How often does a laptop need to be shut down?

BBrutalHHonesty: How often does a laptop need to be shut down?
I have a laptop that I intend to have running 24/7 (with minimal breaks). How often should a laptop be shut down for a break (possibly from heat) without causing damage? How long should a laptop be left on for?

Answers and Views:

Answer by BrewGoat
This is hard to say, sorry. I have had customers who go close to a year and not shutdown and others shutdown every couple days. It all depends on how you use the computer, the type of programs installed (well made versus junk) and environmental conditions.

Most of the time a restart is necessary to updates and conflicts between programs. An example is Internet Explorer and Google toolbar. Two different pieces of software made by two different companies and so sometimes they do not behave correctly.

If you are worried about power consumption or wear on you computer this used to be more of a factor. I recently read that you would need to leave your computer off for more than 1 hour to save energy. Even then the wear and tear on the hard drive spindles and the power supply makes this not worth the trouble. The power surges that occur during start up and shutdown put a greater strain on the computer than leaving it on.

I normally do not turn off my computer unless I will be not using it for more than two days. People may gripe about the wasted energy but consider the cost and energy that is required if I need to replace the hard drive prematurely.