Computer Question for You Experts

[JohnH]

I have a question about updates to Win XP that puzzles me. I have three computers at my work space. I switch each of them off at the end of the day and restart them the next morning. Each is a stand-alone with no networking of any sort, but all 3 use the same hard-wired internet connection (just in case that should matter). All three are running windows XP and I use each of the three in a similar manner each day for the tasks it is running.

At mid-week, when I shut them down, two of the computers usually begin to install updates to XP, generally 4 to 6 updates. Then the next evening, the third computer will install updates. Sometimes it is the same number of updates and other times it is a different number of updates. But the third one almost never runs updates on the same day as the other two.

Can someone explain to me what may be going on here? Since all three use XP and all three run the same duty cycle, why would one consistently get its updates later than the other two?

[Jack from Ohio]

Replace them with WIN 7 PRO systems. You are beating a dead horse. There will be no ability to update XP at all after April 2014 and ATX will not support XP for tax year 2014.

Hardware is inexpensive.

[jklcpa]

I have a question about updates to Win XP that puzzles me. I have three computers at my work space. I switch each of them off at the end of the day and restart them the next morning. Each is a stand-alone with no networking of any sort, but all 3 use the same hard-wired internet connection (just in case that should matter). All three are running windows XP and I use each of the three in a similar manner each day for the tasks it is running.

At mid-week, when I shut them down, two of the computers usually begin to install updates to XP, generally 4 to 6 updates. Then the next evening, the third computer will install updates. Sometimes it is the same number of updates and other times it is a different number of updates. But the third one almost never runs updates on the same day as the other two.

Can someone explain to me what may be going on here? Since all three use XP and all three run the same duty cycle, why would one consistently get its updates later than the other two?

Replace them with WIN 7 PRO systems. You are beating a dead horse. There will be no ability to update XP at all after April 2014 and ATX will not support XP for tax year 2014.

Hardware is inexpensive.

I'm definitely not an expert, but since you are asking a question because it puzzles you and aren't looking for specific advice on replacement hardware, I'd say that the first step would be to check each computer's Windows Update setting. It may be that the one computer is scheduled to check for updates at a different time or on a different day of the week than the other two are scheduled to perform that task.

[Jack from Ohio]

I'm definitely not an expert, but since you are asking a question because it puzzles you and aren't looking for specific advice on replacement hardware, I'd say that the first step would be to check each computer's Windows Update setting. It may be that the one computer is scheduled to check for updates at a different time or on a different day of the week than the other two are scheduled to perform that task.

Agreed. That would be the best process.....

[grmy2h]

It could be updates to other programs or hardware that is/are not present on each machine.

I sometimes get updates to a monitor driver, or updates to a pointing device, network card, etc.

[JohnH]

Thanks. All those suggestions make sense. I do have essentially the same software on all 3 (except for my tax prep software beig on only one of them). But there are some hardware differences, And I agree with Jack - I've been beating the dead horse for a while. I expect it's going to start stinking up the corral by next Feb or Apr, so I'll have to call the dead horse guys to haul it away. (Assuming, of course, that Drake tells me I need to take that action)

[Tax Prep by Deb]

I would think too, that it would depend on your specs as well. Very seldom, even if bought at the same time, will you find two computer's built exactly the same way with all the same parts. I would think that the up-date could be different based on the guts of your computer.

[Tax Prep by Deb]

Thanks. All those suggestions make sense. I do have essentially the same software on all 3 (except for my tax prep software beig on only one of them). But there are some hardware differences, And I agree with Jack - I've been beating the dead horse for a while. I expect it's going to start stinking up the corral by next Feb or Apr, so I'll have to call the dead horse guys to haul it away. (Assuming, of course, that Drake tells me I need to take that action)

I stopped beating my dead horses two years ago and upgraded to 7. All I can say is wow, what a difference. I loved my XP machines, but they were getting slower and more vulnerable to viruses that I finally took the plunge. No regrets whatsoever and not even a big learning curve for 7.

Deb!

[Guest Taxed]

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc779795%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

JohnH please check this link. It will answer your update questions.

[JohnH]

Thank you, Taxed.

That addressed my situation 100%.

[Guest Taxed]

Thank you, Taxed.

That addressed my situation 100%.

You are welcome. I am also sticking with Win XP (on one of my computers) because after speaking to Drake support, they do not see any issues. I will have another computer with Win 7.

[mcb39]

Would just like to add that I have three Win 7 machines and they all update at different times. I never considered it a problem.

[JohnH]

It's occasionally a problem for me when I'm shutting down for the day. I have a main power switch for each set of computers that I switch to ''off" before leaving, so when an unexpected update starts, I have to wait it out.

[Jack from Ohio]

I/we leave all computers on 24/7. Been doing this for over 7 years. No issues. The concept that you must turn computers off when they are not being used is an urban myth. At the firm, we have some computers that have only been turned off for maintenance or occasional reboots for 5 years.

[Guest Taxed]

It's occasionally a problem for me when I'm shutting down for the day. I have a main power switch for each set of computers that I switch to ''off" before leaving, so when an unexpected update starts, I have to wait it out.

You can set Windows to automatically install important and recommended updates or to install important updates only.

If you don't want updates to be installed automatically, you can choose to be notified when updates apply to your computer instead. Then, you can download and install them yourself, or you can set Windows to automatically download updates, and then notify you so you can install them yourself.

I use this method during tax season because I do NOT want windows to takeover control of my computer in the middle of a tax prep.

[JohnH]

I/we leave all computers on 24/7. Been doing this for over 7 years. No issues. The concept that you must turn computers off when they are not being used is an urban myth. At the firm, we have some computers that have only been turned off for maintenance or occasional reboots for 5 years.

