Do you use a Surge Protector for your PC?

[copyless]

If you have an UPS you will know it by the beeps it emits whenever there is an interruption in the power, letting you know that whatever is connected to it is running on the battery backup. Again when buying a UPS be sure to check the joule rating as this is very important to spike surges, such as lightning strikes.

I keep several throughout my house, so if I have a power outage, I can continue to watch TV, or if on my computer I am able to save any info and shut down normally, stay on my cordless phone (since unlike corded phones, are perfectly safe during lightning) etc.

[toomanycats]

You can make a very simple surge protector using a 125Vac varistor. Just sotter it accross a 125v fuse and put it in series on each leg of the AC power cord. It will blow the fuse whenever the voltage exceeds 125Volts, as varistors are voltage sensitive, then you just replace the unit which would cost probably $10.00 to make. (The voltage is dropped in parallel with the fuse, voltage stays the same in a parallel circuit.)

[LT. Columbo]

UninteruptablePowerSupply or something to that effect.

and all this is why I turn off my PC when not in use and avoid any overnight operations

fast and furious = SAFE

so what about regular household spikes? such as turning on A/C, fridges? i read these can gradually mess up a computer. naturally a switch is best, but what about those who leave their pc on 24-7?

[Chewy]

such as turning on A/C, fridges?

substandard wiring might be a problem, but then the least of your worries
would be a computer, I would sleep outside

[LT. Columbo]

there will be voltage spikes with the best of wiring though. the wiring up here is good. suprised you don't use one with you and your "ridiculous standards".

[copyless]

I think everyone should have an UPS, especially people who live around large cities. As a lot of areas interrupt power in the afternoon to different grids, to help regulate the demand on stations due to the air conditioning usage.

[Chewy]

there will be voltage spikes with the best of wiring though. the wiring up here is good. suprised you don't use one with you and your "ridiculous standards".

I am on the same 115 circuit with a small freezer, as long as it doesn't spoil my burns I am happy. Now the power going off every few days bugs me,
that's another reason I burn at 8x.

[LT. Columbo]

Now the power going off every few days bugs me,
that's another reason I burn at 8x.

to get the job done quicker?

so bottom line chewy, you do not believe that normal household activity will in time damage a computer's sensitive electronic components for the lack of having one of these surge protectors? do you mean the pc's power supply is enough?

[Chewy]

On a properly wired house, yes.

If your lights dim, then check the main connectors.

[LT. Columbo]

no dimming lights. actually in my area this time of year we get thunderstorms out the ying-yang. power- outs fairly often too.

[Chewy]

Can you pause and save a long conversion from avi to dvd?

[copyless]

no dimming lights. actually in my area this time of year we get thunderstorms out the ying-yang. power- outs fairly often too.

One of the reasons I would invest in an UPS, you can find them on sale all the time for a decent price. Depending on your setup (monitor size, CPU, etc.) you may find one for $30 or so.

[LT. Columbo]

thanx copyless. yeah i'm going to talk to other people too, make some calls and get more opinions. i'll explore everything

@chewy. not really. you can save the set-up settings though. if the power goes out, the file is cut off where it was processing. if it's in the middle i can do 2 things:

1) continue from the cutt off point by navigating to the frame manually

or

2) bitch and moan and start all over.

i always do #2. much better job. luckily this has happened only once.

[PurpleDemon]

We all know #2 LT lol

[soup]

#2 makes the world go round & keeps you regular.