talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Topic: talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply) (Read 18003 times) previous topic - next topic

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

February 22, 2015, 10:45:25 AM

For the second time in 3 months, yesterday my went out, causing my hard drive to have a boot error. No POST, nothing, justa black screen that says "Press CTRL + ALT+ DEL to restart."

And even that doesn't do anything.

It did it once before, and I replaced the primary drive. My electric co-op has said they are aware of an issue with a transformer in the area, but they don't have the resources to find which one until it goes off line and they replace it.

They also won't replace my damaged drive(s), so..I need something to keep it from doin hard shut downs.

School me..I'm in a pickle. Lots of data loss on the first one, this one I was keeping my shiznit on a portable drive, but even those aren't immune,

Thanks guys.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #1 – February 22, 2015, 04:53:16 PM

A ups is just designed to shut the computer down after power is lost. Capacity really isn't a big deal. Generally you would only plug your tower into it, not your monitor, but i haven't had a computer since a flat screen cost over a grand.

Most ups are no matinance and require you to do nothing unless the power goes out when the computer is in use. Newer ones should be capable of automatic shut downs, similar to laptops when the battery is running low.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #2 – February 22, 2015, 05:16:37 PM

Sweet! I'm actually posting this from the desktop, but I had one hell of a time getting to this point.

I'm probably going to keep the comp off unless I'm actually using it. On the plus side, it might just cut the electric bill down, LOL.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #3 – February 22, 2015, 05:31:49 PM

Buy a cheap little laptop with weefee. Use that as your main rig. You can bring it to ya in the work shop or think tank(toilet). Seems to be where i always come up with dumb ideas and need Google anyways...

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #4 – February 22, 2015, 08:51:30 PM

I've got an HP latop that was perfectly reliable, it just didn't like hitting concrete (thanks, Nicole!)...twice.

I put a new display in it the first time...the second time it busted the area where the hinges mount...so unless you tape it to something, it won't stay upright. Having to tape it to shiznit to use it kinda defeats the purpose. I had a bare case for the thing all but bought the guy never returned my calls.

So far, my desktop has been solid...but that fear is there, ya know..

The last time, Nicole (wife) lost a bunch of photos. Thankfully, she's made discs of the pics and had hard copies. She does school pics and weddings, etc for people. More a hobby than anything, she's not a pro, but she does do a really nice job. She ought to, much as I've spent on equipment. :D

I don't bitch though...she doesn't complain too much about my Mustangs. Other than she thinks it's a rattletrap and I'm gonna get killed in it. Told her I'd buy life insurance, and I don't want flowers.

That was 3 weeks ago...still enjoying the peace as she isn't speaking to me...hmmm...did I say something wrong to her? :D

(kidding...I'm not that heartless. I told her if she wanted, she could put flowers on my box)

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #5 – February 26, 2015, 06:31:44 PM

Quote from: Haystack;445129

Buy a cheap little laptop with weefee. Use that as your main rig. You can bring it to ya in the work shop or think tank(toilet). Seems to be where i always come up with dumb ideas and need Google anyways...

I like to call that "multi-tasking".

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #6 – February 26, 2015, 11:55:05 PM

I have never had more stupid-assed little problems with a computer as I have with this one...even with an old Win ME OS PC back in 2000. And that POS was a THE POS of the decade.

I ran some updates earlier...Micro$uck updates....and then, when it rebooted, it wouldn't load past the POST screen. Finally acted on a hunch, unplugged all of my drives BUT the C drive, and it boots up fine. Ran another update, then one by one started reconnecting the other 4 drives, with a restart between every one, all is working normally now, but ed if this thing doesn't infuriate me.

I'm fairly tempted to put my Stang on hold and simply build myself a system...a full tower case, plenty of fans, room for drives, room to grow.

I've got a name for this system...I call it Yugo. Because half the shiznit doesn't work sometimes, and you have to take both internal drives OUT, unhook the two externals...blah blah shagity blah. Be the last HP desktop I'll ever buy.