If you had seen some of the electronic equipment malfunctions I've seen over the last 40 years, you would have a different viewpoint.

I don't trust anything with a moving part (fan) or anything with a heating element (printer or copier) that is left to shut itself off or go to sleep under any circumstances. If I knew a device could wake up on its own overnight in an unattended building to do an update or a backup, I'd probably not sleep well. I deny power to them before leaving the premises.. I know it's a belt & suspenders approach, but we all have our obsessions. Mine is based upon personal experience.

[Jack from Ohio]

If you had seen some of the electronic equipment malfunctions I've seen over the last 40 years, you would have a different viewpoint.

I don't trust anything with a moving part (fan) or anything with a heating element (printer or copier) that is left to shut itself off or go to sleep under any circumstances. If I knew a device could wake up on its own overnight in an unattended building to do an update or a backup, I'd probably not sleep well. I deny power to them before leaving the premises.. I know it's a belt & suspenders approach, but we all have our obsessions. Mine is based upon personal experience.

Been working on and using computers since 1980. The worst I have seen is finding a DOA system when opening in the morning.

[JohnH]

True, and probably nothing wosrse than that will ever happen. But if you ever do have a serious problem, when it's over you'll be saying "Been doing this since 1980, and UP TO NOW the worst thing I've ever seen was a DOA system when opening in the morning".

I've been drivinng for over 50 years and I've never caused an accident, but I still buckle up every time behind the wheel.

[Guest Taxed]

JohnH, you are doing it right. Here is a little info from a computer technician in another board.

One reason why you might want to turn it off is economic. A typical PC consumes something like 300 watts. Let's assume that you use your PC for four hours every day, so the other 20 hours it is on would be wasted energy. If electricity costs 10 cents per kilowatt-hour in your area, then that 20 hours represents 60 cents a day. Sixty cents a day adds up to $219 per year.

­It's possible to use the energy-saving features build into modern machines and cut that figure in half. For example, you can have the monitor and hard disk power down automatically when not in use. You'll still be wasting $100 per year.

­

­ The argument for leaving your computer on all the time is that turning it on and off somehow stresses the computer's components. For example, when the CPU chip is running, it can get quite hot, and when you turn the machine off it cools back down. The expansion and contraction from the heat probably has some effect on the solder joints holding the chip in place, and on the micro-fine details on the chip itself. But here are ways to look at that:

• If it were a significant problem, then machines would be failing all the time. In fact, hardware is very reliable (software is a whole different story, and there is a lot to be said for rebooting every day).
• I don't know a single person who leaves the TV on 24 hours a day. TVs contain many of the same components that computers do. TVs certainly have no problems being cycled on and off.

[Jack from Ohio]

JohnH, you are doing it right. Here is a little info from a computer technician in another board.

One reason why you might want to turn it off is economic. A typical PC consumes something like 300 watts. Let's assume that you use your PC for four hours every day, so the other 20 hours it is on would be wasted energy. If electricity costs 10 cents per kilowatt-hour in your area, then that 20 hours represents 60 cents a day. Sixty cents a day adds up to $219 per year.

­It's possible to use the energy-saving features build into modern machines and cut that figure in half. For example, you can have the monitor and hard disk power down automatically when not in use. You'll still be wasting $100 per year.

­

­ The argument for leaving your computer on all the time is that turning it on and off somehow stresses the computer's components. For example, when the CPU chip is running, it can get quite hot, and when you turn the machine off it cools back down. The expansion and contraction from the heat probably has some effect on the solder joints holding the chip in place, and on the micro-fine details on the chip itself. But here are ways to look at that:

• If it were a significant problem, then machines would be failing all the time. In fact, hardware is very reliable (software is a whole different story, and there is a lot to be said for rebooting every day).
• I don't know a single person who leaves the TV on 24 hours a day. TVs contain many of the same components that computers do. TVs certainly have no problems being cycled on and off.

Math and facts are wrong. All computers sleep or hibernate. In sleep or hibernate mode they use less than 10 watts. The same as 2 night lights.

10 watts X 16 hours = 160 Watt/hours = .16KWH .16KWH @ $.10 per KWH = $.014 per day. 365 days @ $.014 = $5.11 per year while idle.

The rest of his logic is strictly opinion. I do not like to wait for systems to boot. Moving the mouse, 1 second later I have the login screen.

There is no damage to turning them off or leaving them on. Another urban myth.

[Guest Taxed]

It is a matter of personal preference, I get that.

During tax season my main computer is on from 7am till 11pm but I do like to give it and the UPS a rest when I am resting!

[JohnH]

But there is a HUGE, demonstrable advantage my practice of turning them off.

I sleep much better at night, and consequently I am much less grumpy when posting to the Politics Forum. :)

[kcjenkins]

Yep, reasonable or not "peace of mind" is a huge value.

[Jack from Ohio]

I sleep just fine and have complete peace of mind about my computer equipment. I more worry about the replacement fluorescent bulbs that have been installed in place of incandescent. The number of fires created by them going bad is huge!

[Guest Taxed]

I sleep just fine and have complete peace of mind about my computer equipment. I more worry about the replacement fluorescent bulbs that have been installed in place of incandescent. The number of fires created by them going bad is huge!

Funny you should bring that up. because 2 years back my incandescent bulb in the basement right on top of the washer exploded and there was a pile of clothes on top of the washer. The hot filament and glass fell on it and made a burn hole. Luckily I was there to react quickly.

Since then all the bulbs in the house are CFL and have not had that issue. My only complaint with CFL is that it takes a minute to get to full brightness.