Is it harmful in any way to keep your laptop on for a few days at a time? I am using my laptop in a hotel and sometimes after it has been shut down at night, I am having problems trying to get the internet the following morning.

 

Do you use a VPN and hibernate it while the VPN is on by any chance?

I have found that this can cause networking to fail on Win 11 - sometimes but not all the time with OpenVPN.

it only happens when I forget to disconnect the VPN prior to hibernation. For a full shutdown it shouldn't happen as it ends all processes.

No VPN. I use Brave browser all the time unless on Opera for the free VPN when I am using PB etc. So I will be fine for keeping my laptop on all the time.

 

I have stayed in hotels that had a repeated down period at the same time each day.

 

Also possibility of "morning rush" by you and rest of the guests overwhelming hotels system capabilities.

 

Next time it happens take the laptop down into the lobby and see if it works there.

3 hours ago, NoshowJones said:

Is it harmful in any way to keep your laptop on for a few days at a time? I am using my laptop in a hotel and sometimes after it has been shut down at night, I am having problems trying to get the internet the following morning.

 

Some hotels log you out automatically each night, and you need to go through the process again of connecting to hotel wifi.  You might not notice until you reboot and then get prompted again for room number or whatever to connect to wifi again.  Sometimes it can be hard to get prompted for this login if you were already connected and never closed your browser.  Try closing all your browsers and see if it prompts you for the hotel room ID/password the next time you try the internet in the morning.

All hard to say exactly but normally no, it does not hurt anything.


 

4 hours ago, Enoon said:

I have stayed in hotels that had a repeated down period at the same time each day.

 

Also possibility of "morning rush" by you and rest of the guests overwhelming hotels system capabilities.

 

Next time it happens take the laptop down into the lobby and see if it works there.

It it not actually a hotel, they have rooms and kitchens, there is no lobby and I am on the ground floor, but I do take your point.

 

No, and it is actually better for longevity.  Restarting constantly increases the possibility of file corruptions, and degrades the PSU and motherboard. 

 

My external monitor / TV stays on all day also, and only turn off overnight for the same reason.  Both stay in an AC'd room, 24/7 also.

 

I leave mine on 24/7, weeks at a time at home.  Just need to make sure you don't have any programs or apps that are still using RAM / memory, when they are closed, as some will.  Keep track and disable programs with Task Manager.

47 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I leave mine on 24/7, weeks at a time at home. 

Me too

Three machines here. I don't even remember last time I shut them down. 

You shouldn't either unless your machine has a  termal problem.

 

( Don"t think about fire hazard, even a decade old PC would shot down if the core temp reaches a certain level. Keeping a PC exposed to constant heat is a slow unaliver of circuitry, that's why it is not advised. 

 

Yet if is less than 5 years old very unlikely scenario and termal situation is easy to observe.

 

For the connectivity issues, first thing I'd do could be check the network with an mobile device. 

In case it doesn't keeps dropping, I'd simply create a hot spot or tether it  via an USB. 

Easier than one might think, with all kind of instructions on the Internet.

There are surge stresses when computers power on but this is mostly outweighed by long term component degradation from continuous operation. Heat is a component killer with capacitors often suffering the most from continuous operation. 

 

If you live in a county with dirty unreliable power and frequent lightning storms, it is best to shut down your computer and disconnect it from the power supply when you are not using it.
 

12 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

If you live in a county with dirty unreliable power and frequent lightning storms,

 

12 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

There are surge stresses when computers power on but this is mostly outweighed by long term component degradation from continuous operation

Power surges caused by an outdated grid and frequent lightning storms add a wild twist to the scenario. Plus, faulty electrical circuits inside a structure—thanks to shoddy installation—only fuel the chaos.

 

I know firsthand: I lost one PC to lightning and another to messed-up domestic wiring.

 

A second thought struck me regarding the debate: does the surge stress of powering on computers wreak more havoc, or is continuous operation the real culprit?

 

Let’s steer clear of conspiracy rabbit holes—like corporations scheming to make lightbulbs fizzle out faster. For practical reasons, the average lifespan of PCs and mobile devices hovers around five years, and these gadgets are built to tough out either frequent power-ons or relentless operation.

 

When it comes to PCs, a growing trend demands heftier machine specs for new operating systems. Alas, 95% of consumers aren’t savvy enough to hack workarounds and run these OS updates on older rigs.

 

So, we’re back to that classic catch-22, basking in our dazzling world! 😍

Harmful? 

 

Here's an eco-awareness poster (a point which has not been mentioned yet 🤔) :