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Do you shut down your Macbook Pro when you are not using it?

Tom71 said:
Either there is something only Apple technician's know, or he's simply wrong. I prefer the latter. Sleeping is fine as long as you are plugged in. If it were unplugged I'd hard sleep or shut down.
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Like I said, I had three HD's fail on me before when I would shut down and start up the computer every day and night and since I spoke to the Apple Tech and took his advice I haven't had one fail since...maybe a coincidence but I aint about to change it up just to find out...:D
 
Ronnoco said:
Like I said, I had three HD's fail on me before when I would shut down and start up the computer every day and night and since I spoke to the Apple Tech and took his advice I haven't had one fail since...maybe a coincidence but I aint about to change it up just to find out...:D
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I think it's really a coincidence. The last HDD that failed on my was a 60MB for my Amiga. That was a while ago.
 
A HDDs today have a number of different powerstates and one after idle they move their arm to the save position. When in sleep the HDD is off it parks the head and spins down. Thing is an HDD today even spins down while you use your Notebook on battery. If the HDD is not in use for a specified amount of time it can spin completely down and be completely off.

Starting up or not makes no difference for an HDD. Sleep or Hibernation shuts most or all parts of the Notebook off as it does when shut down. I wouldn't shut down unless necessary simply because it is not necessary and inconvenient. You need to start up every App again while it will be still running when waking up from sleep. The power consumption difference is so small that it can be ignored.
 
It depends. If I'll be using it in less-than an hour I'll put it in sleep, but if not, I shut it down. It seems pointless to leave it running, even if its sleeping.
 
I put it to sleep for the night. I used to turn it off because my old Windows laptop crashed more often if I just put it to sleep, but I realised that this isn't the case with Macs! :D
 
i put my mbp to sleep. but i do shut down once every week or so. just because i feel the need to refresh the up time.
 
My problem is...

dsprimal said:
i put my mbp to sleep. but i do shut down once every week or so. just because i feel the need to refresh the up time.
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About 15 minutes after I put her down to sleep she wakes back up wanting a drink of water...we do this about 3 times each night and then she falls asleep for good until the next morning...:D
 
I never turn mine off. I have had mine for a year and a half. I will close the lid when i go to bed, but i have never put in 'to sleep", nor do i power it down.

Only time it is off is when I calibrate the battery about once every 4-5 weeks, and only restarts when software updates are needed and prompted.
 
I shut mine down when not using it which is mostly when I am asleep. I did the same thing to my PowerBook for five years without any issue.

I have friends who keep theirs on 24-7 and only restart for updates.

It's a personal preference.
 
I usually turn my laptop off when i put it in my backpack and travel. Is it safe to keep it in sleep while i walk with it in my backpack?
 
Yes I do, unless it's absolutely necessary...

I care for the environment, and all the energy wasted by having a machine turned on even though it's a standby mode is enormous throughout the year...
 
what about when traveling to and from school, I'm a college student and bring my mbp to and from classes just let it sleep inside the sleeve or turn it off
 
I think after reading all of this i will start putting the computer to sleep during the day and shutting down at night. Has anyone else been doing this for a while? It just seems like a waste to me to keep the computer on all night. Is there a reason not to shut down the computer frequently?
 
I turn or off everyday when going to sleep, Its a norm for cause that's how i treated my acer. Maybe I'll try not to lol

ok an question, when I'm using the laptop and put it to sleep it's obviously hot. Is it safe to put it in a sleeve case? Or will it overheat or something

thanks
 
The only time I shut down my Mac is if I'm going thru the airport security check or I am not going to be using it for at least a few days. Otherwise it stays in sleep mode for most of its life.
 
I close the lid to sleep it whenever I'm not using it. It never gets shut down except for, say, RAM upgrades. Uptime is usually measured in the months, I only restart for software updates or if it crashes.

I wonder if it's simply related to habits you pick up. All of my friends who own MacBooks who used to own PC laptops, always shut it right down when they're done, and start it up when they need it. I keep telling them they can simply close the lid, but it's like they don't believe me, or more likely, they don't trust that it actually works.
 
Question about the battery when its sleeping.

How much battery life should i lose if i sleep the computer for 8-9 hours while i sleep?
 
to all the people who are worried about damaging their MBP's if they put them in a backpack or sleeve and move them around while sleeping, your computer will be absolutely fine.

in terms of moving it around, none of the moving parts (HDD etc) are powered up during sleep mode so no damage can be caused by normal movement. of course if you drop it it might be damaged regardless of whether its asleep or shut down.

in terms of putting it in a case, it will not overheat if its in sleep mode. its not actually producing any heat during sleep mode as the CPU and GPU and HDD etc are all powered off, and only the RAM is powered on. so you can put it in a sleeve without worrying about it overheating, it will actually cool down.

personally i only shut down/restart when there is a software update or the system feels bogged down :)
 
i tend to turn it off everynight but at times like during the weekends I leave it sleep it for convenience.

Why dont you make a poll for this?
 
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