To Shut Down You Computer Overnight Or Not

[retrocop]

My wife insists that the desktop family computer be shut down last thing at night as she is worried about hacking risks.
I find it a pain when the computer has been left for a day or three in shut down mode and when re-booting await,sometimes, a considerable time for Windows to update or reconfigure.
My argument is that many companies leave their office computers on overnight, so, providing one logs out of the programme being used e.g. on line banking, e-bay, AB etc there is likely to be no more risk of unauthorised access than having shut down the PC entirely. I take on board the chance of night time burglary but that aside along with the 'green' issues
What is the consensus of opinion from the AB experts please?

[dannyk13]

Try leaving it on hibernate or sleep mode

[Sqad]

I'm no expert, but i leave mine on all night in sleep mode, but once a day, every day, i do re-boot it.

[spathiphyllum]

I don't think hackers have more of a chance of hacking your PC if it is on or not.. Most hackers these days are more concerned with crypto currency accounts, paypal, and other software accounts, Emails etc.. less so your personal files.

If a hacker has access to your PC or not, if it's on or not isn't a 'big deal' to the hacker. They will get what they want.

For environmental reasons and for the health and longevity of your PC i would recommend turning it off each night so it can start a fresh each day.

[Jackdaw33]

What's the difference between hibernate and sleep, not that I use either?

[spathiphyllum]

I think hibernate is for a couple of days where as sleep could be for an hour or up to a day.

Hibernate will require a power button turn on still


Sleep more a wiggle of the mouse.

[dannyk13]

Sleep takes longer to reload than hibernate.

[dannyk13]

Spath, that is wrong.
https://www.howtogeek.com/102897/whats-the-difference-between-sleep-and-hibernate-in-windows/

[spathiphyllum]

Danny, I don't think i'm wrong. Sleep freezes the PC, hibernate turns it off.

Usuaully to come out of sleep mode you need to press the keyboard or wriggle the mouse. To come out of hibernation mode you usually need to press the power button but each PC is different.

[spathiphyllum]

Think about the words used to describe the different states also.. Sleep, Hibernate.. Hibernate imply's a longer time than sleep. Hibernate is almost like a 'deep sleep' mode for a PC.

[retrocop]

Thank you all for your input. I assume that the PC,in sleep or hibernate mode,will automatically update overnight with Windows when necessary or am I wrong?

[dannyk13]

Spath, opening my laptop from hibernation turns it on.

[spathiphyllum]

That makes sense danny. Laptops can recognise when their 'lid is closed'. Opening the screen may prompt a wake up

I was mainly thinking of a PC

[spathiphyllum]

"will automatically update overnight with Windows when necessary or am I wrong?"

you are wrong. You usually need to prompt updates and then restart the operating system.

[spathiphyllum]

An option may be available such as "update and sleep" or "update and hibernate"

Usually the best one is "Update and restart" as restarting the OS is part of the update.

[dannyk13]

Retro I have my updates set on selection by myself.Don't know if they will load overnight if you have yours set for automatic updates.

[whistonian]

I have always shut my PC down after every use.

[emmie]

i always shut off the computer, to be honest its not something i think about, but just do.

[woofgang]

surely its not to do with the computer but with the wireless hub?

[Palustris]

I Shut Down the PC every night and turn it off at the wall. No biggy to start it up again in a morning. Do the same if we are going out for the day or longer than a few hours. Prefer not to have any electrical goods working all night. Turn everything off at bed time.

[Old_Geezer]

I leave mine on permanently.
(Pain in the neck when the screensaver doesn't cut in as it should though.)
Hackers don't necessarily work at night, and all day it's night somewhere on the planet. Invest in a good firewall and anti-virus, back up regularly, don't worry, be happy.