power failure

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Solving a Big Problem

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Here's something to copy and print out for yourself. It may solve a big problem someday.

Jim Hamm, (De Previous Prez) is always looking for helpful advice. He alerts us,"A friend's iMac wouldn't boot up and turn on yesterday. Following is an email she sent to me and the corrective action she took after a technician at AppleCare told her what to do with her iMac.

"If one has a Mac laptop — instead of the iMac like she has — I presume one would disconnect the battery to terminate all power to the computer. If it's a newer MacBook Pro, without a removable battery, I don't know what one would do to terminate the power. Call AppleCare, I suppose, and ask them. Or maybe laptops aren't affected this way since they are somewhat insulated against power surges by their built-in battery. I'm going to print a copy of this for future reference in case I ever need to do this."
Here Jim quotes a friend, Nancy: "Remember I told you that my iMac wouldn't turn on? I tried to force restart it, but that didn't work either.

"This AM I got up and she booted up perfectly. I then called AppleCare and here's what I was told — it was static buildup probably caused by a power surge. I was told this is 'normal' but not something you want to happen frequently. He gave me a remedy to be used in the event you suspect you have a hardware problem. But, again, it's not to be relied on as a permanent fix because it can ruin the logic board. However, on occasion it is OK to do and will actually purge the computer of that extra static electricity buildup. It's called a PRAM reset, i.e, 'reset the power chip.' Here's what you do (Remember the computer is not on):

Disconnect the power cord from the computer (not the wall, leave it plugged into the wall)
Disconnect keyboard and mouse
Disconnect any other peripherals

Wait about 30 seconds, then plug in power cord and keyboard with the mouse attached.
Hold down Command + Option + r with your left hand (keep them down)
Press the power button
Press and hold the P while still depressing the other keys

Wait to hear three slow "bongs" (they're about 20 seconds a part - the same noise the computer makes when it's booting up).

Release the keys
Shut the computer down
Turn it on again.

"And there you have it - resetting the power chip or PRAM reset for beginners! Something to share with the others." Thanks, Jim, for sharing this info from Nancy.

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More on Monsoon-Ready

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Thanks to Art Gorski for the following info:
At my home Mary Ann and I have separate offices, a home theater setup in the living room, and a central wiring closet.

Both offices and the closet use CyberPower 895 3600 Joule surge suppressors. I picked this brand for the very high protection rating. Besides protecting computers and peripherals in the offices, it also protects my cablemodem (the incoming cable goes through the CyberPower), Apple base station router, and a ReadyNAS server that I use centrally for all backups. If I used a Qwest phone line (I use ViaTalk internet phone instead), it would also be protected.
http://www.amazon.com/Cyberpower-895-8-Outlet-Surge-Suppressor/dp/B000098XO0

For the home theater, I selected a CyberPower 1030HT 6000 Joule surge suppressor optimized for this application.
http://www.amazon.com/Cyberpower-1030HT-10-Outlet-Surge-Suppressor/dp/B0009WDLPK

I'm not particularly worried about a power failure actually hurting anything, so I wasn't interested in a UPS solution, but we have had serious issues with lightning damage in our neighborhood. Hence, the heavy duty surge suppressors.

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Re: Are You Monsoon-Ready?

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I have all my electronic equipment (computers, stereos, TVs) on Tripp-Lite Omni1000LCD UPS systems (this model may not be available anymore). I bought them all from Costco (around $99 each). They have served me well through three Monsoon seasons without a problem and I never bother turning anything off unless the power is out for more than a few minutes. Each unit has four uninterrupted outlets and four surge-conditioned outlets. I noticed that the Tripp-Lite UPS is what Smith Audio installs for all entertainment systems.

Consider this: if you really want to upgrade your computer, leave it powered on and plugged in to a UPS. Most UPS systems have some kind of insurance policy against loss of equipment during a lightning strike. If the UPS fails to protect your computer, you get a new computer - for free! ;-)

John C.