Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!ide!biesty From: biesty@ide.com (Bill Biesty) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Mac SE Woes Message-ID: <1991Jun26.171021.5788@ide.com> Date: 26 Jun 91 17:10:21 GMT References: Sender: usenet@ide.com Organization: IDE, San Francisco Lines: 24 In article elon@phsbbs.princeton.nj.us (Elon Danziger) writes: >[describes problem with friend's Mac SE not recognizing hard disk on boot up. > works fine at his house. Mentions lots of electronic equiment near by.] Sound to me like a power drain. With all of that electron equiment sucking up amperage, there probably isn't enough to get the drive spinning. Just because the electronics are plugged into different outlets doesn't mean they all get their own line from the main source. Check the circutry in your building. An easy solution would be to run an extension cord from a socket in another room (and is on another circut!) into the room where the Mac is. You can also get a circut tester from a hardware or electronics store. You might be able to rent one for a day. Turn on all the stuff you usually have on and test the circut. If you are not getting the recommneded amperage, you know why. A cheaper solution than the extension cord might be to power up the mac with all of the other stuff off. The amperage requirements drop off once the drive is up to speed. Then turn the other stuff on. You may still be at risk though with all of the drain on the circut: bad bits, seeks, reads, etc. The safer thing to do is to run another line, but the extension cord ought to do it if its plugged into another circut. Bill Biesty