Lets see it was 1 deg. F this morning in the Bathroom and 4 deg. F in the kitchen. Must be cold out! Interestingly, computers are not extreme temperature friendly. Normal operations should be between 55 and 80 degrees. Trying to run a laptop or desktop computer at either end of those temperatures will lead to problems. Laptops, with batteries, tend to be more low temperature sensitive. Heat is the enemy of all computers since they are heat generators. All those electrons wandering around your mother boards just generate lots of global warming!
One pet peeve I have that customers don't listen to, is keeping their PC tower on the floor. I don't like if for a number of reasons. First and foremost that if there is any kind of flood or leak then the PC is going to get wet. Secondly, spiders and their ilk have an easier time getting in that nice warm PC. Floor PCs also get kicked, bumped by vacuums, and jostled more then ones on desktops. Just not a good idea. What I recommend is that you raise the Tower 4-6 inches off the ground somehow.
The question I most often get asked is “Should I leave my PC on all the time?” Now let me date myself and say I’m the son of Depression Era kids. Lights never stayed on if you were not in the room. The thermostat was never touched without a great debate. And heaven forbid you leave a room with the TV on. Given that upbringing, it’s not surprising that I tell my customers to turn off that PC if you are not using it. Now I don’t recommend you turn it off if you are leaving to get the mail or use the facilities. Most computers use around 300- 400 watts of electricity when on. That’s like 4 bright light bulbs. Also remember there are moving parts in your computer. Hard drives spin at incredibly high speeds. Leaving them on all time just gets you closer to the dreaded HARD DRIVE FAILURE we all fear. So if you are calling it a night with your PC or leaving for more then an hour, just turn it off. Don’t forget your monitor and printer!
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