Is it bad to not turn off or reboot your laptop?

[FearoftheNight]

Hey guys just wanted to know if it was important to turn off your computer or reboot once in a while. My Macbook Pro currently has uptime of 13 days and 3 hours although I do leave it on standby on some nights. . I do this with both my laptop and my desktop. This is this bad for either one?

 

[corkyg]

Don't know about Macbooks, but generally speaking, notebooks are not designed or built for 24/7 operation. No problem with desktops.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Shouldn't hurt it. My sister keeps her old Inspiron on for months with nothing but close-lid suspend. (I believe it's set up for S1 sleep)

You might want to look into S3 sleep for both. No point in leaving a desktop idling at 100W when it can use 3W and still be near instantaneously on. My main rig also goes months without rebooting -- sleep is its "off".

 

[lxskllr]

I set my mother's Vista laptop to sleep when the lid is closed, because it saves issues dealing with all those confusing buttons :^D It only reboots when I update it, and is required. Same with my Ubuntu netbook. The only time I reboot it is for kernel updates. I wouldn't let it run full power if you aren't using it. As CorkyG pointed out, it's a confined space, and heat can buildup. Also, a failed part is a greater PITA to fix than it is on a desktop. If you really do want to leave it running(not the worst idea in the world), I'd at least use a good cooling pad to keep the temps down.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I leave both my desktop, and my laptop, running 24/7. No problems thus far to report in about a year of owning my laptop. Desktop has been running 24/7 for like three years, although I had to replace the PSU at one point, as the fan started to go bad.

 

[hulkhelton]

this is what has me worried about owning a laptop.

most days i have my laptop hooked up to a keyboard and mouse and monitor and use it like a desktop, but i like the ability of when i want to take it into bed or over on the couch with me i can take it.
i just worry about it being ran so hard and running 24/7 literally. it never goes to sleep because it is usually encoding video overnight.

 

[betasub]

^ At least try to ensure it is kept cool if you leave it on heavy-duty tasks for a long period, like overnight.

 

[hulkhelton]

^ At least try to ensure it is kept cool if you leave it on heavy-duty tasks for a long period, like overnight.

its always on a laptop cooler, now my girlfriend refuses to use the laptop cooler i gave her and she sets it on the bed and shit where the fan ports are getting smothered...

 

[TheStu]

I think my longest uptime on my laptop was 78 days or something. Then an update happened so I had to reboot. I see no problems with it. If you are running a modern OS then it will take care of itself with regards to sleep and whatnot.

Rebooting is such a hassle.

 

[pukemon]

I usually close the lids on my notebooks, and it goes into standby. I only reboot when I have to, but with updates being pushed as it is, that's usually at least one a week.

 

[piasabird]

First thing I would say is you need to use the batteries once in a while to keep them functional.

The second thing I would say is that it might be benneficial to turn the computer off and have it do a reboot about once a week or so.

You should also have automatically updating. This may require a reboot once in a while.

You should not have the same exact image on the screen all the time. Closing the lid may be helpful and help the screen to last longer.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I usually close the lit and let it sit. The battery is pretty low when I turn it back on again and needs to be plugged in but other than that no problems.

I like to cycle the battery though so I don't leave it plugged in 24/7, I wouldn't recommend that.

 

[hulkhelton]

I like to cycle the battery though so I don't leave it plugged in 24/7, I wouldn't recommend that.

i always take my battery out when its not in use.

 

[FearoftheNight]

i always take my battery out when its not in use.

lol given how the apple laptop charger cords are designed...that would be a really bad idea

yea i think my battery is shot i've been using my laptop plugged in for about 3 years now..istat shows battery as: health 35% 317 cycles.....i assume this is normal given the general usage pattern?

 

[TheStu]

lol given how the apple laptop charger cords are designed...that would be a really bad idea

yea i think my battery is shot i've been using my laptop plugged in for about 3 years now..istat shows battery as: health 35% 317 cycles.....i assume this is normal given the general usage pattern?

After 300 cycles the battery should be at least at 80% capacity. So yea, you might want to get a new battery. What are the temperatures? Where is the laptop sitting?

 

[mfenn]

After 300 cycles the battery should be at least at 80% capacity. So yea, you might want to get a new battery. What are the temperatures? Where is the laptop sitting?

In this case, the 3 years is more important. Lithium ion batteries naturally lose capacity over time, whether they're being used or not. 35% is about what I would expect from a 3 year old battery.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Your battery tells you how many charge cycles it has? Interesting. Mine doesn't say anything like that.

 

[TheStu]

In this case, the 3 years is more important. Lithium ion batteries naturally lose capacity over time, whether they're being used or not. 35% is about what I would expect from a 3 year old battery.

Some are better, some are worse. I have a 6 year old battery with I think, 500 cycles (maybe it is 400, it is in my closet) that still holds about a 70% charge compared to new.

Your battery tells you how many charge cycles it has? Interesting. Mine doesn't say anything like that.

It is in the System Profiler on OS X. There might be a way to check that information on Windows, but I don't know how.