Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!xanth!lll-winken!uunet!cos!andrews
From: andrews@cos.com (Andrew R. Scholnick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Leaving Computer On
Keywords: Amiga, Continuous, Turned on, Running
Message-ID: <16944@cos.com>
Date: 13 Apr 89 13:12:43 GMT
References: <7684@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Organization: Corporation for Open Systems, McLean, VA
Lines: 52

In article <7684@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>, rdnelson@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Roger D Nelson) writes:
> Standard apology for asking what may be an old question.
> 
> What is the net's experience-based wisdom on the effect of leaving a
> micro-computer turned on?  I have an Amiga 1000 with an external
> floppy, a printer and modem, all powered through a spike suppressor
> outlet gang.  How is the longevity of the computer affected when there
> is no activity -- merely turned on -- and when there is occasional
> activity prompted by timer activated invocation of programs, e.g., a
> one hour period every 12 hours?  How about the peripherals?  
> There are chips and diodes that are on, warm and active -- do they get 
> "used up" like an incandescent bulb?  And does the transition shock of 
> being turned on/off cause more damage than continuous running?
> I can imagine a function relating MTBF to the mean length of on-time or the
> frequency of cold-boots, or some similar variable.
>  
> While I have your attention, may I expand the question to include
> systems that have a hard drive?  And finally, is there a difference in
> regard to the question of continuous running for the various types of
> computer?  At work I use IBM PCs and ATs, and wonder about leaving
> them running also.
> 
> Roger Nelson  rdnelson@phoenix.princeton.edu
You will find all sorts of opinions on this subject, my favorite
follows:

Systems with Hard Disks are better left on all the time.  The repeated
heating and cooling of drive elements wears them out, causes substrates
to flake sooner (Read/Write errors) and drives to whine before their
time...

Computers, well, got a coin?  Heating and cooling components (which is
what happens when you turn them on and off) can cause fracturing of
connections and 'stress' the electronic elements needlessly.  However,
if you only use the thing for an hour or two once or twice a week, the
extended running time may wear it out just as fast or faster...  How
heavily is your machine being used by these timed tasks?  

I use my machine for daily mail and programming activities about 3 hours
a day (on weekdays) to 10 hours a day (on weekends) and run a news feed
over night, so I just leave it on all the time.  Of corse my
Uninterruptable Power Supply and Line Noise Filters help my piece
of mind considerably ;-).

Just my $.02.

ARS.
-- 
- Andrew R. Scholnick @ Corp. for Open Systems, McLean, VA -- andrews@cos.com
- {uunet, sundc, decuac}!cos!andrews -- Everything I write blame on me, NOT
-- my employer. - "Adventure is when you toss your life on the scales of
-- chance and wait for the pointer to stop." - M. Leinster (First Contact)