Computer Fried

My grandchildren's computer was left on accidentally for over 2 weeks and is not responding now and has lost contact with the monitor. My son is blaming the children for leaving it on, but as I told him, I'm afraid it might have been me who forgot to turn it off when we visited there the end of October.

I thought lots of computers were "on" all the time, but could something like this have happened to it simply from being on that long and inactive? It will be 2 years old this December.

I am worried that I might have ruined this computer! What do you think? Thanks. Jean

Hmm, what Operating System do they have? Its unusual, but I'm sure it can happen, I'm not an expert in this, someone else may know the answer.. Could be one of the wires burnt out....?

Sounds like either the monitor, or the graphics card.

There's no harm in leaving the computer/monitor on either, it's actually better for the system.

They are using Windows XP on an eMachine computer, I believe.

Also, there have been so many pros and cons concerning the debate about whether to turn off or leave on, I am really confused. We usually turn ours on in the morning and then off at night. Should we turn them off when we go away, too? J

Also, please, what are "ActiveX controls" in the Internet Security window?

At night you should definitly turn it off, think about electricy, nature, etc.

On days if you go out for a short trip, leave it on but on suspended/power-save mode. If you leave for many hours then turn it off.

At night you should definitly turn it off, think about electricy, nature, etc.

On days if you go out for a short trip, leave it on but on suspended/power-save mode. If you leave for many hours then turn it off.

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What, I too can not believe that leaving the pc on for two weeks straight can actually kill the thing. Something else must be going on....computers are left on all of the time. I tend to shut down only due to spyware, etc from the cable connection..and conservation...etc. Anyone else think leaving on a pc can cause it to burn out.

I doubt the problem resulted just from leaving it on for 2 weeks. There may have been a surge during that time that fried something, like Tarun said, the monitor or something. Try another monitor. If it's a stock E-Machine, it is probably running graphics off of a mobo chip. You can try calling E-Machine's service line, 1-408-273-0888, or e-mailing them, support.

Either way, pack a lunch and find you a good book.....you may be waiting for a while.

A EMachine wil shut it's self down after being left on for a while,particularly if there is any kind of power surge. Unplug it completely, wait a while, and then plug it in and see if it boots. Failing in that fix, bear in mind that they are also prone to power supply failure. I recently replaced mine for the second time in 3 years. Leaving it on will not bother it, especially if there is a surge supressor. Is the computer booted, or is there no power? Active x controls are what allows active content to run on the screen in it's simplest form. Moving objects, etc. Active x controls must be enabled for some things to download or run. If you are having a problem, hold down the ctrl key when you click on a site that pops up the notice at the top. That will disable the safety procedure and allow you to proceed.

Thanks, everyone, for all the information! We will be going back there for Thanksgiving and I will find out more then about this computer. I'll email him these replies and hopefully he can get this back up and running for the kids.

I'll still be checking for more information to come in here........

Just a thought..... my brother has an old Gateway that will act weird now and then. When it's acting up, he will shut it down and push the reset button on the back of the tower and it clears up the problem. You might check their tower to see if it has a reset.

My grandchildren's computer was left on accidentally for over 2 weeks and is not responding now and has lost contact with the monitor. My son is blaming the children for leaving it on, but as I told him, I'm afraid it might have been me who forgot to turn it off when we visited there the end of October.

I thought lots of computers were "on" all the time, but could something like this have happened to it simply from being on that long and inactive? It will be 2 years old this December.

I am worried that I might have ruined this computer! What do you think? Thanks. Jean

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i leave my computer on all the time [my last computer 3years rebooted it only then this one i built and has been on for about a year]