Author Topic: How often does your computer go down on you? (Read 7536 times)

banjo67xxx · « **on:** December 29, 2006, 12:21:40 PM »

I just suffered a 1hr power cut in my street, and the UPS battery died after the first 15 minutes. Out of curiosity I logged in and checked the uptime to discover it had been running my apache server for 269days 19hrs 59mins before the power went off.

I'm curious to know if anyone else on this forum runs servers, and how long they run for without crashing or needing a reboot for system maintenance, etc?

FYI, my servers are Sun Ultra-5s running Solaris 10, my desktop PC is an AMD64 running Suse 9.3 linux, and my laptop is an Acer C/Duo T2300E 1.66GHz running Windows XP Pro SP2.

PS: If you have more than one computer, like me, then please just give your vote for the one which runs the longest

soybean · « **Reply #1 on:** December 29, 2006, 12:32:15 PM »

Why don't you change your title to say server rather than computer? Otherwise, many of us will waste some time looking at this, thinking you're asking about any desktop computer, not a server.

banjo67xxx · « **Reply #2 on:** December 29, 2006, 12:43:17 PM »

Quote

Why don't you change your title to say server rather than computer? Otherwise, many of us will waste some time looking at this, thinking you're asking about any desktop computer, not a server.

I'm interested in how long people leave their desktops switched on too. I often leave my desktop switched on for up to a week when ripping several DVDs, and my wife leaves her desktop on overnight when she's downloading stuff.

soybean · « **Reply #3 on:** December 29, 2006, 12:59:45 PM »

OK, but if that's what you want, it doesn't get conveyed very well because your question and response choices are not logically worded. You seem to asking what is the longest time our computer run without freezing, crashing, etc. At least, that's the way I see it.

Neil · « **Reply #4 on:** December 29, 2006, 01:04:17 PM »

Energy wasters!

soybean · « **Reply #5 on:** December 29, 2006, 01:11:54 PM »

Quote

Energy wasters!

I always shut mine down at night. There's just no valid reason to leave it running 24/7.

Calum · « **Reply #6 on:** December 29, 2006, 01:42:39 PM »

I always shut my laptop down after I'm finished using it.

Dilbert · « **Reply #7 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:05:03 PM »

Quote

I always shut my laptop down after I'm finished using it.

Me too. I suppose I could leave it on longer, but there's no point other than to show off uptime.

Calum · « **Reply #8 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:09:25 PM »

Quote

Quote
I always shut my laptop down after I'm finished using it.

Me too. I suppose I could leave it on longer, but there's no point other than to show off uptime.

Exactly.
I have heat problems with mine too, so I prefer to leave it off when possible.
I like to think it'll last longer too.

Dilbert · « **Reply #9 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:23:07 PM »

Oh, I think so. Everything material in your PC has a life span. Eventually, the hard drive will fail. The IDE cables will get old and stop working correctly. If you have an E-Machine, this will happen sooner than you'd like. So leaving it off should add at least a little life time to it.

Calum · « **Reply #10 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:28:10 PM »

Quote

If you have an E-Machine, this will happen sooner than you'd like.

Lol.
I have a 3-year warranty, so hopefully it will fail right at the end and I can get new components.
Then it'll last longer, right?
I know everything has a finite lifespan, but hopefully this should last a while.

Dilbert · « **Reply #11 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:43:56 PM »

Oh, so you do have an E-Machine. Best of luck to you. Remember to backup files!

Calum · « **Reply #12 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:46:49 PM »

No, that's not what I meant.
It's not an E-Machine.
I wouldn't dare go near one after the stories around here.
It's an Evesham (rebranded MSI?)
Reliable and in every way not E-Machine-ish.
As for backups, I need to do one.
I use Acronis TrueImage and an external HDD, but the last time I did an image was a while ago.

homer · « **Reply #13 on:** December 29, 2006, 04:01:16 PM »

Quote

How often does your computer go down on you?

this quote means something ALOT different where i live. i found it kind of funny.

Dilbert · « **Reply #14 on:** December 29, 2006, 04:26:24 PM »

As did I, but I didn't want to say anything.

Neil · « **Reply #15 on:** December 29, 2006, 05:15:47 PM »

Actually I heard the act of turning off/turning on your computer does slight damage and your computer will live longer if you leave it running continuously (assuming it's not overheating etc of course!) Not sure if that's true or rubbish though.

Dilbert · « **Reply #16 on:** December 29, 2006, 05:28:31 PM »

Well, it uses it up like all electrical connections, but other than wearing out the switch after 10 years or so, nothing bad happens, as far as I know; I could be wrong about that, but I'm fairly certain I'm not. I've been using computers since a little before my first birthday (I have video of it, no lie; even I didn't know 'till I saw it), and of all the many problems I've had, the power switch isn't one of them.

