Is it Safe to run the computer 24hrs a day?

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GhettoWayz

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hello, every once in a while my computer will not start. I think its probably the power supply....so, Im just running the damn thing 24 hours day...

is it safe to run 24 hours a day???

if I put the hibernate option on will i need to reboot from the power switch, or since I have this ac probalem, will wiggling the mouse just fire it back up???

I want to avoid the powering up problem...

do you any of you run your computer 24 hours day??

how can I get around this boot up problem...sometimes it fires up no problem, sometime it wont start at all.
 
Just my opinion, but whenever you don't know the answer to a hardware problem on your computer, then it's not safe to run it. What if the power supply shorted out? That could cause some hell. I't hard to determine what's safe if you're not even fully sure of what the problem is, so then once again, it doesn't sound safe to run. Faulty hardware can run the risk of starting a fire.
 
well, thanks for the concern but Im not worried about fire. The computer runs fine, its a pentium 4, never crashes or locks up.

its just that one in every x amount of boot ups, it wont start....it could be as simple as a worn out switch...

hell, it could even be some kind fo funky virus,. although I doubt it.

my question is more along the lines of running time for computers....

is it safe to run a computer 24 hours a day???? and will hibernate avoid starting from a cold boot(off state)???
 
Do PC's really "hibernate?" My Mac just sleeps! Anyway, I generally keep the sleep function off. I've read user reports suggesting that certain external devices (especially Firewire) are not recognized when exiting sleep mode. I use a MOTU 828 firewire interface and it tends to be picky about startup procedures. So, for this Mac user, no sleep.
 
I never shut them off. No reason to. I'm also a network administrator with a 35 client network. I insist that users do not shut their PC's down.
 
A computer will last years longer if you leave it running. Thermal expansion and contraction from it heating up and cooling down when you turn it on and shut it off are the killers. Silicon chips and semiconductors seperate over time from this. I have never shut my computers down and have had one that went for 11 years before a lightining strike took it out. If the modem wasn't hooked up it would still be running today. The spike came in over the phone wire. I have three computers running now, one is 4 years old, one is 3 years old and the other is a few months old.

There are literally thousands and thousands of computers running in remote locations like utility sub-stations and monitoring facilities that have been running forever.
 
Swapmaster said:
A computer will last years longer if you leave it running. Thermal expansion and contraction from it heating up and cooling down when you turn it on and shut it off are the killers. Silicon chips and semiconductors seperate over time from this. I have never shut my computers down and have had one that went for 11 years before a lightining strike took it out. If the modem wasn't hooked up it would still be running today. The spike came in over the phone wire. I have three computers running now, one is 4 years old, one is 3 years old and the other is a few months old.

There are literally thousands and thousands of computers running in remote locations like utility sub-stations and monitoring facilities that have been running forever.
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Agreed.
Think about office PC's...they never shut em off.
The thing I recommend is setting it up to auto shutdown in overheat if your CPU fan takes a dive.
This requires Mobo monitor software usually included on the Mobo install disc.
 
I used to leave mine on but shut it down these days if I'm not gonna be using it in the near future. Power cycling a PC is not a big deal. Personally I think of it more as an urban myth. I'm sure there's truth to jolting the electronics every time you fire it up, but only relevant of you turn your computer on and off 10 times a day. If your computer has problems because you turn it on and off a couple times a day, it's got other issues.

Pros to leaving on:
Convenience. Computer is ready right away without having to boot up.

Cons to leaving on.

CPU/PS/case fans get dirty and wear out much faster
Wastes electricity
Increases the odds the computer will be on during a severe electrical storm which will zap it a zillion times faster than powering it up and down too much...


Could be lots of things causing the computer not post the first time it's turned on but I'd agree with the power supply idea.. trying a different power supply might solve the prob.
 
Swapmaster said:
A computer will last years longer if you leave it running.
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Big deal if it lasts 15 years instead of 10.
You'd want to upgrade after 3 and it's totally obsolete after 6. :)
 
Nothing wrong with leaving your pc on ..aslong as it keeps cool and your components aren't frying.

and to the dude above me ...i see your point. But if i brought a computer today just to simply record on ...then i'd still be able to do it on that computer in 10 years if i wanted.

People only upgrade coz "better" things come out... not because they need to in most cases.
 
all the computers at my old school would usually stay on all day, all the time.

yet, every morning, if they had been left on overnight - the coputer would run SO BADLY that you'd HAVE to restart to get any work done. A restart would make it fast again, and then whithin probably 7-12 hours, it'd end up working SO SLOW that it's unbelieveable.

what do you guys say to that?

BTW - i'm an evironmental freak, turn off your huge power sucking computers if you are not using them for a day! haha
 
shackrock said:
all the computers at my old school would usually stay on all day, all the time.

yet, every morning, if they had been left on overnight - the coputer would run SO BADLY that you'd HAVE to restart to get any work done. A restart would make it fast again, and then whithin probably 7-12 hours, it'd end up working SO SLOW that it's unbelieveable.

what do you guys say to that?

BTW - i'm an evironmental freak, turn off your huge power sucking computers if you are not using them for a day! haha
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When a PC stays on 24/7 you have to reboot once every couple days to purge the memory.
 
Stealthtech said:
When a PC stays on 24/7 you have to reboot once every couple days to purge the memory.
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yeap i especially have to do that when i run another program after a recording session. and with the pc, cpu fans getting dirty...I've found that if you leave it on then it usually will keep a safe barrier somewhere so that it wont stop up and quit automatically.....it just wont work on the next reboot....my powersupply when out after i took the vacuum cleaner hose to it to suck out all the dust
 
You guys don't leave your cars running in the driveway all the time do you???
 
statecap said:
You guys don't leave your cars running in the driveway all the time do you???
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That's not a very valid comparison.
 
My computer from about 3 years ago needed to be rebooted every day in order to keep it running fast.

My bran new computer hasn't been shut off more than a few times in the last 5 months, it runs 100% flawlessely always. So maybe newer computers can handle the pressure of running all the time. But certainly, once you start adding new programs and taking up memory after a few years, give it a break and shut the thing down. They all don't work as good as they do when they're new.
 
Contrary to popular belief, running a computer 24 hours a day is not an energy hog. There was a report on this a year or two ago that said a computer running nonstop only tacks on a few dollars to your electricity bill. It only matters to big corporations whose bills would go up hundreds/thousands of dollars. But I was a network administrator before and leaving the PCs on makes for less problems.

Environmentalists need to take out moms with SUVs.
 
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