Is something wrong with my 2400??

I purchased a low-cost Dell Dim. 2400 system last Fall.

It has worked flawlessly and I've been quite pleased (I use it for internet
stuff + word processor & spreadsheet stuff).

Today, while I was using the computer, the power went out and then back on
immediately. (The lights in the house also went off and on, so it wasn't the
computer itself doing it). But the computer didn't boot up right. The disk
drive kept whirling for about 15 minutes. Finally, it stopped and seemed to
be working okay.

Later in the day, the screen saver was on. When I went to use it, the
computer again went off and on, but this time booted up correctly (I'm not
sure if the power went off in the house or it was the computer). Later in
the day, I just shut the computer down.

Still later, the toolbar across the bottom of my screen wasn't working
right. When I right-clicked on anything, it would show the menu and then the
menu would disappear before I could do anything. I had to use ctrl/alt/del
and then shutdown. When I rebooted, it kept trying to reboot, saying there
was a keyboard error. But then it rebooted.

It has worked fine since then. (I also pushed in the keyboard chord; perhaps
it was loose). I also then used System Restore so it was reset to a time
just before the initial power outage.

I am hoping that this will end up being one of those things that happened
without explanation but cleared up for good.

I guess my question to the group is: what can I do to ascertain if I have a
problem??

I am not handy with the hardware aspect, so I am very hesitant to get into
the case. Is there anything I can check via the settings?? If so, please
advise.

Finally, can someone recommend a low cost power supply back-up so that my
computer would still function during a blackout, allowing me to shut it down
in an orderly manner?

Thanks,

Mel

 

Chances are good that it was a software problem, not a hardware one (unless,
of course it was compounded by a loose keyboard cable. If it's working now,
enjoy it. If any more problems occur, you may have to re-install the OS or
do a Repair, but wait until you see more problems... Just be sure you have
backups of important data just in case the hard drive was impacted (not
likely).

As to UPS's, I would strongly recommend you not use the words "low cost" and
"UPS" in the same sentence. This is a perfect example of being penny wise
and pound foolish. Spend the money required to get a solid UPS. This is your
PC we are talking about. Kinda silly, IMHO, to save 20-30 USD and trash a
1,000 USD PC.....

Go to the web sites for APC and TrippLite and use their configurations to
configure the appropriate UPS. They will usually include software that will
gracefully shut down the PC in the event of a power failure. Then either buy
it on line or go to Staples, Best Buy, Office depot, etc. and buy what you
need. Then relax and sleep better at night...

 

Hank:

Thanks for the advice. But keep in mind that this is a low-cost system to
begin with (approx. $500 after rebate!). So, I find it difficult to shell
out too much for the UPS system!

Mel

 

You have to consider the systems REPLACEMENT value not what you paid for it.
So the question becomes can you afford the price of the UPS now or the
replacement cost later.

 

Robert:

Maybe I'm think wrong. I look upon it as insurance. How much car insurance
should one pay say for collission? In general, once the car gets at a
certain point (age-wise) the cost of collission relative to the replacement
value of the car gets to be too high and then I just drop the collission
(usually when the car is over 5 years old).

The replacement value for my computer is maybe $500. But the annoyance might
be higher if something goes wrong (although I do regularly make backups, it
would still be a major hassle).

I am now looking at a few Tripp-lite systems and I will probably get
something for about $60-$90, street price.

Mel

 

Ask yourself these very important questions: Can I survive
or function, and for how many days, without a working
computer? And add the following corollary...how much time
is available to shop and wait for delivery of a replacement
working system. IOW, there are some very good UPS selling
for around $200 to $250 and there are some UPS systems
that are simply over-priced surge protectors. Do as the
pros do...not the amateurs.

 

Right! Now MB needs also to take into account the value of any personal data on
the hard drive, things like personal and business letters, tax returns, email in
and out boxes, email address books, and whatever else has been created during
the life of the computer. Now ask how much it is worth to have all that
information rather than losing it forever. Or ask how much time it would take
to recreate all this information, if that is even possible.

A decent quality UPS from APC or another well-regarded manufacturer with surge
protection and battery backup for a short outage, suitable for use with a
smallish single computer can be had for $200 or less, often a lot less.

