Slashdot Mirror
Fixing Windows Boxes that Crash After Blackouts?
UnseenTomorrow asks: "Everytime there's a power outage in my house, my Gateway computer crashes. It's only 2.5 yrs old. After the crash the computer just will not allow Windows to boot (yes, this includes "Safe Mode" and every other boot option in that menu). Should I explicitly say that I'm tired of rebuilding or restoring the image everytime? Does anyone have any idea of what could be the problem. I've other computers running fine after the power outage with the same OS but different hardware manufacturer. Any clues or suggestions would be greatly appreciated."
I have two as well. For my 600VA unit, I pulled the stock 7VA battery and hooked up a car battery. Works real good.
If you don't want crime to pay, let the government run it.
"My machine won't work. Here's no relevant details. What's wrong, and how can I fix it?"
Cliff, if this is the best you could find for an Ask Slashdot, it's time to decommission the category.
The only answer this deserves is this. Why don't you read it too, Cliff?
It actually gets a little better than that. In addition to the car battery, I power the whole system with a Alinco power supply when I have to run from the generator. This is because the output from the genset isn't clean enough for the UPS to power from the line, so it just stays on the battery. The last time I ran in this configuration, our power was out for about 20 hours. Of course I would never actually recommend anyone do this themselves. You can burn out you PS, your UPS, electrocute yourself, start a fire, etc.
If you don't want crime to pay, let the government run it.
You're better off using a marine battery. Car batteries are shallow cycle, meaning they put out large short bursts of current, ideal for ie. starting a car. Marine batteries are deep cycle, meaning that they're designed for a longer discharge.