Hi Donna,
I suppose you were expecting a yes or no answer.

If your computer is turned off and powered down then it is not working. It is not capable of connecting to the internet or running any scans.

The computer may do some activities whilst you are not able to interact with it, but it does need to be powered up. You may for instance be told not to turn off a computer after you log off because it is running an update. Something else you may notice is that a task such as as a scan may take a long time and depending on settings the screen may shut down but the scan or other task proceeds.

The situation gets a bit more complicated if you consider the computer's behaviour after it is left unpowered for a number of days.

See also

• https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibernate_%28OS_feature%29
• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-xp/help/setup/configure-power-management
• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/help/windows-update
• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/end-support-help

I trust you are also aware of XP being at the End Of Life for support from microsoft http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/end-support-help

Most computers will be able to keep track of time when turned back on and should be able to complete scheduled work. Some may depend on a small battery cell to keep the clock going and will lose time if that is absent or dead.

Firefox itself may update ok regardless of the time or any schedule as long as it is started up and connected to the internet, but you may need to manually set the date on the computer.

If the computer time is wrong it may result in problems of various kinds for instance files may appear invalid or scheduled tasks may appear not to be due. The clock may not even reset itself when connected to the internet if the date is wrong

• http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/windows_date_it_overview.mspx?mfr=true

John-To be clear, even though the modem is still plugged in and the lights are lit up, the computer is not connected to the Internet and no scans/updates can be automatically run?

Donna, yes that is correct.

If the computer is not plugged in and is turned off it will not function. That is even true of a laptop with batteries in it. When turned off they are off.

Many computers will have a power supply that stays live at lowpower whilst they are plugged in and turned off but that low power is mainly so that the start stop switches have power and can be used. Rather like a modern TV or HiFi that may be operated by remote control.

LIghts on the computers ehernet port may light up when the router is plugged in and an ethernet cable is plugged in but that is not an indication the computer is able to process a signal.

John99:

Sorry for being unclear.

I am asking this: Even though the computer is turned off, 'if the cable modem is still plugged in and the lights on the front of it are lit up/flashing,' in that case would the computer still be 'connected' to the Internet?

No, if the computer is off it is off and not connected to anything. Your modem is on and connected, but not your computer.

Tyler:

Since the computer is off not connected to anything, what would the modem be connected to?

The modem is connected to your ISP, and it is always on ready for when your computer turns on and reconnects to the internet

These questions aren't related to Firefox in anyway, so I'm going to lock this thread. If you have actual questions about Firefox please start a new thread.

(Traditional dialup maybe as Modem is mentioned a couple of times)

The modem may be connected to

• A power supply
• The telephone cable (That itself is a source of power, although that is not the cable's intended primary purpose on a modern system)
• Your Computer

I think we may be drifting off the subject of Firefox here.