Is leaving your computer on all the time (24/7) better for hard drive?

I've only had one of my HDDs fail. It saw about 10 years of use with the computer being turned on and off daily, sometimes left off for a few days, and sometimes turned on and off a few times a day.

I've seen other computers where their HDD failed after two years.

I turn off my PC when not it use to save power, to not build up as much dust inside the case, and so the fans last longer. Just a guess here, but I probably save enough on power usage over the course of the life of the HDD to pay for it.

Either way, it isn't something to worry about unless you're running a server, or something.

DeaconFrost said:

I sincerely hope you are joking with this comment. If not, I'm not entirely sure what to say.

Start by learning manufacturer spec numbers; not using feelings. Starting and stopping cause so much stress as to cause failures after ... 39 years. Did you read those numbers? Conclusions from subjective logic make one his own worst enemey. Numbers were obvious. Massive stress from power cycling causes damage ... maybe 39 years later.

westom said:

Start by learning manufacturer spec numbers; not using feelings. Starting and stopping cause so much stress as to cause failures after ... 39 years. Did you read those numbers? Conclusions from subjective logic make one his own worst enemey. Numbers were obvious. Massive stress from power cycling causes damage ... maybe 39 years later.

Britton30 said:

No, I believe he believes what he says Deacon.

I think you're right. Scary. Anyway, I can't wait to come back here in 39 years with ALL of my drives still functioning and working properly to tell him he's correct. Only a matter of time before the manufacturer's start offering 25 year warranties on their drives.

Came back to this thread and I'm surprised at how many people responded to it.

Anyways for anyone who was looking for anything specific. Here are some photos I took of the problem that would occur with my computer before the old hard drive bit the dust:

Whenever I would turn on my computer, this screen would appear right after the "ACER" logo disappeared:


When the problem first came, this was the error message that appeared. When the computer was rebooted the first time, they appeared again. Whenever I would turn my computer back on, it would freeze to a stop and this screen would appear without anyway of unfreezing it unless you shutting it off (by actually pressing and holding the power button on the computer itself:


Hope this helps anyone as this is the reason why I asked the question

It would be possible that the drive died due to being powered on an off several times a day (assuming this was how you used your system). HDDs are mechanical devices, meaning they can have issues over time and die. I see the POST screen telling you the S.M.A.R.T. status of the drive as bad, and then an accompanying Windows screen confirming it.

Truth is, there's no way to know for sure what caused the issue, or if it "just happened". However, to answer your main question, there are two schools of thought, and neither are wrong. Today's systems can handle being on 24x7, especially with various sleep/suspend modes and SSD drives. Others, like me, choose not to run our systems all the time. I would suggest picking one of the two. If you find yourself powering the computer on several times a day, I would consider leaving it on all the time. If you don't use it that often, then there's no harm shutting it down, especially at night.

Goji73 said:

Anyways for anyone who was looking for anything specific. Here are some photos I took of the problem that would occur with my computer before the old hard drive bit the dust:

Nothing unusual there. The drive appears to be failing for reasons unknown, with no known correlation to how often you shut down. I wouldn't draw any conclusions.

DeaconFrost said:

Others, like me, choose not to run our systems all the time. I would suggest picking one of the two. If you find yourself powering the computer on several times a day, I would consider leaving it on all the time. If you don't use it that often, then there's no harm shutting it down, especially at night.

This is what I do too. Usually I turn on my computer once a day and leave it on all day until I have to go to sleep, which is then that I turn off my computer.

What about forcing it to be off by holding the power button? Will it shortens my hard drive life?