Just put it to sleep

Back in the “olden” days of computers, say around the turn of the century, the most likely time for your computer system to fail was around the moment you hit the power button to turn it on. The very act of turning on your computer put a strain on the memory, the processor, the hard drives and most of the other components in your system. In those days, the best was to avoid the possible repercussions of power surges during power on were to just let the system run. You’d turn off your monitor and peripherals and only turn off the system itself when necessary.

Computers have come a long way in the last decade. Prices are down and manufacturers can’t afford to sell computers that fail. And, advances in “Energy Star” technology has significantly decreased the number of watts it takes to run your PC and peripherals. With newer systems, according to the Microsoft Small Business Center’s article “Do You Need to Shut Off Your PC at Night?,” there is no reason to shut down your computer overnight. In fact, you may save as much as $90 a year in energy costs if you place your computer into the “hibernate” or “sleep” mode instead of turning it off or letting it run in normal operations mode.

Even when it’s shut down, you computer still uses electricity.  Putting your system into “hibernate” or “sleep” mode will save just as much energy as shutting it down.

Using a screen saver doesn’t save electricity. Having the monitor turn off after a period of time will.

Turning your computer on and off isn’t going to wear it out.  Newer systems are capable of handling  some 40,000 on/off cycles. The biggest advantage to “sleep” or “hibernate” modes is the time you save over having to go through the Windows boot cycle.

You can modify the power savings settings on your computer and set them to automatically enter  “hibernate” or “sleep Mode” after a specified period of idle time. Many computers also have a keyboard button that will put your computer into a “hibernate” or “sleep” mode when pressed.

If your computer is not currently set to automatically conserve energy, check Windows Help and search for “power”, “hibernate,” or “sleep.”