Turn Computer Off Or Leave It On

I shut mine down, power off the ups and hit the wall switch which turns off power to ups/printer/Ethernet switch etc. Have done it that way for ages.

dalchina, I've seen lots of articles and forum discussions about the issue but hadn't come across the 3 items you mentioned; they were additionally helpful. Also, the summary at the top was helpful to clarify things bottom-line.

meebers, unfortunately I don't have a relevant wall switch, and constantly unplugging and plugging in the UPS is not a viable option, so I'll have to pass on that. Also, my UPS is kind of fragile; it's best just to be left on if possible.

Given everything I've learned, I guess I'll stick to turning it off during major downtime, but put it in Sleep mode if it's going to be just a few hours between uses.

Thanks again to everybody who responded.

vanp said:

Concerning Hibernate, my understanding: The computer is basically turned off, and using no electricity ...

Not true. The PSU is still operational in standby mode supplying a small trickle current on the +5V standby supply to the motherboard. When you press the PC's On button, this standby voltage is used to send a Power On signal to the PSU to turn on and boot the PC.

Your PC should be safe in hibernation provide you haven't enabled Wake on LAN which could enable a remote hacker to wake your PC.

Thanks, Steve C and dalchina. Yet something else for me to think about.

I strongly suggest that the OP creates regular backup images and will be covered should the HD fail.
I leave my PC on, I just sign out every night.
I'm from the old school and was in Power Maintenance for many years. So I'll throw my 10 cents worth in on the topic for what it's worth. Continuously powering up and down is hard on all electrical devices, especially electronics. Electronic components are stressed through the continuous heating and cooling cycles, expansion and contraction. Powering up from cold causes inrush currents 3x nominal. Inrush currents overtime damages ground wall insulation on power supply transformers, causing internal short circuits, thermal stress weakens poor solder joints on PC boards and components.
My opinion only.

First, don't know if it would change anybody's answer about anything, but when I'm through using the computer, nothing is left hanging. Everything is finished, closed, shut down, whatever. I'm not concerned about losing or saving anything. I just want to put as little wear-and-tear on the machine as possible and not use a lot of unnecessary electricity.

Stitch194, I've been creating weekly system images for years; thanks. I've read lots on this issue, and several sites/people say the technical stuff you say about expansion, contraction, continuous heating and cooling cycles, etc., may have been true in the olden days, but product quality is so good now that those types of concerns no longer apply. Then again, several agree with you. In fact, looking at the online articles and forums, it's astonishing the amount of disagreement on these issues among the "experts." You did say it was your opinion. Just like with climate change/global warming, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, JFK's bad day in Dallas, fluoride in water/toothpaste, etc., it would be nice if the experts agreed.

Well, Bree and Steve C seem not to agree on whether Hibernate uses power. Either it does or it doesn't. That narrows it down, I guess--can't think of many alternatives. But any power used is so minimal I guess it's a non-issue.

dalchina, you said "If you hibernate you can safely disconnect power." When I put it in Hibernate, the light on the power button goes off. When I push the button, the computer wakes up. Are you talking about physically unplugging or some equivalent?

I don't have a LAN, so no Wake on LAN, no router, no network, just connected to Internet. (This article--https://www.lifewire.com/wake-on-lan-4149800--says WoL can turn on a computer that is "completely powered off.") My understanding is that the machine:
A. Can be hacked if it's in Sleep or Hybrid Sleep mode.
B. Cannot be hacked if it's in Hibernate mode.
Is this correct?

Thanks again to all.

CountMike said:

When a computer is off, nobody can hack it.

Is the computer truly "off" if it's in Hibernate mode?