Oh, And One More Thing

I'm gonna climb on the ol' soapbox here for just a second. In my post below, I mentioned how a pc was brought down by a blown power supply. It is not unusual for a power supply to wear out, nor is it unusual for a hard drive to die. However, since I've been running an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), I've not had those problems.

Guess what? Power strips are a joke. You might have one that is only a couple weeks old, and it might be useless. They absorb only so many power spikes and they are done. Finished. Then, if lightning hits, hey, it's just another extension cord. The light turns on, but there is no way to tell if it's used up or not.

Plus, they don't do a thing for low voltage. Yannow, when the lights dim for just a second, and it's not because your A/C kicked in? Low voltage is the death of delicate electrical appliances. This includes your brand new widescreen high def unit, too.

Most of my pc knowledge came with a price. I had to buy hard drives back when Ultra DMA 33s strode the earth, and they cost more than a hundred bucks for five or ten gigs. Yeah, I know, I got started late. But, my point is it cost real money for this particular lesson to sink in.

My current UPS has an audible alarm when line voltage doesn't meet specs. I hear it four or five times a week, and I'm not home that much. The power we buy is usually considered "dirty." My local utility company sells power conditioners so the whole house is protected. It's in their small print that they are not responsible for the damage the dirty power they are selling might cause, but they'll stand behind any damage if you are equipped with a power conditioner.

I just have the UPS for the pc and it's peripherals. I may regret this decision if my TV gets blown out, but I've yet to see a problem with the power screwing with a television in the forty plus years of living here. So, I'm willing to gamble.

But, I'm not gonna gamble and lose on the pc stuff. If you know me, you will remember me harping on the subject of UPSs over the years, and how you need one. If you lose your 'puter because you were too cheap to get one, then don't come crying to me. I told y'all a long time ago about the problem, and my sympathy well ran dry a long time ago for people who refuse to listen about issues like that.