word of warning to all pc users, you probably are aware as indeed i was that you should have a surge protecter on your computer.

I knew i needed it and was going to get round to it[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img]

New mother board.
New ram.
256 meg graphics card is toast.
re format hard drive losing most of my files.
a week of stress

and last but not least the 10 quid surge protecter

what a nightmare

 

Surge protecter and bat. backup. Mobo, ram and a good vid card is real exp. What vid card did you have?

 

Doesnt it suck that hindsight is20/20

 

A battery backup is the best, bar none. if you use a power strip, you are asking for trouble. at least find a REAL surge protector - spend like $20-30 on it.

Another note - most newer computer power supplies are supposed to have 'overload' protection meaning the power supply will fry itself before passing the excess voltage on to the rest of the PC. do they work? I dunno but get a UPS and have one less thing to worry about!

 

I have a stupid noob question.

If there is a power surge could a laptop thats charging be damaged. I think the sudden surge of power would fry the battery?

 

The notebook can still have problems - you'll want to spend $20-30 on a good surge protector when charging it to keep it safer.

 

Most of the time the surge will just kill the power pack (AC adaptor), but I have seen it blow that and blow the motherboard on a laptop as well. $30 safety device that protects a $1000 or more piece of equipment is a very good idea. Kind of like buying a $100 helmet to go w/ your $6000 fourwheeler. Or buying a $1.00 condom for your $1,000,000.00 whatever-you-want-to-call-it. It's a no-brainer.

 

Some good news , the graphics card came back to life today all on its own, so that saved me some cash
All in it was about a $300 lesson

 

For real protection you must first and foremost ensure the outlet you are connected to is wired and properly grounded (it is best dedicate a circuit soley for your PC and peripherals), second buy a surge protector not an extension cord that has multiple outlets like those supposed surge protectors and last but not least plug your PC into a battery backup with fault detection (APC and Tripplite make affordable ones). Never plug your PC into peripherals that are not on your surge protection and never leave yourself vulnerable by not surge protecting your POTS or Digital network connections. If you keep thinking in that order you should never experience any problems.