Ya pays yer money and ya makes yer choice... Ben Myers

 

Ben:

I'm wrestling with all of that. It is hard for me to think of spending $200
when the system is roughly $500!!!

Yes, there is very important stuff on my computer. In fact, I do back it up.
So, I would not lose the valuable stuff forever, but it definitely would be
a major hassle, with a lot of aggravation. By that criteria, I do need a
worthwhile UPS.

I checked at Staples and they have an APC ES series (450) for $59. They
have a 350 for $39.
Now, I know that is low priced and people are warning me against it. But,
wouldn't that cover my rather modest needs. My understanding is it (the 450
one) would give me 5-10 minutes for an orderly shutdown. If I'm not there, I
believe it will shut it down.

Would it be a mistake to buy it?

Mel

 

I think I would go with the slightly more expensive APC unit. Inexpensive, but
better protection than a surge suppressor/power strip, and less protection than
the sturdier business class models... Ben Myers

 

The APC BE500U (Back-UPS ES 500) is perfect
for you and it should only be $60.
http://www.apcc.com/resource/includ...base_sku=BE500U&fnl=4607,5&fnl_basket=4607,6c

 

Office Depot sells APC UPS model 350 for about $30-35. It will provide
you with about 5 minutes backup during these short outages. I have power
blips all the time where I live. I own about 6 of these UPSs and they
work fine.

 

Forget the hardware - what's your data worth? I'd be dead if I lost my
computer completely, so I take regular backups of docs, spreadsheets &
Quicken files to a separate HDD. I also clone HDD partitions to an
external HDD at least weekly and put the external HDD with current
backups in external storage, i.e., offsite, monthly.

 

Running chkdsk ("chkdsk /f" from the command prompt) wouldn't hurt.

I see many have already commented on the subject. I would only add
that it doesn't hurt to to spend some time googling for technical articles
on protecting your equipment/data from power problems and lightening
strikes. I know quite a few people who went out and spent their budget
on the best UPS they could afford, but then plugged it into an improperly
grounded outlet (assumed it was good) or only plugged some things into
it (leaving hard wired, non-surge protected peripheral devices connected
to the computer). A holistic approach is called for... one adjusted to fit
a person's situation and setup. Do you do frequent backups? Power the
computer off when you aren't using it and during storms? Are brown-outs
and/or lightening strikes common where you live? How is your computer
connected to the internet, and is that connection something that should
be surge protected? Yadda.

 

A plug-in UPS provides ineffective hardware protection. All one need
do is claim to protect from one type of destructive event. Then let
the tehcnically naive *assume* that is protection from all types of
destructive events. The plug-in UPS protects from a type of surge
that typically does not exist. It makes no claims to protect from the
type of surge that typically damaged hardware. And yet, even here, we
have some making that wild assumption that a plug-in UPS provides
hardware protection - without even a single numerical or technical
fact from the manufactuer.

You want hardware protection? To quickly identify ineffective
protectors: 1) no dedicated connection 'less than 10 feet' to earth
ground AND 2) avoids all discussion about earthing. They fear you
might learn that a protector is ineffective without being connected to
protection. Protector and protection being two completely different
components of a surge protection 'system'. All protection 'systems'
must have protection. Some also use protectors to make that earthing
connection. Protector may or may not be needed. But the protection
is always required in a protection 'system'.

So where is the so critical earth ground connection on that plug-in
protector? It all but does not exist. No earth ground means no
effective protection. So instead, they claim to protect from an
irrelevant type of surge. Let the naive *assume* that is protection
from 'all' types of surges.

The plug-in UPS is only for protection of data from blackouts and
brownouts. You want effective hardware protection? Then learn about
earth ground AND 'whole house' protectors. Would you pay $40 or $60
per appliance for a protector that does not even claim to provide
protection? Or would you instead pay $1 per protected appliance for
well proven and effective protectors? Bottom line - no earth ground
means no effective protection. A surge protector is only as effective
as its earth ground. Therefore the plug-in UPSes avoid all discussion
about earthing to encourge the above posted myths.


What is another important feature to protecting data? The NTFS
filesystem. If using the FAT filesystem, then blackouts can erase
data from the hard drive.