It takes around 2.5 minutes, for me, to be able to access the net after I turn my computer on. So I tend to leave it switched on even if I am not using it.
Does this make a PC more vulnerable to attacks from hackers who may want to gain information or possibly introduce some kind of virus on another machine such as mine?
disconnect internet connection?
energy saving (cpu, hdd and monitor shut down and current systemstatus goes up to ram) or sleep mode (image is written to hdd and shut down)
with both options your pc boot time is faster
disconnect internet connection?
energy saving (cpu, hdd and monitor shut down and current systemstatus goes up to ram) or sleep mode (image is written to hdd and shut down)
with both options your pc boot time is faster
I simply want to avoid having to turn my PC off when I leave it, and wondered if this was necessary, as I read somewhere the machine is more open to attack, or vulnerable to hackers, if left on while unattended.
So is it fine to leave it switched on, better to go into sleep mode, or necessary to switch off?
So is it fine to leave it switched on, better to go into sleep mode, or necessary to switch off?
-> if you prefer, sleep mode "s4" (no internetconnection, hardware is disabled)
I simply want to avoid having to turn my PC off when I leave it, and wondered if this was necessary, as I read somewhere the machine is more open to attack, or vulnerable to hackers, if left on while unattended.
i can give you no real answer, because i am not a hacker ...
(but in doubt ...switch of - better safe than sorry)
i can give you no real answer, because i am not a hacker ...
(but in doubt ...switch of - better safe than sorry)
![;)]()
Can anyone else give an answer?
I always switch my machines off.
If you boot your machine in safe mode and select 'safe mode with networking' does it still take that long to access a web page?
(or do you mean it takes that long for your internet connection icon near the clock to say you are connected?)
Provided you have a good security set up you have nothing to worry about if you leave your PC switched on.
what about upgrading the system drive to a SSD, that way you go to a boot time of less than 20 seconds.
or, leave the PC on and just turn the modem off, or pull out the ethernet cable, or disable your network adapter.
there are many ways to leave the PC on without it being exposed to the outside world.
I think you have little to worry about in my own opinion because you'll have firewall software running either what's built into Windows or some 3rd party one you've installed, and then you'll have real-time protection antivirus software running.
If you want to make your network more secure change the broadband modem WiFi ("Wireless") setting to 'Hide SSID', then nobody nearby will even see your network SSID. Note that some wireless devices such as tablets, etc., may not be able to connect to your wireless anymore if you 'Hide SSID'.
and while on the wireless front, you can also turn MAC filtering on in the modem/router.
this only lets devices that have their MAC address in the allowed list to use your internet.
but nothing is 100% guaranteed... so if turning your PC off gives you that warm fuzzy feeling, do it.
Thanks for the replies!
I wanted to avoid having to turn the machine off as it takes 2.5 minutes from the time I switch it on until I can access the net.
I may switch it off, but will probably put the PC into sleep mode if I leave it unattended.
it takes 2.5 minutes
I wonder if that network card in your machine is starting to die. I had all matter of problems last year (or was it the year before) when mine was starting to fail. At least in some circumstances they start showing their age giving noticeable issues before completely going kaput allowing us ample time to replace them. Replacing them is very cheap, hardly costing any money and is worth doing even for very old computers.
Edit:
* It also helps to replace the Ethernet cord if you have it directly wired into your computer, those can fail if they're bumped all the time or frequently unplugged and plugged back in.
* If using DSL it may help to replace the phone wire going into the back of the DSL modem.
I wonder if that network card in your machine is starting to die. I had all matter of problems last year (or was it the year before) when mine was starting to fail. At least in some circumstances they start showing their age giving noticeable issues before completely going kaput allowing us ample time to replace them. Replacing them is very cheap, hardly costing any money and is worth doing even for very old computers.
Edit:
* It also helps to replace the Ethernet cord if you have it directly wired into your computer, those can fail if they're bumped all the time or frequently unplugged and plugged back in.
* If using DSL it may help to replace the phone wire going into the back of the DSL modem.
I live in a rural area with a slow broadband speed.
I thought this was the factor determining the time it took a PC to power, or boot, up.
PC start times and broadband speeds are not tied together.
The first is the time taken between turning the PC on and, say, to start typing in Word.
In other words, when all the startup, background tasks have finished and the PC is 'yours' to play with, in a responsive manner.
The second is your bandwidth to your internet provider.
The first will happen with or without your internet connection.
The second, most noticeable factor, is your download speed.
The time taken to open your browser is PC speed, the time then taken to 'paint' your web page is internet speed.
That's my spin on it anyway.
I noticed W10 starts up incredibly fast, despite how loaded your PC is.
That's probably because your power settings are set to allow fast boot. This setting is kinda like this
"Shut Down"= Log off then Hibernate (as opposed to shutting down all system processes then powering off)