Mac Question for any of you PT People

[radiophonic]

Where02190's approach (restarting everyday) is a great one if you're opening and closing several apps throughout the day (which it sounds like Jordan is... the audio stuff and the MS stuff).

The reason: As we know, the Mac OS is a HORRIBLE memory manager. HORRIBLE. Even with VM on, it stinks. I have loved Macs for a lot of years, but the OS has lacked in many ways.
(Tubelover... I'm a Mac tech too, but i've only been certified for 5 years or so hehe)

I use a Mac at work all day long. I work in several different apps. I restart at least once a day, for a few reasons, and they all point to one result: LESS CRASHING.
I'd go into more detail as to how the Mac fragments memory, and the OS doesn't always free the memory back up after you quit certain things, etc. but my long post will only get longer........... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

I hardly ever crash as long as i restart at least once throughout the day.
The people that I support that never restart, or leave it on all the time and never shut down, the only time they restart is BECAUSE of a crash.... they lose a lot of work (they also never save often hehe)

As to the original question... it is harder on the hardware (especially HD's and power supplies) to cold start daily, vs. leaving the Mac left on all the time.

BUT, i've seen hardware failures in all environments (from printers, to lawyers, dentists, offices, ad agencies, studios), with all ranges of habits related to this, and I can't tell you that one way will make your stuff last longer than the other... so use it how you want.
If you're environmentally conscious, Kickin has a great point about Green Computing.
If you don't care and can handle your electric bill, leave it on... (not that i endorse wasting power either!)
It's really up to you.

But i would guess that Where and I have a lot less crashing freezing and unexpected quits because we restart often.... (?)

Of course, OS X eliminates a lot of these problems, because it addresses just about every issue that's related to this... with the exception of poor code written by an app developer [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[nahej]

I leave my mac on continously, except if there is a lighting storm ( then i shut down; and unplug ). The monitor automatically goes to sleep if i take a break. Otherwise, i put the machine to sleep, not shutdown. Restarting, at least a few times a day is a good practice, too.(MAC OS9 manual says so) Also, i routinely run diagnostic/ defrag software. Hope this helps...

[sphonemus]

I turn off all energy saver stuff and leave my machine on 24/7. When I'm done, i restart and turn off the monitor so the next day the OS will be fresh. The biggest problem with a full power off/on is hard drive wear. Drives go bad when you have them warm up (power on) and cool off (power off) over and over.. leave them on and keep your room cool and dust free.

Restarting does not stop the electricity from flowing through your computer, so your drives are still on. Restarting simply saves any OS SystemFiles/prefs, flushes the OS out of memory and loads it in fresh again.

[sphonemus]

Ohhh yeah, and get a battery backup. (very good investment)

[where02190]

So many good points. Yes indeed the daily restart keeps us from (almost) never getting freeze-ups.
Disable yur screensaver/energy saver if you are running PT, as it (PT) does not like going to sleep... instead shut off your monitor when not in use for long periods, a sthis is the biggest consumer of power in your computer system.
Run maintainence utilities (we are very fond of the Mac Care Unit) Our studio is humidy controlled at 45%(mostly for the pianos sake) which helps to keep both dust and static down well.

Nice to see the qualified techs confirming power ups and the potential harm they can do. Electronics like remaining at constant temperatures, and changes in that cause premature component wear, along with the currnet and voltage surges on power up.

Also good points about power down during major electrical storms. and about a good reliable UPS(uninterruptable power supply). We actually disconnect power to all electronics during storms as an extra precaution.

Keep sharing the knowledge....

[Dead River Studio]

I just picked up two UPS battery backup and surge protectors. I picked them up at BestBuy last week, they were $69.95 with $60 in rebates! They cost me $10 each in the end. The only thing that sucks is that the software that comes with them is only PC. I have to look into whether there is Mac software available. The unit has a serial cable that connects to the computer and uses the software to properly close out and shut down any open applications in the event of a power outage. It will also allow up 16 minutes of battery time for you to get to your computer and shut it down when the power goes out. Pretty cool stuff even at the regular price.

Oh, I leave my computer on all the time and just shut down my monitor when done working.

Steve

[Kickin.da.speaker]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>
Nice to see the qualified techs confirming power ups and the potential harm they can do. Electronics like remaining at constant temperatures, and changes in that cause premature component wear, along with the currnet and voltage surges on power up. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's true...in theory. See, a mechanical engine hates change in temperatures, that causes mechanical parts wear and starting a car is when you harm the engine the most.

And yet, you don't leave your car on at night do you? Usually, even if you just stop in a rest area for 5mn, you turn your car off, am I wrong? Have you ever thought how much harm that does to your engine? No. You just keep doing it. Why? Because your engine was made to handle that harm! That's "normal" wear and tear!

Why don't you leave your car on at night? $$ and environment protection. Same reasons should apply to your computer.

However, I do agree that a computer on all night is not THAT much of $$ running out the windows. So if nothing, do it for the environment. You can't be peace and love and against nuclear and pollution and leave your computer on at night at the same time. Make a choice. I've made mine.

And by the way...should I mention I've never had a problem?

[sphonemus]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>And yet, you don't leave your car on at night do you?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Gas is quite a bit more expensive then electricity... both monetarily and environmentally.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Usually, even if you just stop in a rest area for 5mn, you turn your car off, am I wrong?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

thats right, but when you get back your engine is still at the same hot operating temp as it was before.. and diesel engines (eg. tour busses) stay on when parked for extended periods of time.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>You can't be peace and love and against nuclear and pollution and leave your computer on at night at the same time. Make a choice. I've made mine.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, if your drive dies, you're gonna be adding a chunk of non-biodegradable solid waste to the garbage heap!

[img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[redshifted]

From what I've gathered most hard drives outlive their usefullness anyway, whether you shutdown or not. I leave my home computer on all the time and have had no problems. Sleep mode uses very low energy BTW. At my studio I usually shutdown because we don't use the computer as much and I'm afraid of any weird power surges or other people messing with it.