Well… it depends on person to person, and their usage, but we will discuss some of the pros and cons of turning off the computer when not in use..

  1. Convenience – A computer takes minimum 1 minute to boot, and hence if you are working now and then, it becomes very tedious job to turn on and off the computer again and again.  So the convenience is to keep the computer in on condition. But if you are operating the computer after a long span, it is advisable to keep the computer in sleep or hibernate mode, it saves power.
  2. Updation – Computer takes long time to update and run Antivirus programs if the internet is on, and updating also utilizes your hardware resources, which may slow down your normal processing, hence if you organize your updation work at night or at some time when your computer is free from work, it is beneficial for you.
  3. Accessing your computer from remote locations – If you are accessing your computer from remote locations, then you do not have any other choice, than to keep your computer on all the time. But if you are not accessing your computer from remote locations, or your computer is not working as a server, it is better to switch it off. That saves lots of power and life.
  4. Limited lifespan – All electronic items and components has its limited lifespan. Hence the less it is used increases the life span of a system.
  5. Power wastage – Putting the computer off when not in use saves lots of power.
  6. Power cuts and other unavoidable circumstances which may harm your computer  like lightening, short circuits, virus intrusions, hacking etc. can be minimized if not  stopped if you keep your computer off when not in use; thus keeping your computer healthy.

So according to me one must keep their computer’s switched off when not in use, which keeps their computer’s healthy, and one more reason is that your computer needs regular booting in order to keep itself updated, so this gives us enough reason to turn off our computer’s when not in use, so that the next time we will be booting it automatically.

Author : Debashish Ray, Jalpaiguri, W.B., Bharat