Customers often ask "How often should I restart my computer?" because their (neighbor/son-in-law/niece etc.) told them that they should NEVER reboot the computer - it damages the delicate computer components inside your machine.

- FALSE -

Well, sort of.  At one point in time, this was true to a certain degree.  It was better just to leave your computer on all the time rather than subject it to that initial shock of electricity.  These days computers are built tough enough to withstand many many restarts.  Opinions differ here and there, but the main reasons to restart, every day if possible:

1.  It flushes the memory.  Memory (not to be confused with your hard drive for storage) is temporary.  Windows gets loaded into memory as well as windows and any programs you open.  When the allocation of memory gets used up in a Windows session, your computer actually starts relying on the hard drive to help carry the burden, swapping information back and forth.  There are software programs available to do the job, but restarting your computer is the easiest.

2.  Gives the fans a break.  There can often be 2, 3 or more fans inside your computer, keeping everything cool and prolonging the life of your computer.  The longer you leave them on, the more wear and tear, so why not shut down your computer completely at night?  You wouldn't come home and leave your car running in the driveway while you eat dinner, watch Seinfeld and go to bed, would you?

3.  Gives your hard drive a break.  For the same reasons you want to avoid wear and tear on your fans, you DEFINITELY want to prolong the life of your hard drive (and, of course, back-up your data on a regular basis).  Believe me, the worst sound in the world can be the clunk clunk clunk of your hard drive when it craps out.

Let's put it this way.  When you reboot your computer on a regular basis, it just plain works better.  I've had customers call me up 2-3 weeks after a tune-up, complaining that the computer is running slower than ever.  The first thing I ask is when it was restarted and inevitably they say, "not since you were here".  After rebooting, everything is just fine again.  Another life saved.