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Power outage effects



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 28th 08, 04:56 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
garyr
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Posts: 1
Default Power outage effects

I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What are
the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3) when it
is operating normally and when in the Standby state?
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  #2  
Old December 28th 08, 05:50 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Leonard Grey[_3_]
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Posts: 3,048
Default Power outage effects

Loss of data. Damage to components.

Buy a UPS (uninterrupted power supply). A UPS supplies battery power to
your system for a few minutes - long enough for you to shut down your
computer in an orderly manner until the power returns. Many UPSes come
with software that can shut your computer down automatically, should
there be a power outage while you are not home. And if all that isn't
enough, a UPS includes a surge suppressor.

All in all, a wise purchase.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

garyr wrote:
I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What are
the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3) when it
is operating normally and when in the Standby state?

  #3  
Old December 28th 08, 07:23 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Ken Blake, MVP
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Posts: 10,402
Default Power outage effects

On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:56:03 -0800 (PST), garyr
wrote:

I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What are
the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3) when it
is operating normally and when in the Standby state?




Nothing is certain, but there is always a substantial risk. You can
lose some or much of what's on your hard drive.

I strongly recommend that you invest in a UPS, such as this one on
sale by Amazon.com for $59.99:
http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-O...04U8/ref=pd_bb
http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-Outlet-550VA-120V/dp/B0019804U8/ref=pd_bb
s_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230423877&sr=8-1

or http://tinyurl.com/7y99fn http://tinyurl.com/7y99fn

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
  #4  
Old December 28th 08, 07:36 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Jose
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Posts: 3,140
Default Power outage effects


The "solution" to the problem has been stated - buy a UPS.

I often pose the question: Have you really fixed the problem or did
you merely fix a symptom of the problem?

You do not want to be trying to fix the symptoms of the problem you
describe. Fix the problem.

A UPS will allow you to perform a graceful shutdown until power is
stable or restored.


On Dec 28, 10:56*am, garyr wrote:
I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What are
the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3) when it
is operating normally and when in the Standby state?


  #5  
Old December 28th 08, 07:59 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Buffalo[_2_]
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Posts: 329
Default Power outage effects



Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
[snip]

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.


Hey Ken, have you or anyone you know ever replaced the battery for an UPS
with just a lead acid battery (small car or motorcycle battery)? You could
just set it next to the UPS unit and connect it with clamps.
You could probably really extend the time that your PC would run during a
power failure. The more powerful UPS units are very expensive and I'm not
sure that the main difference is just the size of the battery or not.
Thanks,
Buffalo


  #6  
Old December 28th 08, 08:34 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Ken Blake, MVP
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,402
Default Power outage effects

On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:59:01 -0700, "Buffalo"
wrote:



Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
[snip]

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.


Hey Ken, have you or anyone you know ever replaced the battery for an UPS
with just a lead acid battery (small car or motorcycle battery)? You could
just set it next to the UPS unit and connect it with clamps.



I haven't, and I don't know anyone who did. Whether it would work
properly, I don't know (what's the voltage of a UPS battery?), but
even if it did, I'd be very unhappy with a lead acid battery inside my
house.


You could probably really extend the time that your PC would run during a
power failure.



Maybe.


The more powerful UPS units are very expensive and I'm not
sure that the main difference is just the size of the battery or not.



A UPS that would keep most of us going for half an hour or so is
usually under $100 US, and half an hour is long enough for most of us.
I own three inexpensive UPSs, one for each of my desktop computers,
and I have never had a problem with any of them not providing power
long enough.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
  #7  
Old December 28th 08, 08:55 PM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
John John (MVP)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,010
Default Power outage effects

Buffalo wrote:
Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
[snip]

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.



Hey Ken, have you or anyone you know ever replaced the battery for an UPS
with just a lead acid battery (small car or motorcycle battery)? You could
just set it next to the UPS unit and connect it with clamps.
You could probably really extend the time that your PC would run during a
power failure. The more powerful UPS units are very expensive and I'm not
sure that the main difference is just the size of the battery or not.


Computers and regular UPS don't work on 12v DC current, they mostly all
run on standard household current. With a simple plug adapter you can
run a laptop on a car battery but you can't run desktop equipment off
automobile batteries. You would need to run the car battery through a
power inverter. And of course, like Ken said, who wants a lead acid
battery in the house?

John
  #8  
Old December 29th 08, 01:27 AM
TonyDigital TonyDigital is offline
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by PCbanter: Dec 2008
Posts: 5
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by garyr View Post
I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What are
the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3) when it
is operating normally and when in the Standby state?

Hi,


Occasional power outages and power fluctuations can lead to hardware damage and data loss. If you live in an area where this is common, it's well worth while to invest in a UPS that will regular the power for you and provide you enough power to save essential work and shut down safely.

What's your computer configuration like?



Tony,
  #9  
Old December 29th 08, 01:29 AM
TonyDigital TonyDigital is offline
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by PCbanter: Dec 2008
Posts: 5
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Blake, MVP View Post
On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 07:56:03 -0800 (PST), garyr
wrote:

I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What are
the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3) when it
is operating normally and when in the Standby state?




Nothing is certain, but there is always a substantial risk. You can
lose some or much of what's on your hard drive.

I strongly recommend that you invest in a UPS, such as this one on
sale by Amazon.com for $59.99:
http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-O...04U8/ref=pd_bb
http://www.amazon.com/APC-Back-UPS-O...04U8/ref=pd_bb
s_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1230423877&sr=8-1

or http://tinyurl.com/7y99fn http://tinyurl.com/7y99fn

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.


