Laptop Users: Close the Cover
Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:06AM EST
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I'm guilty of leaving my notebook PC running endlessly. Perhaps you are too. I've had I've had two separate hard disk crashes this year on two separate notebook PCs. And my husband's small company just had a drive failure on a laptop, too. All of the laptops in question were between two and three years old.
The bottom line seems to be that after two or three years, hard disk failure in laptops is pretty common, at least based on my small sample.
So here's what I'd strongly recommend for all laptop users. Close the cover of your machine when you're not using it. This will put it into hibernate, sleep, or shutdown mode depending on how you've set up those options on your PC. Closing the cover stops the disk from spinning constantly. Even heavy laptop users probably only use their machines 30-50 hours a week. But there are 168 hours in a week, so if your PC is shut and the hard drive is not spinning when not in use, you should see at least three times the lifetime from your hard disk. Over time that could be the difference between failure after three years and failure after nine years!
Think my math is overly optimistic? Let me know if you've seen the same type of failures and successes. Seems like a big payoff for doing something as simple as closing the cover, doesn't it?
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47 Posted by toittoiger99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:14PM EDT Report Abuse
The main thing is buying a highly reputable laptop right off the bat - paying a little more in the short run will end up saving you in the long run. Personally, I believe Acer's are astounding laptops and have worked very well for me as a University student.
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48 Posted by gabypavlou on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
Hi, I am an I.T. Manager of a large Architect company. My advice is, have it on when you use it, shut it down when you are not. DO NOT USE... standby, hibernate, sleep mode, screen savers etc. WHY?? When running programs like Autocad, Photoshop, Word, etc from a central server, Windows or Linux, these settings disrupts the network connection and could corrupt the file that you are working on, saved or not. I have seen it time and time again. On when you use it, off when you don't. Good night Vienna.
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49 Posted by seeforus on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:12PM EDT Report Abuse
Robin, Don't you ever proofread your writing for typo's, and other needless grammatical errors before you publish it.
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50 Posted by jeffrey04lee on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:32PM EDT Report Abuse
Ok i got this fujisu lappy lasting for 7 years, well lost its CD drive, which will pop out regularly but still can use. All e comments are helpful but did anyone mention e vol? i heard that if tuning e vol too loud will affect e batt and e life of e lappy.
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51 Posted by devanx1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:42PM EDT Report Abuse
2.2 years. dead laptop. bad experience. i was quite suprised as i had spent the big bucks on getting a super duper 'deluxe' brand assuming it would last longer than its relatively modest but functional predecessor. wrong.
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52 Posted by swearingmanjensen on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:50PM EDT Report Abuse
Yes, either turn off or "sleep" the machine when not in use. This not only goes for laptops, but any machine that doesn't require constant availability. I've been involved in the industry for decades, and it is a little publicized, but well known fact, that consumer hard drives are not built to the same standards as the typical internet server hard drive...so, while server drives are built to last for decades, constantly running...we consumers must expect to purchase a new one every couple years... (and you'd better back up your data regularly in the mean time) ...unless we are prudent and conservative in our use of the hardware, thus squeezing every minute of potential service from it. Power it off and it will last much longer, unless it's an Apple, then you can just let it run forever.
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53 Posted by baebenezer on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:01PM EDT Report Abuse
hi I thought I was the only one with this problem. My laptop,s drive just crashed and I had to spend a fortune replacing it considering the fact that in my part of the world people survive on less than 1 Dollar a day. I thought this problem was peculiar to unbranded products but I use a Dell D600. I think it is up to the manufacturers to come up with a viable solution that will not add to the overall cost of the product. Could it also be a software problem? Mabe Windows Vista could solve the problem! another crash and that is the end of my romance with Laptops. Mac users do you have the same problem please let me know B.A.
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54 Posted by dora_pokrovac on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:47PM EDT Report Abuse
Hello! I also have a laptop, although i use it at home most of the time. I've learned these three things are very important: (most of it i learned from (bad)expirience, so i know what i'm talking about :)) 1) LET IT SLEEP. if you know you won't be using it for more than 30min (like wanna go and have dinner or watch something on TV), then put it into standby (not hibernate or shutdown). and the best thing is to do that manualy (i mean you need to press just 2 buttons), and leave the lid closing action without any "side-efects". in other words when you close the lid the computer will do nothing, because it's much safer for it to be closed even if you only go away for 5 minutes. especially if you have kids around the house. ;) and it's also good fot the monitor to be shut cuz it's pretty expensive to change the the lamp when it dies (i know!). 2) TAKE OUT THE BATTERY. if you use it (like i do) pluged in most of the time (at home or at work), then take out the battery. i know it sounds annoying to do that all of the time, but you need to trust me on this one. that's what killed my battery. batteries are made in a way that they constantly charge and empty, when you work while the laptop is plugged in. and then you're left wondering why it's dead and you never really used it running only on batteries. i won't go into details, i'm sure there's like 100 articles online where you can read about it if you wanna knwo how & why. 3) BUY AN EXTERNAL STORAGE DEVICE. no matter what precautions you take something can always happen. and it will save you a lot of nerves/time if you back up all your data on an external hard. my advice is to buy a regular (internal), 3,5" hard drive and a case (cabinet) that has a usb & firewire connection. it's cheaper than the "ready-made" external hards (like WD's mybook) and it's safer because if something should happen to the case, you can just go and buy a new one and put the hard into it, which is not possible if you have a "ready-made" (cuz it's all integrated). well, that would be my three sacred rules for laptops that can help you save a lot's of money + time = nerves.