Weeellll, except on the E-Machine. But that's different.

banjo67xxx · « **Reply #17 on:** December 29, 2006, 05:44:47 PM »

Quote

Quote
How often does your computer go down on you?

this quote means something ALOT different where i live. i found it kind of funny.

The reference to the old joke was intended as a way of catching people's attention.

Funnily enough one of my former senior managers in the customer service division came up with an interesting variation ...

Quote

Q: What's the similarity between a server and a woman?
A: First they go down on you, and then after a couple of hours frantic activity, your expected to get it up again

banjo67xxx · « **Reply #18 on:** December 29, 2006, 05:58:34 PM »

Quote

Actually I heard the act of turning off/turning on your computer does slight damage and your computer will live longer if you leave it running continuously (assuming it's not overheating etc of course!) Not sure if that's true or rubbish though.

I know that turning on/off your HDD does cause it damage. In order to avoid the disk heads sticking to the surface of the disk with surface tension, your HDD has to park the heads in an abrasive area of the disk platters. I'm not sure about the comparitive wear and tear on the spindle through keeping it spiining though.

Also, I remember in the late 80's that Quantum had a problem with their 105Mb SCSI disks. They used a spindle grease with the wrong melting point, so whenever you turned the computer off the grease set and the HDD wouldn't spin up again. It meant I had to go around every SPARCstation-1 server after a power cut "physically booting" the HDDs. (Actually, I was a bit more gentle than that - I just spun them a quick quater turn in my hand, and that freed the grease).

banjo67xxx · « **Reply #19 on:** December 29, 2006, 06:03:35 PM »

Quote

OK, but if that's what you want, it doesn't get conveyed very well because your question and response choices are not logically worded. You seem to asking what is the longest time our computer run without freezing, crashing, etc. At least, that's the way I see it.

I didn't want to be too specific, so I've probably got the wording all wrong. Anyway, its got people talking

Dilbert · « **Reply #20 on:** December 29, 2006, 06:05:15 PM »

Use that one if you're the latest poster.

linuxlover · « **Reply #21 on:** December 29, 2006, 06:34:32 PM »

I sometimes leave my computer on for days at a time. specifically when I download linux distros.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #22 on:** December 29, 2006, 07:10:40 PM »

No hard drive jokes, please.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #23 on:** December 30, 2006, 05:25:36 AM »

Quote

No hard drive jokes, please.

Temptations of evil.

I don't have a computer.....Only this wireless thing, and a modem
sticking out of my head.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #24 on:** December 30, 2006, 05:33:03 AM »

Quote

Quote
Quote
I always shut my laptop down after I'm finished using it.

Me too. I suppose I could leave it on longer, but there's no point other than to show off uptime.
Exactly.
I have heat problems with mine too, so I prefer to leave it off when possible.
I like to think it'll last longer too.

So Calum my friend. Have you tried a cooler?You wouldn't want your laptop
to go down on you. :-?

http://www.jab-tech.com/product.php?productid=2111

Calum · « **Reply #25 on:** December 30, 2006, 07:20:18 AM »

Quote

Quote
Quote
Quote
I always shut my laptop down after I'm finished using it.

Me too. I suppose I could leave it on longer, but there's no point other than to show off uptime.
Exactly.
I have heat problems with mine too, so I prefer to leave it off when possible.
I like to think it'll last longer too.

So Calum my friend. Have you tried a cooler?You wouldn't want your laptop
to go down on you. :-?

http://www.jab-tech.com/product.php?productid=2111

Indeed I don't want my laptop, or any computer, going down on me.
I'm looking into buying a cooler.
And by the way - LOL at all the going down jokes. Especially the server/woman one.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #26 on:** December 30, 2006, 08:47:45 AM »

Somewhere in the great scheme of things something went wrong. :-?

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #27 on:** December 30, 2006, 08:55:10 AM »

Gilbert,I remember reading somewhere...............

If a computer is shutdown and reheats over and over it effects the
heatsink to cpu thermal paste.

Maybe,I change mine everytime I clean my computer.

EDIT: Sorry,Should have addressed you as Dilbert.

Please Forgive! :-?

Neil · « **Reply #28 on:** December 30, 2006, 09:22:39 AM »

I don't get it. They've never gone down on me before. Or at least, one of the two hasn't

Dilbert · « **Reply #29 on:** December 30, 2006, 09:32:22 AM »

Quote

Gilbert,I remember reading somewhere...............

If a computer is shutdown and reheats over and over it effects the
heatsink to cpu thermal paste.

Maybe,I change mine everytime I clean my computer.

EDIT: Sorry,Should have addressed you as Dilbert.

