My sister and brother-in-law have a large (12) and growing number of desktop boxes at home. They're rightly concerned that they're putting a strain on the electrical circuits they're using. What should they be asking an electrician to do to set them up correctly? [more inside]
posted by skyscraper on Jul 11, 2009 - 10 answers

Moving a desktop computer internationally - we're moving from Korea (220 V) to Canada (110V). Is it as simple as removing the power "section" of the desktop and replacing it with 110 V at a computer repair place in Canada? Are internal components individually responsive to a particular voltage?
posted by carolekorea on Apr 8, 2009 - 11 answers

Just returned from fabulous 2 week holiday in New York. I Brought back Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One Printer from Staples costing $230. Unfortunately, I cannot use it in U.K., unless I plug voltage converter/transformer products. Has anyone else bought this set over there with more success? Any advice \ information appreciated. Please specify me What exact voltage converter product to buy & where to buy it from USA online store. Thanks. [more inside]
posted by omaralarifi on Jan 28, 2009 - 4 answers

Building a uber powerful gaming pc, what parts to buy as I don't want to be a sucker. Need your help. Intel Core i7 [more inside]
posted by spinko on Nov 22, 2008 - 26 answers

What is, and what is the purpose of this part of a laptop power adapter? [more inside]
posted by jjbb on Mar 16, 2008 - 6 answers

Will an iGo WallPower 120 AC adapter work with a Compaq Presario R3000? [more inside]
posted by thinman on Nov 6, 2007 - 4 answers

Electrical Engineers / Computer Hardware Enthusiasts: Replace fuse in a computer power supply? [more inside]
posted by itheearl on Jun 27, 2007 - 10 answers

YACQ (Yet Another Computer Question) - does this sound like a power supply issue? [more inside]
posted by backseatpilot on Apr 20, 2007 - 6 answers

[DirtyPowerFilter] My CRT monitor has developed a nasty shake/vibration at certain refresh settings, since I moved to a new apartment. I think the problem stems from the old electrical system. Is there anything I can do to "clean" the power and alleviate the problem? Or are all "power conditioning" products bogus? Backstory and more info below the fold. [more inside]
posted by Kadin2048 on Feb 13, 2007 - 16 answers

My laptop's backlight is acting up. And so is the power button. [more inside]
posted by punishinglemur on Jan 15, 2007 - 6 answers

It's the oldest computer question in existence... My computer won't start. Help me. [more inside]
posted by MsMolly on Dec 31, 2006 - 13 answers

How can I discover how to keep my laptop's hard drive powered down? Hibernating or standby states are unreliable or very slow to wake up from. [more inside]
posted by SamFrancisco on Dec 3, 2006 - 11 answers

I am about to have a nervous breakdown. Please, can you help me with my mysterious, probably power-related, computer nightmares? [more inside]
posted by TonyRobots on Nov 27, 2006 - 18 answers

Laptop hardware question: My laptop takes a couple minutes to "warm up" before it will boot... details inside. [more inside]
posted by knave on Nov 4, 2006 - 5 answers

My mother-in-law plugged in her laptop via a docking station, hit the on switch on the powerstrip, and two disturbing things happened... [more inside]
posted by I, Credulous on Nov 1, 2006 - 6 answers

How do you secure a plug so that even if someone yanks on the chord, it doesn't come out of an outlet? It does need to be POSSIBLE to get the plug out sometimes, and it won't work to glue/staple the chord to the wall, because sometimes equipment needs to be moved to another room. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Jul 14, 2006 - 23 answers

My notebook repeatedly restarts after a second or two. Anything I can do before next week's repair, if possible, to save some cash? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 10, 2006 - 9 answers

My laptop is mysteriously not turning on. I hit the power button, the fans and lights go on, but then it shuts off within about three seconds. [more inside]
posted by borkingchikapa on May 9, 2006 - 11 answers

The power connector to my G4 Powerbook is almost dead. It only charges in one very specific position, and I have to twist it around for a few seconds to find the sweetspot (rotating it in situ). Nothing is loose and nothing is visibly wrong. I tried squeezing the metal sleeve slightly to make it more elliptical in the hope this would create a tighter connection, but it made no difference. [more inside]
posted by unSane on Feb 16, 2006 - 18 answers

The power cord keeps falling out of my laptop. How can I fix this? [more inside]
posted by painquale on Nov 6, 2005 - 12 answers

Help me with my subwoofer power problem! [more inside]
posted by miss tea on Oct 25, 2005 - 6 answers

I am in the process of building an AMD Sempron 2400+ based file storage machine. I am seeking recommendation for how big a power supply I need. I am planning on 4 to 5 (may be 6 in future) 250GB Seagates, 2x320GB WD Sata drives, 1 DVD writer, Geforce FX 5500 video card. The $50 case has a stock 480W PSU. I am wondering if I need more juice and possibly something by a well known brand ? I recently built an Athlon box with Seasonic 430 PSU. Seems pretty quiet. Not sure if I should get another of those.
posted by flyby22 on Jul 31, 2005 - 13 answers

I opened up my computer and tried to install RAM. After I installed the RAM, my computer would not come back on. I pressed the power button multiple times, and nothing. A friend checked to see if the power button was faulty and it wasn't. It's a Compaq Presario HP and when we plug the power cord in, the power supply just does this clicking. We're not sure what the problem is. I tried a new power cord and still no luck! Any ideas?
posted by JPowers on Jun 20, 2005 - 28 answers

It keeps shutting down at random. [more inside]
posted by sailoreagle on Mar 7, 2005 - 11 answers

Hey, is it better to keep an external hard drive plugged into and constantly running, or is it safer (for archiving and the health of the drive, avoiding power failures that might otherwise zap an entire machine, etc) to only turn it on and connect it when you use it? Thanks as always for your thoughts.
posted by Peter H on Dec 1, 2004 - 12 answers