is it bad to leave my laptop on over night? i havent in 5 and a half years... well, once to transfer a file. if i leave it on overnight will the files im downloading sitll download if the screen shuts off, the harddrives shut down, and the computer goes into hibernation mode?????

just wondering.


muchos gracias

Some people say a computer / laptop will wear out quicker the more you leave it on. Some people would say that, in fact, a computer wears out quicker if you switch it off at night because the internal metal parts are repeatedly being warmed up during the day and cooled down at night.

Personally, I generally switch off my system at night but I don't worry if I leave it on for a few days continuously. Most people would only think of it as a bad thing to leave your PC / laptop on continuously from the point of view that your electricity bill will be a little higher.

Files will continue to download from the Internet if your screen switches off and your laptop ought to stop itself from going into Standby or Hibernate if the system is still busy downloading files.

Having said all of this, a Windows 98 system should generally be rebooted or switched off at least once a day if you have been using numerous documents or applications. WIndows 2000 and XP are very good at memory management but Windows 98 will slow down as the day progresses, eventually grinding to a halt.

Hardware is a basic system of VooDoo. HDDs are tested for continuous service, Electronics are tested for continuous power. I worked for Intel for a couple of years and found that they expect the processor to be on continous for 3 years before a failure...Now, does anyone do that? As DJNafey pointed out its up to the individual. I leave my laptops and Desktops/Servers on continuous for both convenience and for Wear testing (always pushing my stuff!)

I just lost my laptop HDD. This machine was turned on and off everyday because thats what My wife wanted to do...I have an older laptop that has not been off in over 4 years without the HDD failing..So its your choice.

As far as the download, while the processor is active, the system will not completely shutdown or hibernate. Downloads require the processor to do some traffic control so you can download all night without worry on that...However I would make sure I have a firewall and AV software if I were to stay connected that long to the net.