loads hehe
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