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Should You Leave Your Computer On At Night Or Turn It Off?

I’ve been asked by clients whether or not they should leave their computer on all the time or turn it off when they are not using it.

Several years ago I would have told my clients to turn their machines off to save power. But with the proliferation of viruses and threats over the last few years, I have changed my mind.

Today, anti-virus programs and anti-spyware applications need regular updating. These updates are often scheduled to run in the wee hours of the morning when you are not using your computer.

Windows also needs to be updated whenever a new security patch is released. This is usually not daily, but it may happen several times a month. It’s important to update your operating system as soon as a patch becomes available because hackers move very quickly to reverse engineer Windows updates. As soon as an update is released, they create a virus specific to that vulnerability and start looking for unprotected machines to infect and invade.

In addition to the above, you should be backing up your data every day, and the best time to do this is at night when you are not using it.

So bottom line, leave your computer on all night and restart it two or three times a week to clear the memory.

I hope you will find this post informative and useful. I am looking forward to hearing your comments. That’s all I have for today, until next time make it a great day!
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