Multiple Power Failures

[Miner_Guy]

Hey, tonight i have had multiple power failures in my house, for 3 of them I was on the PC and for 1 I was on Battlefield. Anyway is there anything i need to do now (power for my house is stable) for my PC? Or is it fine?

[Sbrideau]

If it boots fine, it's probably going to be fine.

[D. V. Devnull]

Miner_Guy, if you don't have it already, please buy yourself an UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) Unit. Using one with your PC when a power outage happens should allow you to shut the system down safely. :D

 

~D. V. "Nobody should have to face a crash from power loss!" Devnull

[Sbrideau]

Yeah but a simple surge protector is enough and much cheaper if these kind of power failures are extremely rare, which I think is the situation where Miner_Guy lives. Yes the UPS is a good idea but unless the power failures are frequent, I wouldn't get one unless I had a server.

[Miner_Guy]

Yeah but a simple surge protector is enough and much cheaper if these kind of power failures are extremely rare, which I think is the situation where Miner_Guy lives. Yes the UPS is a good idea but unless the power failures are frequent, I wouldn't get one unless I had a server.

Ye it isnt frequent enough to warrant the purchase. Might sound like a stupid question, but do I already have the surge protector built into my PC?

[Sbrideau]

No, the power supply doesn't protect against power surges, but usually the surge protector is built in the power bar, if your system and screen(s) are plugged into that.

[lordkafei]

I check all my partitions after any power event. I prefer to use Piriform Defraggler to do this (right click the drive ---> Advanced ---> Check Drive for Errors), but you can use the version that is built into Windows (right click the drive ---> Properties ---> Tools tab ---> Error-checking).

[D. V. Devnull]

I check all my partitions after any power event. I prefer to use Piriform Defraggler to do this (right click the drive ---> Advanced ---> Check Drive for Errors), but you can use the version that is built into Windows (right click the drive ---> Properties ---> Tools tab ---> Error-checking).

And this, folks, is why I recommend an UPS unit... At least for your desktop configuration, and any external devices that need external power on your laptop. It runs the need to do disk scans down to near-zero, simply because you'll normally be able to shut the system down properly FIRST, and before you're out of power for your computer!!! :ugeek:

 

~D. V. "Not all drives are SSDs!" Devnull

[Sbrideau]

I think disks scans after a power failure is a bit of paranoia. it's extremely rare that it'll actually write on a file or cause an error. I have never scanned for errors after a power failure (except when prompted at the windows startup, which doesn't usually happen either), and have yet to have an issue related to a power failure.

[D. V. Devnull]

I think disks scans after a power failure is a bit of paranoia. it's extremely rare that it'll actually write on a file or cause an error. I have never scanned for errors after a power failure (except when prompted at the windows startup, which doesn't usually happen either), and have yet to have an issue related to a power failure.

It ain't paranoid if your swap file is on the same physical disk as your OS. It ain't paranoid if you lack an UPS unit to help you keep from crashing. So, if your swap file is on the same physical disk as your OS happens to be AND you lack an UPS unit, it's definitely NOT paranoid to be scanning disks after a power failure. This goes double for the Surface Scan section of the scanning tests, because all it takes is the head stopping the wrong way just once to corrupt something and/or kill your drives. :(

 

Heck, about the only bother caused by having an UPS unit is the need to change its' batteries once about every 3-5 years or so. But the tradeoff in non-damaged equipment is priceless in data protected. Good UPS units even save you from brownout and power spike situations! :D

 

~D. V. "I've lived through these and enjoy being safe behind an UPS unit." Devnull

[Sbrideau]

The problem is not having the UPS itself, it's the price of a decent UPS unit. Not everyone has unlimited budget like you. If there's something on the HDD caused by a power failure Windows usually detects it and asks you if you want to scan for errors on startup, you don't need to go and do it yourself).

 

And just saying, I have yet to have an issue caused by a power failure, and they happen a bit too often here (one or two each month here).

[D. V. Devnull]

The problem is not having the UPS itself, it's the price of a decent UPS unit. Not everyone has unlimited budget like you.

Uhm, you don't need an unlimited budget either, and neither did I and my parents. Heck, you might need about $200 maximum, honest! Look at CyberPower's GreenPower UPS @ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102070 to see an example of what I mean. Further, replacement batteries cost a mere fraction of the price of a full unit. Since you only have to replace batteries like once-in-a-blue-moon (3-5 years, or whenever your UPS tells you it's time) for frequency, there isn't much of an issue in that department either. ;)

 

To give you a rough idea, we got a Belkin UPS years ago for less than $100, and were upgraded at least once because of a failed unit. Even further, prices stayed low enough to afford a second unit (slightly more powerful) later on because costs stayed low, and we understood the bonuses of not having sudden data loss. Of course, back then, I also had to deal with younger siblings (who didn't understand what they were doing) that accidentally hit the extension line switch that fed power to the computer as well. :wacko:

 

 

If there's something on the HDD caused by a power failure Windows usually detects it and asks you if you want to scan for errors on startup, you don't need to go and do it yourself).

Sometimes true, sometimes not... I've actually seen Windows make the ugly mistake of starting up like nothing happened, and on systems here at home as well. :(

 

 

And just saying, I have yet to have an issue caused by a power failure, and they happen a bit too often here (one or two each month here).

You're lucky. I'm surprised you haven't had fried hardware yet. Heck, I'll point you to Newegg's Power Protection toplevel @ http://www.newegg.com/Power-Protection/Category/ID-314, so you can find something appropriate to you. :D

 

 

~D. V. "Power protection via UPS is not that costly!" Devnull

[Sbrideau]

The problem is not having the UPS itself, it's the price of a decent UPS unit. Not everyone has unlimited budget like you.

Uhm, you don't need an unlimited budget either, and neither did I and my parents. Heck, you might need about $200 maximum, honest! Look at CyberPower's GreenPower UPS @ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102070 to see an example of what I mean. Further, replacement batteries cost a mere fraction of the price of a full unit. Since you only have to replace batteries like once-in-a-blue-moon (3-5 years, or whenever your UPS tells you it's time) for frequency, there isn't much of an issue in that department either. ;)

 

Like I said, not everyone has a good budget, and me living alone and not getting help from my parents, and being a student (yeah I went back to college), I don't have $200.

 

To give you a rough idea, we got a Belkin UPS years ago for less than $100, and were upgraded at least once because of a failed unit. Even further, prices stayed low enough to afford a second unit (slightly more powerful) later on because costs stayed low, and we understood the bonuses of not having sudden data loss. Of course, back then, I also had to deal with younger siblings (who didn't understand what they were doing) that accidentally hit the extension line switch that fed power to the computer as well. :wacko:

 

Good for you.

 

 

If there's something on the HDD caused by a power failure Windows usually detects it and asks you if you want to scan for errors on startup, you don't need to go and do it yourself).

Sometimes true, sometimes not... I've actually seen Windows make the ugly mistake of starting up like nothing happened, and on systems here at home as well. :(

 

Which is why I said usually , not always.

 

 

And just saying, I have yet to have an issue caused by a power failure, and they happen a bit too often here (one or two each month here).

You're lucky. I'm surprised you haven't had fried hardware yet. Heck, I'll point you to Newegg's Power Protection toplevel @ http://www.newegg.com/Power-Protection/Category/ID-314, so you can find something appropriate to you. :D

 

 

~D. V. "Power protection via UPS is not that costly!" Devnull

 

I have surge protectors, they're enough and only cost a few dollars for enough protection. I'll upgrade when something does happen, but they have never failed me.