just a simple question. Is it better to keep a Computer on all the time, or better to shut down after using it? The computer I have gets used at different times in the day. Any commments welcome.Thanks!Matt

If you're going to use it throughout the day I would leave it on. Constantly turning it off and on will cause more wear and tear than just letting it run. There is always the very outside chance of it catching on fire (same as with anything else electrical) so if you leave the house for a long period of time you might turn it off. I've never heard of a computer catching on fire but the risk is there, however remote.

I think you will find that constant heat, and the bearing friction on rotating things (hard-drives, fans) far outweighs any negative "start-up" effects, except possibly on the on-off switch. Which is cheaper, an on-off switch or a hard drive?If you DO leave your stuff on, check out the "power-save" capability of your system carefully, and set the options to suit your type of operation.Art.

I for one have been running my computer 24/7 for last 5 months with about 2,3 reboots a week.

I usually keep my comp running all day up until bedtime. I must turn it off if I want to get any sleep, since its in my bedroom and its loud, well what do you expect with 4 big fans :) LOL.The main family comp, which is a K6-400, runs 24/7, because it has ummm "issues" booting into XP LOL. Since it runs in the family room anyway, it wont keep anyone up, and it will kick itself into standby in a hour anyway. I heard recently from a comp guru at my college that it really doesnt matter if you leave the comp on all the time or turn it off. Powering on does do a LITTLE stress, but not enough to break the devices in your comp for a good long while unless you press the power button over and over and over in a real short time :) LOL.