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55 Posted by summ3rdaze923 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:47PM EDT Report Abuse
This all makes sense to me. I noticed that mine gives off a lot of heat and this has me concerned. I found out that there is a recall on all Dell Inspiron models made two years ago. The recall was because the mother board heated up to quickly and shut the computer down. I had not used my laptop much during the past two years, so I did not get the notice that Dell sent to me on my info icon until december 2006. ONE MONTH too late! So I am not protected under the recall....not right! Ok well thanks for the info! Summer D
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56 Posted by ssngorden on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:38PM EDT Report Abuse
Buy a Mac I Book and you will have it for at least 10 years regardless of the position of the cover. Howard
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57 Posted by top_strong_warrior on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:17PM EDT Report Abuse
Hi Buy a brended Hard Drive like seagate with 5400RPM spin becuase 7200 spin hard drive have shorter life span and keep it cool and i think this will last for 5 years with 24x7
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58 Posted by capnelectron on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:17PM EDT Report Abuse
There are 2 schools of thought on the lifetime of PCs (both laptop and full size). The "Moving Parts" school of thought expounds the theory that if it moves, it will wear out. The hard drive is the major moving part in a computer and therefore it is the weakest link: As a P.C. and Laptop repairman, I generally expect a PC hard drive to last a maximum of 5 years, and because laptop hard-drives have smaller, with more delicate components, I expect them to last about 3 years. Luckily the hard drives in most laptops and PCs are easy (and nowadays) inexpensive to replace. If you have backed up your system (and shame on you if you haven't) you will be ok after a hard-drive failure. The second school of thought is the "Thermal Fatigue" theory: When I was in the Navy, we ran our electronic gear 24/7, both for tactical reasons, and because turning them off and on generated thermal fatigue. If you have ever turned on a light and had it flash and burn out, you have experienced thermal fatigue. Electronic components like resistors, capacitors, semiconductors etc, will be more likely to fail if subjected to the voltage surges and thermal changes of being turned on and off. Many PC servers are Run 24/7 and last for up to 5 to 7 years without daily restarts, and their internal components thrive on the constant, unchanging temperature. Components that are effected by thermal fatigue are more difficult to replace than hard drives. Usually they are on the Mother board or the Video Adaptor. On a laptop these failures are usually fatal. I run my computers 24/7 and back them up....:) -Mike
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59 Posted by bcook150 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:03PM EDT Report Abuse
If your computer is a Dell then it won't matter wether or not if you turn your laptop off after a year or two it is destined to die LOL.
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60 Posted by joeweiss_2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:38PM EDT Report Abuse
I never leave my laptop on, when I am finished I shut it off completely until I want to use it again.
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61 Posted by ruriousheart on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:55PM EDT Report Abuse
hi, but i have heard tht if u shut down ur laptop quite frequently, it decreases the life .......and can anyone plz tell me why my laptop is making a strange noise after some time working on it(a noise like the "fans are working")........plus it shuts dwn it self sometimes......and some time while starting it.....it gets stuck ......i unable to shut it or do any thing on it tht time......hence i take out the battery and put it back again.....than it works alrite...... so do any body know whts going on??????
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62 Posted by boonetrac2 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:11PM EDT Report Abuse
It would be a good habit to backup your important files on some form of external drive. Maybe a zipdrive, or floppies. This way if your hard drive does fail only very minor loses of data will occur.
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63 Posted by jazzncocktails on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:30PM EDT Report Abuse
I remember when the computer companies and geeks were telling everyone to leave their computers on all the time. Folks, most if not all electronics eventually bust. The longer their left on, the sooner the bustage. Turn off the box and save on electricity and those nasty data gobbling repairs.
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64 Posted by mdiavaro99ro on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:14PM EDT Report Abuse
So far my laptop is quite fine, despite running 24/7 for 6 years now. Sometimes I do close the cover mainly to spare the display. So what can I say: either I am lucky or its manufacturer really knows its business.
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65 Posted by mdiavaro99ro on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:14PM EDT Report Abuse
Hey dryicezero! My laptop is also a Compaq Presario and as I said it keeps running although it's 6 years old and on 24/7.
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46 Posted by anikh76 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:55PM EDT Report Abuse
There are many other factors here that are overlooked in the article. First, as another user points out, the quality of your laptop counts for quite a bit. I've had good experiences with IBM/Lenovo, personally: these laptops are noted for their durability and longevity. They can be prohibitively expensive, however. Another important factor is RAM. Having more memory can reduce the need for Windows to access scratch disk space, cutting down on hard disk reads. Defragmenting your disk periodically is always a good idea, as is investing in some sort of registry repair tool (i.e. registry mechanic). Keep your laptop clean - buy some canned air and prevent dust from getting in through seams. Finally, I don't understand all this talk about closing your laptop lid -- which seems silly when you can set (through control panel) almost any laptop to hibernate after a specified period of inactivity.