Long idle time

Will leaving the computer on, but with a blank screen, do any long term damage? Assuming I'm not writing to my HD or not running any processes at all. Will that reduce the lifetime of my CPU?

What about if I'm downloading? If I leave my computer on forever from now on, how long with the various hardware last? 1 year? 5 years?

 

For the most part, leaving a computer on for long periods of time will ultimately shorten it's lifespan. For most solid state components like your CPU or memory it's like reducing the lifespan from something like 20 to 15 years or something you generally won't notice.

I'd say the part you should worry about most is the hard drive since it actually has mechanical parts, but even this should still last for the life of the machine.

To sum it up: no, you shouldn't really worry about leaving the thing on. Unless you're folding 24/7 or defragging your HDD 24/7 you probably won't noticeably shorten the lifespan of your hardware.

 

Protein folding? Isn't that mostly reading the HD? And is it true that just reading the HD will cause no shortage to it's life?

 

A couple of 10 Years. A CPU won't get buggy for like 10-15 years or so. Newer CPUs have enhanced sleep states, and low power levels, i.e. SLFM, which decreases the temps considerably.

I don't think the HDD will idle and sleep, 'cause during downloading something will be keeping on writing to it constantly, depending upon the download rate.

You can run Diagnostic tests for the H/W every month or 2, to check that it is free from errors.

 

So the conclusion is that it's at least safe for about 10 years if I do 24/7? That's good enough odds for me.. Thanks Wolf and Andy.

 

10-15 years, where are you getting that from
a cpu can run as long as the board works, capacitors last, and the power supply runs. The older supercomputer at rpi ran for over 25 years straight at full load, so there is no problem their. Normal servicing obviously happens as most components wont last very long, so you know the system lasts as long as its weakest component does.

I have my system running for hours on end crunching numbers, and never had a problem. But my peak temperatures are under 120F

K-TRON

 

Could you pleas tell me of such a program? Is it anything other than memtest? Or a hdd SMART reader?

 

You can use Orthos/Prime 95 to test the CPU and Memory for errors in Windows.
For primarily memory testing, memtest86+ is good, or you can use Vista's built-in memory tester.

For the HDD, you can download WD - Data Lifeguard Tools, which runs on almost all HDDs, or check this site for the specific tool for your HDD Brand. You can also run an Error Scan using HD Tune, or the built-in windows checkdisk tool.

Also have a look at UBCD. You can also customize it to add other tools in it.