Will SETI program run when my computer is turned off? Are there any problems if computer runs when not in use?

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It will not run if the computer is off.

I generally leave my computers on until I have some reason to turn them off, and then leave them off until I find a reason to turn them on. I follow the school of thought that the change in tempurature is the worst thing you can do to your electronic components. So the fewer times they cycle on and off the better in my mind.

The other major school of though is that heat in and of itself is bad for electronics. People that follow this school will turn off their computers and stereos any time they are not using them.

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BOINC WIKI

BOINCing since 2002/12/8

Hi Buckshot,

Generally no program will run when your computer is not on! Of course
depending on your machine and operating system you can have it timed
to start the computer up and run things for you.

Far as problems of constant use of the computer that depends on your machine
itself. How hot does it get, what kind of power unit does it have(is it underrated). These factors can reduce the life of the CPU or just of certain
parts(cooling fan, power unit). The monitor should also be put into energy
saving mode.

Basically your machine should last severals years without problems. After that
you will need a new machine anyway.

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Keith J. Schultz
schultzk@uni-trier.de

> change in tempurature is the worst thing you can do
> to your electronic components. So the fewer times they cycle on and off the
> better in my mind.
when comp is on, OS will use up the HDD. And it is not only electronical. As long as it rotates it becomes worn-out.

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currently using: boinc 5.8.15

> when comp is on, OS will use up the HDD. And it is not only electronical. As
> long as it rotates it becomes worn-out.

unless you tell the hd to shut down. but you cant if you are running seti

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ttyl
Jeff (Nightowl)
www.lindsaywagner.net

The problem with computers is 2 fold:

Leaving them switched on wears out moving parts - the old saying "if it moves, it will break"

Turning them off opens up another problem: Power surges and temperature considerations.

So it is a "trade-off"

In over 25 years of work in the computer maintenance industry, the "most reliable" computers were the ones that ran for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Sure, the fans wore out (they didn't cost as much as the other motors (eg disk)in the system) - these fans were swapped out with the machine still live - a risky business when the old mainframes were running on 3 phase electricity of 100's of amps. But preferrable to the system going down and the molten glass/metal process (for example) being uncontrolled and blowing the entire place up.

I don't advocate swapping fans out "live" in a PC - the work performed is not so critical. But you are less likely to suffer an electronic failure if the electronics are kept at the same temperature and not subjected to a regular on/off cycle.

Also BEWARE: if the room temperature is likely to fall below 55F during the "off" period, you can get condensation on the components, which if not allowed to dry out at temperatures above 55F will lead to "short-circuits" at power on time - and a heap of scrap electronics.

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