Poll Question: Do You Shut Your Mac Off Daily ?

[Kash]

When you guys put it to sleep do you plug it in or just let it sleep off the battery?

Depends on what I'm doing. If I'm at home, then it'll sit on the charger. If I'm traveling, then obviously the battery.

 

[Shikarnov]

I shut mine down every night.

I do this because my wife's cat likes to play on the desk when I'm asleep and could wake the computer (even with the lid shut)... when the system powers up, it begins to warm and the cat treats it like a little electric bed. And, as you can imagine, a lot of heat with nowhere to go isn't very good for a computer...

 

[Collin Bl]

At night i just hit Cmmnd Opt Eject to sleep it and then every 4-7 days do a shut down restart cycle which seems to keeps things running smoothly.

 

[ADKhikerVW]

I have been using Macs for 11 years now and have never shut one down except for updates or power outages. My first iMac from 1998 is still going strong, and hasn't been shut off (besides when moving) since new. It is still chugging away in the guest bedroom, never had a single issue. My aluminum iMac doesn't even go to sleep, just the screen sleeps.

 

[PapaNoHair]

What are the chances of that happening again?

Here in Florida? Very good actually. We have very heavy rain during the rainy season and it is not unusual to pick up hundreds of lightening strikes in just 30-60 minutes. I would rather be safe.

 

[Chris_Mav]

My macs get put to sleep every night, only time I shut down is when doing updates for when I'm on holiday.

 

[stephiemac71]

I shut mine down..just habit, I guess. I will put in to sleep if I'm stepping out for a while but at the end of the day,it gets shut off.

 

[CrimsonRequiem]

Here in Florida? Very good actually. We have very heavy rain during the rainy season and it is not unusual to pick up hundreds of lightening strikes in just 30-60 minutes. I would rather be safe.

I use to live in Alabama (army brat so we move around a lot. There is like nothing there. >_<") and we would get crazy crazy rain storms, tornados, and the occasional hurricanes.

Surge protector for sure for anything that doesn't have batteries, IE. iMac. The MB/P can be slept off the battery overnight or basically the whole day because it only eats like 3% battery for me.

 

[Juan Largo]

Shut down daily. No point in exposing an expensive piece of equipment to voltage surges and power outages (both of which are bad for the computer) when it's not being used. Also, rebooting clears caches, etc.

 

[Unibody]

Mine sleeps at night, but I don't shut down.

 

[technologist]

What are the chances of that happening again?

Exactly the same as the chance that it would happen the first time.

And yeah, in Florida, that's a pretty high chance. And you really do have to unplug your entire setup (newtwork, printers, etc.) from every connection (power, phone, cable) because lightning doesn't stop for anything..

 

[randoo53]

I'm glad I used the search engine to find this old poll. It answered a question I had about powering down vs sleep mode.
I let mine sleep but wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, but I think it's safe now that I have read some of the answers here.
Sometimes that darned old search engine does it's job, eh?

 

[Mac SK]

I missed the poll and Yes I do. Theres like 8 Macs with in arms reach.

 

[Chris H.]

I usually power my Power Mac down..there's a rule around my household about turning computers fully off..but that's because we've used Windows for many years. I turn mine on in the morning before school, do some brief updating to my facebook status, check the forums I visit, then the weather, then I hit the sleep mode keyboard shortcut. Though since I use USB extension cables on the keyboard (an old G3 style Bondi Blue Apple Keyboard) and a wireless Logitech mouse plugged in on the keyboard, the only thing that wakes the computer is hitting the power button directly on the computer. I like having a button on the keyboard, but since the extension cable makes up for the short cable that came with the keyboard, can't complain. It's a Mac. I'm glad I own one at least.

I'll add that if we're expecting storms of any kind (especially between March and October) during the day, then the computer gets shut down. I'm a weather geek and guru and therefore, I do make my own predictions as well. Turning the computer off doesn't hurt.

 

[Chris H.]

This is my strict ritual with my MacBook:

Before powering down:
Quit all applications
Turn off AirPort (if on)
Eject external HD
Shut off BlueTooth

power down

After powering down:
Unplug keyboard
unplug iPod USB connector
unplug external HD
unplug mini DVI adapter
unplug power cord
wipe down Mac with the black cloth
close screen
finish wiping down Mac
I place the cloth on the top of my Macbook, with the little imprinted Apple facing upwards towards me

---

If leaving the house for several hours or most of the day, I put to sleep without ejecting or unplugging anything, and close the screen.

If leaving for less than an hour, or just leaving the computer, I let it go into sleep mode by itself without closing anything.

---

Yes, I have a problem.

OCD, cuhnool?

Yes, I'm like that. Before I turn off my Mac for the night, or sleep it before leaving for school, I close all windows, and apps, and log out.

 

[cuhnool]

Hmm, yes I find myself in ways to be OCD. I will re-order and organize people's books in school because the way they are will bother me forever. But I have kind of broken away from that ritual now, I just put her to sleep mode when I go to bed. Sometimes I will keep the lid open, sometimes I will close it.

Not too bad anymore, haha

 

[mikekan]

50-50!

Sometimes I turn it off, sometimes I leave it on. It depends on my mood!

 

[dan1]

do you guys who leave it on, just leave the screen on until it goes to sleep by itself, or put it to sleep yourself??

 

[cwa107]

I close the lid and it goes to sleep. When I want to use it again, I open it back up.

 

[TheGreatApple]

Ditto. I just put mine to sleep for nap time