is this unsafe?

laurit1 · Nov 5, 2006

is it unsafe for my macbook to close without shutting down? when i have class or need to take my computer to the library to do some work i usually just close my macbook without shutting down, carry it to class or the library, and then open it up and continue with my work. is it unsafe for me to do this--should i shut down my computer before closing it?

BIG D 04 · Nov 5, 2006

I don't have one but doesn't closing the case just make Your Display go into sleep mode....Not the whole computer.

trpnmonkey41 · Nov 5, 2006

BIG D 04 said:
I don't have one but doesn't closing the case just make Your Display go into sleep mode....Not the whole computer.

No the whole computer goes to sleep. It is perfectly fine to do that

Slokunshialgo · Nov 5, 2006

For pretty much any laptop (Mac or PC) there are 2 main concerns: 1) Don't leave it in sleep mode for hours (A matter of heat. Trust me, I've incidentally left it on like this, and it heats up a LOT) 2) Don't jostle the HDDs while they're working (Sleep mode gets rid of this)

D3v1L80Y · Nov 5, 2006

Slokunshialgo said:
...Don't leave it in sleep mode for hours (A matter of heat. Trust me, I've incidentally left it on like this, and it heats up a LOT)

I have left notebook computers in sleep mode for days on end and I have never had a heat issue with any of them.

coach_z · Nov 5, 2006

wrong and wrong in my honest opinion.

closing your lid puts your computer to sleep meaning that the HD locks up and wont spin and the arm thingy in it wont move as well. anything else that may move such as a cd drive shuts down as well. it stores all its memory and doesnt do anything. there is next to no heat generated by a sleeping computer. also the tiem that it is sleeping has nothing to do with anything except that after a few days or hours depending on battery left when sleeping it might shut down because it runs out of power.

long story short. close your lid, wait about 35 seconds, throw it in your bag and tote it wherever and however you want to around campus or to and from your job

-chris

digital john · Nov 5, 2006

coach_z said:
wrong and wrong in my honest opinion.

closing your lid puts your computer to sleep meaning that the HD locks up and wont spin and the arm thingy in it wont move as well. anything else that may move such as a cd drive shuts down as well. it stores all its memory and doesnt do anything. there is next to no heat generated by a sleeping computer. also the tiem that it is sleeping has nothing to do with anything except that after a few days or hours depending on battery left when sleeping it might shut down because it runs out of power.

long story short. close your lid, wait about 35 seconds, throw it in your bag and tote it wherever and however you want to around campus or to and from your job

-chris

Dang bro you beat my to the punch... ;]

But back to the topic. What he said ^.

Jamo · Nov 5, 2006

The ONLY scary thing about traveling with a sleepy laptop is that IF you were to drop it and the lid opened. If this happens mid-tumble and the laptop wakes up, you could be in for some trouble. That would be a freak occurance, but it could happen.

coach_z · Nov 6, 2006

jamo you are right and wrong. if you are using a powerbook then yes that will be an issue. a Macbook has that nifty drop feature that if it is moving rapidly or whatever, it locks everything up to prevent damage to the hard drive
-chris

Slokunshialgo · Nov 6, 2006

coach_z said:
wrong and wrong in my honest opinion.

closing your lid puts your computer to sleep meaning that the HD locks up and wont spin and the arm thingy in it wont move as well. anything else that may move such as a cd drive shuts down as well. it stores all its memory and doesnt do anything. there is next to no heat generated by a sleeping computer. also the tiem that it is sleeping has nothing to do with anything except that after a few days or hours depending on battery left when sleeping it might shut down because it runs out of power.

Sorry, didn't realize this. it could just be the model I have (It's a Dell), and I was speaking from experience of my trying to hibernate it, it screwed up, went into sleep without my realizing it, and about 6 hours later (Note that it had been in my bag the whole time) it was hot as heck.

As for the moving parts, I had meant that putting it in sleep stops everything fro moving, ridding the possibility of jostling the drives with them still running.

Jamo · Nov 6, 2006

Oh, right Chris. I forgot all about that. However, if you have your notebook turned off, this is the ONLY surefire way that everything will remain off, and is the BEST way to travel with your machine. That said, I don't always turn mine off, if I'm just going across the office or from Panera to my car to home where I'll open it right back up, I just sleep it. It's totally personal preference.