"Vanguard" wrote in message
.net...
"David LeBrun" wrote in message
e.rogers.com
Greetings
I'm currently restoring a system that was hit with a power surge
where
the following were fried:
PSU
Motherboard
Hard Drive
CDROM
CDRW
Network (PCI)
Audio (PCI)
However the following components from the same system survived:
CPU
RAM (all 3 sticks that were installed)
AGP video
Modem (PCI)
Floppy
Speakers
Monitor
Keyboard/Mouse

I just find it curious that components I thought were sensitive to
voltage like the CPU and RAM would survive while other components
wouldn't. The core on the audio card actually popped (I found the
center of the silicon at the bottom of the case). I keep telling
people to get a UPS or a good surge protector but no one listens
until
they have to pay $$$

Anyone else have a horror story to tell?

Dave.

Sounds like you (or your customers) need to check into using better
power supplies. When not protected by a UPS, mine have simply
popped
the breaker on the backside or blown a fuse (which sometimes
requires me
to open the PSU to replace it) or just tripped on the overvoltage
and
you wait until it resets and the line voltage is okay to power back
on.

By the way, it isn't just surge protectors and, better yet, UPSes
for
which customers never listen. They don't listen regarding backups,
either. When they whine about really needing to get their data
back,
they look like deer in headlights when you ask about their backups.


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I'm not sure how it was connected when the surge happened. I know it
now has an Enermax PSU which I've never had a problem with. I also
know that 2 or 3 other people have worked on the system before it came
to me so no telling how or what caused the problem and what was done
to try to fix it. I opened the case and found remnants of drink
spills, a cpu heatsink with about 5 pounds of dust under a fan whose
bearings are on the way out, wiring nest sitting right in front of the
cpu heatsink, no case fan and the psu vent blocked with another wiring
nest. Anyone that actually knows what they're doing should have fixed
at least one of these problems by force of habit as far as I'm
concerned. First thing (rather second...first I just stood there
shaking my head) was to start cutting a hole in the case for a fan! I
event went as far as lapping the heatsink because I knew heat was
going to be a real problem. Don't know who did the work on it when it
came to me but I know I wouldn't have them work on a system belonging
to my worst enemy! What really bothers me is there are some people
who charge an arm and leg to build/repair systems and what you get is
something that looks like it came out of a meat grinder.
I had installed backup software originally and with the burner
installed there shouldn't have been any problem with the hard drive
failing but like you said...they just never listen.

Dave.
(sorry for the rant)