I'm fairly savvy...all the upgrade parts I've put in are compatible...it's just something with Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit and multiple hard disk drives that about once ever 6 months or so...makes my life a f*ckin' 3 day, max stress event.

Anyway, rant over, I'm drained...going to bed. Got a busy day tomorrow to locate some parts and get boxed and ready to go...as well as some stuff comin' in.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #7 – March 17, 2015, 01:18:36 PM

I had 2 win 8.1 fail the way you described, after updates. So far never had a problem with 7-64. I did have problems with the I tune update on 7. Had to use a backup afterwards to boot. Never tried to update it again.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #8 – March 17, 2015, 02:21:58 PM

When I get a new pc, I install all the software that I need, do all the updates, all the time consuming stuff, and then do a drive image. That way when the OS drive dies, I just restore the drive image and it's good as new.

I keep all my docs/pics/etc on a separate drive, and I back that drive up to another in my safe every so often. With all my on the second drive, I'm not in danger of losing anything if the OS drive fails. Even If the second drive takes a , I restore from the backup drive in my safe.

I have been in the IT field for almost 20 years professionally. I have lived through more hardware failures than the average cat. Plan for it, because it WILL happen. You can never have too many backups.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #9 – March 17, 2015, 04:31:21 PM

I like the above post.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #10 – July 18, 2015, 10:36:02 AM

late reply,, but

with your desktop it just needs ac power.
your chosen UPS system will become the new power source.the UPS takes in utility power then converts that AC to stored DC.

The stored DC is then converted to AC again and out to your machine. You can hand make a more reliable UPS with stuff you already have If you don't mind since I know your a can do guy.

The issue you have is utility feeder issues so not only will it kill sensitive electronics but the NEW appliances are also at risk of failure due to transients and Neutral current surges (momentary surges in current flow on your neutral leg) and with a ground rod outside reading greater than 100 ohms, replacing your home ground rod should be the first step in full facility protection. Next would be to upsize the physical ground wire from your meter base or sub panel and home run that to the ground rod with idealy a Cad weld but acorn fittings seem to be normal in shiznitty install applications (ie- everyone's home). so many people out there pay no or little attention to grounding.

Now that your ground is stable, your input to your chosen UPS can "suffer less" and may possibly be able to handle minor power issues like brown outs or intermittent phase voltage/current changes. The walmart variety UPS input circuit is somewhat sensitive to input power stability and you can only control so much. that's why I say that making your own UPS would be better because you can use older tech that would be able to absorb input power problems without overcomplicated TTL technology or switchmode power supply driven devises which are less capable of living through many input power problems.

a homemade UPS would look like this.....

-12v battery charger input sourced from your 120v outlet., you would want an older working charger because these are less sensitive to input power problems and can take a hit when it does happen.
-12v battery charger output tied to your 12v battery of choice & a on off switch on the red wire including a 5amp or 10Amp fuse... all in series
-12v battery posts bond to your inverter input red / black.
-inverter output outlet becomes your desktop input power.

--- when utility is on, depending on your charger type, ideally your charger is the primary inverter source for power... amps is everything.
--- when utlity is lost, the battery becomes the primary source and discharges upon the inverter and your still making power for a long time, enough time to wrap up and shut down If you want.
--- disadvantages are with 12v auto batts is H2 gas,, so a VRLA battery would be better, I personally would worry too much about a flooded cell battery in my house.

Quote from: CoogarXR;446232

I have been in the IT field for almost 20 years professionally. I have lived through more hardware failures than the average cat. Plan for it, because it WILL happen. You can never have too many backups.

and ive been working along side your staff for longer and I will slightly contradict what you said ,,,,

It is possible for perfectly good hardware to crash just because oem firmware and / or software is no longer supported thus becoming what appears to be a broken device to the "new update"

Example, I had a win XP SP1 HP desktop that at some point several years ago I started getting IE messages and Google notifications that my system will no longer be supported soon. I stopped doing Win XP SP1 updates shortly after and eventually stopped doing updates at all because many updates are based on assumptions that you are buying new shiznit all the time and creating more planetary garbage. I kept my Malwarebytes account updated and it ran really strong and protect my old slow HP machine until a year ago I did an update... that very update crashed my machine and tech support at Malwarebytes actually confirmed it. End result was that the update I was doing was like putting a round peg in a square hole. Firmware is the biggest hassel and software updates follows second. Yes hardware fails be everyone be advised that those invisible little 1's and 0's can kill a perfectly good machine as well. The older the machine the less support and the more time you need to take to "step into" levels of firmware or software updates.
An external tera drive allowed me to keep all my files so the old HP became s parts.

