hi.ahmm... is it okay to put your computer on stand by mode for several days??? i do it because mycomputer has a prolem especially the CPU. . everytime i shut it down its hard to turn it back..so i put it on stand by mode so i dont have to shut it down.... will it still cause some problem to my computer???thank you

Hello elyfishcuber,1. What exactly do you mean when you say the it is hard to turn on your computer after shutting down?If it's just a few hours or even overnight, it's usually more efficient to put your computer to sleep, either by clicking the Power button on the Start menu or by closing the lid on your mobile PC. (Some computers also have a dedicated sleep button on the computer case.)There are several advantages to choosing sleep over shutting down:•All your work, including information about the programs you were using such as window location and size, is automatically saved.•When you awaken your machine from sleep, you don't need to restart programs or reopen files as you would if you had shut down the computer.•While Windows does use some power in sleep mode, it's very small: about one-tenth as much as it would need if you left the computer running. A mobile PC typically uses 1 to 2 percent of battery power per hour in sleep mode.•When Windows is asleep, it can still download and install updates and perform other routine maintenance tasks. For this reason, some companies require employees to put their computers to sleep rather than shut them down when going home for the evening.But there are instances when you should shut down your computer fully—for example, when you install a new memory card or other hardware. If you don't plan to use your computer for several days or more, you should also shut itThanks,Irfan H, Microsoft Answers Support Engineer. Visit ourMicrosoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Your answer is very helpful but my computer is an XP and it appears I do NOT have a sleep mode! I have a hibernation mode....are they the same? Also, what is it that I see actors do on TV when someone enters the room and the person at the computer wants privacy....he/she hits a key and the computer goes to the screen saver or goes dark. What is it they are clicking on? Would it be the same on my desktop as on my laptop?THANKS so much!Bonnie

my computer is an XP and it appears I do NOT have a sleep mode! I have a hibernation mode....are they the same? I think Standby is XP's version of Sleep. Before you disclosed your OS I was going to ask you to check your Power settings. I'm on W7 and can't remember what XP had for those. Anyway, it sounds to me that you might have done the same dumb thing that I did: set all my settings which are normally Shutdown to Hibernate. That makes it really difficulty to cause a reboot using the hardware. <w> E.g. holding the Power switch in the off position for 10 seconds or closing the lid make sense to be Shutdown options, at least for the Plugged in, settings. I suspect this thread is going to be moved to an XP forum which is where you probably should have posted in the first place. ; ) Good luckRobert Aldwinckle---