Please Forgive! :-?

Hmm. I don't know, my CPU never overheats. One of the fringe benefits of having money (well, I did, it's all invested in the PC now) is a really cool box that shows the CPU temp. I'm sitting pretty at 30 C.

soybean · « **Reply #30 on:** December 30, 2006, 09:42:36 AM »

Quote

If a computer is shutdown and reheats over and over it effects the
heatsink to cpu thermal paste.

Maybe,I change mine everytime I clean my computer.

I think your procedure is absolutely unnecessary. If you're concerned about temperature, why not install SpeedFan or some temperature monitoring software or occasionally access your BIOS to check the temps? I do this and I've seen no change in temps in my main computer since installing my motherboard and processor in March 2004.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #31 on:** December 30, 2006, 10:44:23 AM »

Quote

Quote
If a computer is shutdown and reheats over and over it effects the
heatsink to cpu thermal paste.

Maybe,I change mine everytime I clean my computer.
I think your procedure is absolutely unnecessary. If you're concerned about temperature, why not install SpeedFan or some temperature monitoring software or occasionally access your BIOS to check the temps? I do this and I've seen no change in temps in my main computer since installing my motherboard and processor in March 2004.

Hey that speed fan thing even worked on my old 1999 Gateway E4200
I am still using just fine.It presently has 990,000 miles on it.I may change
out when the time-o-meter goes back around to zero=0.

It does report mine at 32 C :-?

I had not used SpeedFan before.Thanks soybean! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Fed · « **Reply #32 on:** December 30, 2006, 11:03:57 AM »

Banjo, how did you access the disks to give them a quarter turn?
I'm not questioning that you did it, just curious that's all.

Rob Pomeroy · « **Reply #33 on:** December 30, 2006, 01:30:51 PM »

To the best of my knowledge, no computer has ever "gone down on me". *sigh*

Oh - to answer the real question, most Linux servers I run/have run stay up indefinitely - anything from a few months to a couple of years (seriously) between reboots. Now working for an ISP, our many many Windows-based servers are rebooted frequently - usually due to Windows updates.

banjo67xxx · « **Reply #34 on:** December 30, 2006, 03:13:31 PM »

Quote

Banjo, how did you access the disks to give them a quarter turn?
I'm not questioning that you did it, just curious that's all.

I don't actually mean I turned the spindle itself. I simply lifted the lid off the server, disengaged the HDD mounting bracket from its slot, then flicked the whole HDD including mounting bracket a quarter turn clockwise stopping suddenly. The spin inertia seemed to free the grease, and the fact that I didn't impact the HDD gave me the reassurance that I probably didn't damage it in the process. (I did hear of others freeing the grease by dropping the whole server from 1 inch above the desk)

Fed · « **Reply #35 on:** December 30, 2006, 03:20:21 PM »

So you gave it the 'quick flick', very clever.
That would be worth a try to any hard drive not spinning up. [smiley=thumbup.gif]

banjo67xxx · « **Reply #36 on:** December 30, 2006, 04:17:50 PM »

Quote

So you gave it the 'quick flick', very clever.
That would be worth a try to any hard drive not spinning up. [smiley=thumbup.gif]

That trick only works for "Unit not ready" where the disks really aren't spinning, and the trick to determine that is to put a screwdriver against the HDD outer casing, and your ear against the screwdriver. If its spinning you'll hear it.

GX1_Man · « **Reply #37 on:** December 30, 2006, 04:41:41 PM »

Just to clarify that is put the screwdriver HANDLE into your ear.

street1 (RIP) · « **Reply #38 on:** December 30, 2006, 05:11:18 PM »

Quote

Just to clarify that is put the screwdriver HANDLE into your ear.

LOL,We wouldn't want to be liable for someones missing link.

soybean · « **Reply #39 on:** December 30, 2006, 07:25:20 PM »

Would this not work better than a screwdriver?

GX1_Man · « **Reply #40 on:** December 30, 2006, 07:39:57 PM »

Most people have screwdrivers. I have both, but that's just me.

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Author Topic: How often does your computer go down on you? (Read 7536 times)

banjo67xxx

soybean

banjo67xxx

soybean

Neil

soybean

Calum

Dilbert

Calum

Dilbert

Calum

Dilbert

Calum

homer

Dilbert

Neil

Dilbert

banjo67xxx

banjo67xxx

banjo67xxx

Dilbert

linuxlover

GX1_Man

street1 (RIP)

street1 (RIP)

Calum

street1 (RIP)

street1 (RIP)

Neil

Dilbert

soybean

street1 (RIP)

Fed

Rob Pomeroy

banjo67xxx

Fed

banjo67xxx

GX1_Man

street1 (RIP)

soybean

GX1_Man