Leaving Laptop on all the time

Notebooks aren't designed for 24/7 operation - you can use it that way, but as would be the case with running your car 24/7 you'll shorten its lifespan by doing so.

Is it safe to do this? I have been leaving it on all the time as if it were a desktop. I have an Inspiron 1525

I wouldn't.  In stead I would use the sleep function within Vista.  I use it for my desktop and it not only saves Energy, but it will lengthen the lifespan of your components.  There is a great little program called Auto Power-On & Shut-Down.  You can schedule your laptop to kick into sleep/hibernation and then have it back on by let's say 0600.  In no way am I affiliated with this software company...just makes this task easier.

Is the program free and where can we download it from?

Is the program free and where can we download it from?

Can be found http://www.lifsoft.com/.  30 day evaluation....reasonable cost....