I feel for the IT industry, I almost went that route for employment years ago and decided I didn't think it was a good fit for me so im in critical facilities power & construction which I design engineer for various telecom providers.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #11 – July 25, 2015, 01:12:11 AM

On the bright side, my house hasn't had lightning run into it since 2003. The downside; about once every two weeks, the power drops out for a brief span between a second, up to a couple of minutes.

Yet another shaging hard drive has been replaced. Thanks, Farmer's Electric Co-op, for the no lube, shove it in hard and fast and not give the twig and giggleberries a feel...

They won't replace my stuff. Currently have the laptop loaned out to a friend, too. Not that it's any kind of hotrod, it's actually a piece of , but at least if I'm online and the power cuts out, it won't die horribly..

Otherwise, things are ok...got some issues on a personal level that I've got to contend with, but you know me...I always survive. Be safe y'all.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #12 – July 25, 2015, 01:35:42 AM

I think my record for constant online time was about 8 years. Back in the day we had a separate dial up line with its own dedicated server. I built a 75 mhz server I built with all ultra wide scuzzy parts that ran constantly. It shared the connection with all the other computers through a 24 port professional hub downstairs with another 10 porridge hub upstairs. I used to throw lan party's where noone had to bring a computer. I actually got kicked off of comcast for using too much bandwidth and having 36 unique ip address online at once.

In all that time, i never lost a computer or power supply to lightning or an electrical surge. Most of my computers did run a surge protector though.

talk to me about UPS' (uninterrupted power supply)

Reply #13 – July 25, 2015, 11:26:18 AM

I've got surge protectors, but my issue is the power just cuts out. Started last summer, there was a faulty transformer, then something happened, and all 4 houses on this bit of road had to have all the transformers replaced at the same time.

THEN a possum tried climbing from the wire on a pole to the transformer, that caused another power loss, and we were out for about 4 hours till a crew came out and found the issue. Was on a weekend, likely they had to bring a crew in from somewhere else as the local guy lives in a beer can on his days off...

Then not long after, we had a storm and it blew a tree into a line about a mile from here, another few hours without juice.

Really, me power issues are sort of like the issues Vinnie had with his last engine....just small things, but they've piled up in my head and I'm rather pissed about it.

What can I do though? Wind generators are a lot of money, but I'd love to be able to sell excess electricity and not have to pay a bill. Then again, when those big s go, they go spectacularly.

As far as constant uptime, I think back in 2006 when I was doing a lot of music streaming (I was the dj, not the listener) I had my rock solid XP Pro system up for about 3 months before I shut it down one day to add another drive for music capacity.

The Win 7 Ultimate system I have now is pretty good, all these updates can kiss my ass, but all in all, it's alright, the only thing I really have to complain about is...the problems on the electric coop's end. I've complained a few times, they've told me they had crews out to inspect, and they've replaced some sensors and of course about half a dozen transformers over the past year or so. It's been nearly two weeks since we had a power loss this go 'round, so maybe they have their shiznit in order now, and we have had some pretty wicked storms the past couple of weeks. About 1Am a nice big thunderpopper ripped through, gotta head outside here in a few to see how many more maple limbs blew down...I've got a nice brushpile out back of the "garden" *, should make the kids happy when we have out hot dog roast here in a couple of weeks for my birthday.

*Garden disclaimer: We had some stuff planted, but apparently the deer were hungry. All we have left are TWO "tomater" plants and I put cattle panel around those with some pie pans tied to 'em to make noise...saw a small deer last night out in the backyard while I was letting a dog out, almost found out how well a 147gr +p works on whitetail..lol.