Mac Shut Off

jeanotte · Dec 26, 2009

Hello-
I just moved to Macs. Bought a new Mac Pro laptop and a Mini. What are the recommendations concerning shutting them down when not in use? I notice they go to sleep and wonder if I need to shut them down if I am coming back to them in the morning or within a day or so. Thanks for the guidance.

Collin Bl · Dec 26, 2009

Hi Jeanotte - welcome to the forum. If u search the forum there are threads and those for and against. My practice involves a complete shutdown and reboot every 3 - 4 days and in between it sleeps when i do. That seems to empty some of the caches and keeps me/computer happy.

harryb2448 · Dec 26, 2009

Another who shuts down as a reboot checks everything out and I shut down daily.

VegasGeorge · Dec 26, 2009

Yes, Collin Bl's approach is about right. I take my MBP with me when I leave the house maybe twice a week. That's when mine gets turned all the way off. Otherwise I just let it sleep.

Dysfunction · Dec 26, 2009

I don't think there's a computer I use that's been shut down within the last two months unless there was some specific reason to.. like swapping ram etc. I just don't do it, nor do I really see much of a reason to. While post does check hardware on boot, most of the time it's pretty obvious when hardwares going flaky anyway IMO

bobtomay · Dec 26, 2009

Of my 5 computers, none of them are ever shut down except for restarts required after software installs.

baggss · Dec 26, 2009

A laptop should generally be shut down if you are going to be transporting it outside the home or putting it in a bag, it's just the smart thing to do. If it's just going to sit on a desk, table or be used in your living-room and then shut until you open it in a few hours there is no point in turning it off. My wife's Sony Vaio almost never gets turned off or restarted. It sits on a chair in the living room and she uses it to do her homework or surf the web while watching TV.

My laptop is on 24/7 when I am in a hotel on business but is rarely used at home, so it's off at home. My desktop at home almost never gets turned off (and only occasionally restarted) unless I am leaving home on business for more than 24 hours.

DaFlake · Dec 26, 2009

My laptop is never shutdown and I have never had a problem with it. The laptop sleeps when it is shut and there is no need to do anything further when you put it in a bag.

I only restart it when I need to for software.

Dysfunction · Dec 26, 2009

baggss said:
A laptop should generally be shut down if you are going to be transporting it outside the home or putting it in a bag, it's just the smart thing to do. If it's just going to sit on a desk, table or be used in your living-room and then shut until you open it in a few hours there is no point in turning it off. My wife's Sony Vaio almost never gets turned off or restarted. It sits on a chair in the living room and she uses it to do her homework or surf the web while watching TV.

My laptop is on 24/7 when I am in a hotel on business but is rarely used at home, so it's off at home. My desktop at home almost never gets turned off (and only occasionally restarted) unless I am leaving home on business for more than 24 hours.

Even my traveling laptops just get put to sleep...

WakeCarver · Dec 26, 2009

baggss said:
A laptop should generally be shut down if you are going to be transporting it outside the home or putting it in a bag, it's just the smart thing to do. If it's just going to sit on a desk, table or be used in your living-room and then shut until you open it in a few hours there is no point in turning it off. My wife's Sony Vaio almost never gets turned off or restarted. It sits on a chair in the living room and she uses it to do her homework or surf the web while watching TV.

My laptop is on 24/7 when I am in a hotel on business but is rarely used at home, so it's off at home. My desktop at home almost never gets turned off (and only occasionally restarted) unless I am leaving home on business for more than 24 hours.

Totally agree with baggss, you can just shut the lid on a laptop when not in use, but you should shut it down when placing it in a bag. If the lid comes open while in a bag it could wake up and overheat, although in theory it should shut down on its own before any permanent damage occurs. As for my desktop I usually reboot every 30 days or as required for software updates. I never just turn it off though.

alexsd123 · Dec 27, 2009

Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to shut down my laptop at night.

I would rather boot up every morning than have it on all the time.

Either way is fine, just do what you prefer.

cwa107 · Dec 27, 2009

NOTE: Thread moved to appropriate forum. Not just anything goes in Anything Goes