Issue 16.17
I have worked with computers for over 30 years and one question that comes up often is whether the customer should leave their computer on or turn it off when they are not using it. Interestingly, the answer has changed over the years and is not the same for all users.
In the early years, the answer was that you should leave the computer on as much as possible if you used it every day. It would need to be restarted fairly often to handle updates and errors that occur just from opening and closing programs and other user issues. The reason for this was the wear and tear on moving parts created when the computer first started up. It is similar to a car in that, if you are constantly starting and stopping your car it is likely that the engine will wear out quicker and the starter will need to be replaced often.
Then a change occurred. Because of the problems noted above, manufacturers improved the hardware so it was less susceptible to the problems of starting and stopping the computer. They did this to cut down the amount of electricity being used, especially with the old tube type monitors and to address the complaint that it took 2-3 minutes to restart a computer and load the Operating System (such as Windows). They also devised software designed to put computers in a type of “sleep” mode or “hibernation” where the memory still held what you were working on and the programs and operating system were still loaded, but the computer “Powered down” to a great extent. You could “wake it up” by clicking the space bar or moving the mouse and your system would be back in action within a few seconds.
In many computers I have worked on, this hibernation mode would not work correctly and you would have to restart the computer anyway, but this option has been working better the last couple of years on most systems.
The general consensus today is that it is usually best to leave your computer running as long as the sleep or hibernation mode is working well. An exception is if you do not use the computer for extended periods. At our house, I ask the family to turn off the computer if it will not be used for more than 12 hours. The computers are used all the time for us, but if we are going out of town or leaving home for a day or so, we turn them off.
You can set the sleep mode timing on your computer, usually under the display settings (right click on the background or go to the control panel). This gives you the opportunity to set up a screen saver and the actual sleep mode and set the amount of time the computer is not being used before those things take place. You can also tell the computer to require a password before the screen reactivates if you desire.
Finally, I have a slightly different recommendation if you have a laptop or all-in-one (computer and screen are all one piece). Because the cooling situation on these units is critical to how long they last and because the airflow is restricted to a very small pathway, I recommend you be sure the sleep mode is set up or you may choose to shut it down when not in use. Especially in high dust areas or those with pets (cat hair is the worst), failure to do this usually ends up with the cooling fan getting clogged up. The system then overheats, causing damage to the computer. Use your best judgment on this – and always make sure you remember to protect your data, documents, pictures and your computer, phone and tablet by always backing up anything important.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 34 years, 27 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently works as a computer consultant. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or shaun@musicomp.net.