Should I shut down the computer every night?

If you use the computer for months without restarting, it may be ineffective to download updates. On another note, if you do not restart the system, and after a month, suddenly you see a blue screen or some problem at startup, you will have to find out what you have done in the whole one month, something almost impossible.

This is a frequently asked question. The answer is 'Should' for the following reasons:

Cost

Should not the computer turn on when not in use. The main reason is significant waste of energy. 450 watts is equivalent to a large light bulb, and imagine the power consumption of a 450 watt bulb 24 hours a day.

The Computing Unplugged sheet estimates that a regular PC with a high-power power supply, a good video card and a few hard drives can cost you $ 10-15 more every month if it's turned on 24 / 7.

Please note that the technology for electrical equipment production has changed and most of the current devices are designed to be turned on and off frequently.

Equipment wear and tear

Another issue to consider is the wear and tear over time of components or devices, such as drives, when operating continuously 24 hours a day.

Just like in the car, apart from the fuel cost problem, you also know that there are some parts that will wear out, such as engines or bearings. In the hard drive or blower in your computer there are also some such components.

Reboot the system

Besides, the operating system is also a factor to consider. Unlike expensive server operating systems, operating systems for user computers (such as Windows XP) do not aim to run all day or week without rebooting.

Many recording and saving tasks in the current operating systems take place during shutdown. The important point to consider is to complete the shutdown process to ensure that the settings are written to the OS and the registry.

Restart to update the system

Please discuss more about system updates. Everyone knows that updates are very important for computer systems. Many people activate Automatic Updates mode of Windows XP and many other software. However, perhaps not everyone knows that most of these updates only work when you restart the system, even if they don't prompt you to do this.

So if you use the computer for months without restarting, it is possible that downloading updates will become ineffective. On another note, if you do not restart the system, and after a month, suddenly you see a blue screen or some problem at startup, you will have to find out what you have done in the whole one month, something almost impossible. If you turn off the computer every night, things will be simpler and the problem may be easier to fix.