To Power Off or Not to Power Off…That is the Question

Many people ask me whether it is better to shut their computer off or leave it on.  Well, my answer is very much like my previous blog (Sometime you feel like a Mac, sometimes you don’t).  This is one of those questions where there is no single right answer. In other words, it depends on how you use your computer.

There are at some situations that may force you to leave your computer on 24 hours a day:

• You are on a network, and the network administrators back up files and/or upgrade software over the network at night. If that is the case, and you want your machine backed up or upgraded, then you need to leave it on all the time.
• You are using your machine as some sort of server. If your machine acts as a file server, print server, Web server, etc., on a LAN (local area network) or the Internet, then you need to leave it on all the time.

Other reasons to leave it on are:

• For daily updates
• For daily scheduled maintenance tasks
• Full virus and or spyware scans
• Sharing files on network or online
• Downloading large files like movies

If you do not fall into any of these categories, then you have a choice about whether or not to leave your machine on.

Why people turn off their computers at night:

• Save energy
• Let the computer take a break and cool down
• To take the computer offline to avoid any security issues
• Protect from power surges (although the computer is still vulnerable to power surges if it's not hooked up to a surge protector)

So what is the right answer?  The problem is that there's no real clear answer.

It really depends on your usage.  The user who uses their computer perhaps for a few hours a day would most likely turn it off, or put it into standby, when it's not going to be used for a few hours or more. And that's simply to minimize power use. It's also not a big deal if they don't.

Those people that use their computers throughout the day (or night) find it easier to leave it on and have it available when needed without waiting for it to boot up (although the occasional reboot is advised – at least once a week).

Personally, I make the decision based on how I use my computers. Since I access my computers often and all times of the day and night - my computers are on 24 hours a day.  And more importantly, over night they all execute critical back-up and synchronization, updates and anti-virus definitions that I rely on.