--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup


Hi Ken,


The UPS you suggest is a good power bar, surge protector with a bit of power. It has very limited abilities. It would be excellent for a network modem, cordless phone or a small desk lamp.

For serious computer equipment, I would always recommend to invest in an actual UPS that will regulate the power and provide a run time.



Tony
  #10  
Old December 29th 08, 01:36 AM
TonyDigital TonyDigital is offline
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by PCbanter: Dec 2008
Posts: 5
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffalo[_2_] View Post
Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
[snip]

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.


Hey Ken, have you or anyone you know ever replaced the battery for an UPS
with just a lead acid battery (small car or motorcycle battery)? You could
just set it next to the UPS unit and connect it with clamps.
You could probably really extend the time that your PC would run during a
power failure. The more powerful UPS units are very expensive and I'm not
sure that the main difference is just the size of the battery or not.
Thanks,
Buffalo

Hi Buffalo,


It is possible to replace UPS batteries with bigger sealed lead acid batteries to provide more run time. This doesn't work on small UPSs with small charging circuits. Those units can get burnt out easily.


I know of a few people who have the bought an APC Smart-UPS 1400, removed the batteries and have instead attached 2x 12v 45Ah batteries externally. The batteries take a very long time to charge, but they provide a fantastically long run time.


I have seen this done by a few guys who were looking to provide clean power inside their RV's. Some inverters output dirty power, using a UPS will provide clean power to plugged in appliances.


If using a big car battery, adequate ventilation is required.



Tony
  #11  
Old December 29th 08, 01:51 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
ushere
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 40
Default Power outage effects

TonyDigital wrote:
garyr;3235481 Wrote:
I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What
are the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3)
when it is operating normally and when in the Standby state?



from personal experience the $150 or so investment in a ups is much
better than a fried pc / hd / whathaveyou.
i recommend a ups for all sensitive equipment, and surge protectors on
all other electronic equipment.

  #12  
Old December 29th 08, 02:15 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Geoff[_12_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 30
Default Power outage effects

Gee Ken, I hope you don't park your car/s in your garage attached to or
forming a part of your house.........



"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:59:01 -0700, "Buffalo"
wrote:



Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
[snip]

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but *especially*
people like you who live where there are power outages.


Hey Ken, have you or anyone you know ever replaced the battery for an UPS
with just a lead acid battery (small car or motorcycle battery)? You
could
just set it next to the UPS unit and connect it with clamps.



I haven't, and I don't know anyone who did. Whether it would work
properly, I don't know (what's the voltage of a UPS battery?), but
even if it did, I'd be very unhappy with a lead acid battery inside my
house.


You could probably really extend the time that your PC would run during a
power failure.



Maybe.


The more powerful UPS units are very expensive and I'm not
sure that the main difference is just the size of the battery or not.



A UPS that would keep most of us going for half an hour or so is
usually under $100 US, and half an hour is long enough for most of us.
I own three inexpensive UPSs, one for each of my desktop computers,
and I have never had a problem with any of them not providing power
long enough.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup



  #13  
Old December 29th 08, 02:39 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Leonard Grey[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,048
Default Power outage effects

The amount you pay depends on how much protection you need. For my home
computer setup I paid $US 50.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

ushere wrote:
TonyDigital wrote:
garyr;3235481 Wrote:
I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What
are the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3)
when it is operating normally and when in the Standby state?



from personal experience the $150 or so investment in a ups is much
better than a fried pc / hd / whathaveyou.
i recommend a ups for all sensitive equipment, and surge protectors on
all other electronic equipment.

  #14  
Old December 29th 08, 03:03 AM
TonyDigital TonyDigital is offline
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by PCbanter: Dec 2008
Posts: 5
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ushere View Post
TonyDigital wrote:
garyr;3235481 Wrote:
I live in an area where there are occasional power outages. What
are the consequences of loosing power to a computer (XP Home, SP3)
when it is operating normally and when in the Standby state?



from personal experience the $150 or so investment in a ups is much
better than a fried pc / hd / whathaveyou.
i recommend a ups for all sensitive equipment, and surge protectors on
all other electronic equipment.


I couldn't agree more. It's worth while investing in a good UPS. You get what you pay for with UPSs, you buy good quality and you get quality and dependability. If you buy a cheap UPS you get poor quality and unreliable performance.


Tony,
  #15  
Old December 29th 08, 04:17 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support
Buffalo[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 329
Default Power outage effects



John John (MVP) wrote:
Buffalo wrote:
Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
[snip]

I think everyone should have a UPS for his computer, but
*especially* people like you who live where there are power outages.



Hey Ken, have you or anyone you know ever replaced the battery for
an UPS with just a lead acid battery (small car or motorcycle
battery)? You could just set it next to the UPS unit and connect it
with clamps.
You could probably really extend the time that your PC would run
during a power failure. The more powerful UPS units are very
expensive and I'm not sure that the main difference is just the size
of the battery or not.


Computers and regular UPS don't work on 12v DC current, they mostly
all run on standard household current. With a simple plug adapter
you can run a laptop on a car battery but you can't run desktop
equipment off automobile batteries. You would need to run the car
battery through a power inverter. And of course, like Ken said, who
wants a lead acid battery in the house?

John


Wrong John.
How do you think UPS systems work?


 




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