Computer Help

[kenimac1]

You should always use a surge protector with electronic equipment.

[Riffman]

Dpending on how confident you are with computers, it would be worth going ito the BIOS and setting it to turn the PC off if the fan speed drops below XX RPM or if the CPU temp goes above XX ºC. I have all my computer set like this and they are perfectly safe. No chance of burning out. It is well worth giving the inside of the PC a clean from time to time as dust can block the fans. Also make sure that plenty of air can get round the PC, don't just dump it on the floor!! In fact, my Mini-ITX PC heats up less than the bought one!!



Just my two $0.02

Riffman

[Rheghead]

Here is a conversation I had with a very rude customer service chap...

"Ridge Hall computer assistance; may I help you?"

"Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."

"What sort of trouble?"

"Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away."

"Went away?"

"They disappeared."

"Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?"

"Nothing." "Nothing?" "It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."

"Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"

"How do I tell?" "Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?"

"What's a sea-prompt?"

"Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?"

"There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type."

"Does your monitor have a power indicator?"

"What's a monitor?"

"It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?"

"I don't know."

"Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall."

"Yes, it is."

"When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?"

"No."

"Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable."

"Okay, here it is."

"Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer."

"I can't reach."

"Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?"

"No."

"Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?"

"Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle -- it's because it's dark."

"Dark?"

"Yes, -the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window."

"Well, turn on the office light then."

"I can't."

"No? Why not?"

"Because there's a power failure."

"A power... A power failure? Aha, Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?"

"Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."

"Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from."

"Really? Is it that bad?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

"Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?"

"Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer."

Since that rude conversation, I have managed to sort my own computer problems out...

[apollo69]

Rheghead - somebody sent me that in an e-mail a couple of weeks ago, and I immediately thought of it when reading this thread! Didn't know if I'd get slaughtered for telling PC to take his pc back though!

[Rheghead]

will it be ok for me to leave my computer on all day ?? as i worry incase i burn my computer out

I think it is fairly obvious from other people's experience is that there is an increased risk of fire with increased computer use.

I must be at higher risk than most...

[George Brims]

Mr Rheghead, that conversation has been circulating for years. It was supposed to be either a Gateway or Dell support person, who ended up fired for a slight lack of computer support skills. I don't know if it is genuine or not. Perhaps the various Urban Legends sites will have checked it out. Funny either way. For several years I used to be woken in the night by astronomers sitting on a 14,000 foot mountain (it was my job, they weren't just doing it to pick on me!) hoping I could solve their computer problems. To understand what this was like, imagine a person with dementia or a drunk person calling the wrong number.

As for the computer leaving on question, Windows XP has good power saving options, so you can make the computer go into hibernation when you leave it alone too long, as well as turning the monitor off (actually down to a standby state where it's using a tiny amount of power).

[Rheghead]

Think of it as a parody rather than a piece of plagiarism

[307]

real helpdesks user descriptive call codes such I D 1 0 T - also see www.userfriendly.org for more geek culture hilarity.....

[Mr P Cannop]

what has that got to do with computer help ??

[307]

I declined to comment as I'm not interested....... but seeing as you ask . . . .
- I 've run several PC systems simultaneously over the last 15 years - all of these were networked using the current technology of the day, everything from serial & parallel cable, Novell, Lantastic, Lan Manager, WFW, etc etc...... NONE of these PCs were ever switched off - never. The monitors go to sleep as they should. All safe & sound.
My wee workshop has 8 PCs - a mixture of towers, mini-pcs (Shuttles), and laptops running various applications & operating systems - the only time they get switched off is when I pull the kit apart to test something. Even then they are only momentarily off. They dont get the chance to cool down.
As George has said, Win XP can be set to hibernate mode & that leaves innards cool. Modern motherboards have cooling technology built-in so that it can shutdown above a certain temperature.
In fact the only time a PC "died" on me was when it had been switched off for a considerable time and then switched back on again.
So my opinion based on my own experience over the years it to leave them switched on, but switch the monitors off 'cos they do generate a considerable amount of heat.
AND ....Place the PC at desk height & not on the floor where the "stoor" whirls about.
AND ....Put in a decent cooling fan and ingress / egress fans to keep whatever "stoor" there is whirling outside the case.

[ajr]

get yourself a good anti virus package, good firewall and a surge protector for power sockets and phone line. As long as you heat sink on the processor and fan are working leave it on all year if you want! It'll cause no harm except to the environment!!

I turn mine on in the morning (or when I get home from work) and off before I go to bed at night but not every time I walk out the room.

[Zael]

It should also be mentioned that when the PC is running in sleep mode its using about the same electricity as a relatively low wattage light bulb. Only when you sitting in front of it, copying files about your hard drive, with a CD burning whilst playing the latest directx game at 1600x1200 with all options on, with your fancy GF6800 (or bigger) will you be using anything like the maximum output of your power supply.

Most power supplies I've seen over the last year or so are about the 350watt mark but hardly every have to push that much juice into your pc. Surge protection is a must for sure as are quiet cooling fans and speed control for your fans. My fans are a bit noisy atm although the motherboard does have control and slows em down if the PC is cool enough. However, it can sound a bit like a harrier jet hovering in the corner when I start up a newish game and the cpu and gfx card heat up :/

If your pc is sitting on the floor, it will sound quieter from your desk but will as has been said, sook up loads of dust from the floor. I usually take the hoover (with the pointy attachment) over the air intakes when I'm cleaning up and that gets rid of most of it. If you're inside your pc for any reason (upgrades etc) then I recommend a soft paintbrush (or makeup brush) to give things a quick dust, combined with a can of "Air Duster" (compressed air) you can keep things pretty dust free. One thing to remember about dust inside electrical things, dust is one of the reasons components heat up and fail (especially capacitors) so keeping the dust out can help you prolong the life of things like your PC, your monitor etc etc.