Using a Laptop

This morning, at a forum, I saw someone asking why his laptops all died within a year. One of the responses asked if he was leaving his laptop plugged in all day instead of turning it off when he was finished with it.

Is the question saying that we cannot leave a laptop plugged into the Ethernet, say, eight hours a day the way we do desk tops? Must we not only close the programs but log off completely between each visit to the internet? And, even then, must we also unplug the laptop from its power source?

Second question: Will leaving a laptop always plugged into the Ethernet overcharge the battery?

Thank you for explaining what is going to be very different if I switch from my desk top to a laptop.

Whether or not a computer is connected to a network or the Internet has nothing to do with power consumption or how long it will last. Leaving a laptop connected to AC power can cause overheating. A real killer for laptops is using them in a way that blocks ventilation ports. They should only be operated on a hard flat surface.

LMiller7 said:

Whether or not a computer is connected to a network or the Internet has nothing to do with power consumption or how long it will last. Leaving a laptop connected to AC power can cause overheating. A real killer for laptops is using them in a way that blocks ventilation ports. They should only be operated on a hard flat surface.

Gee, I'm glad I asked as that was my plan if I got a laptop - to simply hook it up to my ISP and leave it there to be used like any desktop. It seems I must not do that. So a laptop is meant to be battery-operated and plugged in to recharge the battery? Or, to plug it in for a short spell of use and then unplug it? Wonder why "they" didn't tell me that when I discussed buying a laptop.

OK. What if I left it connected to the ISP's modem but unplugged it from the wall? Or, in my case, from the surge protector? My plan was to use the laptop exactly as I have always used a regular desk top? Why? Because the old, heavy CPUs I cannot get to a shop for repairs. The laptop would be easier to tote.

And, do they still make the old style desk tops? Just curious about that.

Thanks again.

Thanks again. hazel m

whs said:

If you use your laptop as a stationary system, you can leave it plugged into the mains all the time. It does, however, somewhat shorten the lifetime of the battery.

"The mains"? Meaning, perhaps the modem and surge protector? But, no, the surge protector goes to the AC power outlet?

I am thinking it may be best to stick with the desk top. Are they making those with CPUs light-weight enough to carry now?

When I looked at a MAC, the man said the CPU is in the back of the monitor. I wonder, now, if he was showing me a laptop.

I like your motto but is anyone keeping it simple nowadays?

whs said:

The mains is the Britsh word for the electricity outlets in the wall. Sorry for the confusion.

Yes they make desktops in small boxes. I myself do not like them because they are impossible to work with when you want to upgrade the system (e.g. add a SSD). Plus they are very often built with low performance laptop components because there is a cooling problem in those small boxes. Heat control is also one reason why laptops rarely have high powered components (CPU and GPU) and if they do, they often get very hot.

I would never buy a Mac. They are insanely overpriced. The units where the CPU and other components are in the monitor are called "All in One". The are essentially a horizontal laptop - no good. Many companies make those.

My thought, too. Fortunately, we have a Microsoft store here. A whole raft of experts in there. So I have that resource but I need to be able to get to them. They do not come to the house to do repairs or setups.

I am beginning to think we "simple folk" are running out of options. Bring back the old Mail Station! :-(

Thanks for your answers. I am learning what to expect - or avoid.

P.S. Thanks for the British word. There is a "foreign language" that I intend to learn some day.

whs said:

I you do what is usually referred to as Office Applications - no games, no permanent video encoding no CAD (computer aided design), then a laptop is OK. But if you have high power requirements for the CPU or GPU (graphics), then a desktop is a much better choice.

All I do is email my friends and surf the internet for answers to my never-ending curiosity questions. That is until August when BBC takes over my computer for the Welsh Festival and a Music festival (forget its name). BBC wants a lot of power. My biggest game is spider solitaire. That's it.

In other words I really do want it simple. I'd stick with a desk top any day just because I am used to them -- if the CPU was portable. I am not a weight lifter.

Hazel