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From: steve@acich.UUCP (Steve Westfall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Leaving AT on overnight (good/bad)
Message-ID: <252@acich.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Aug-87 13:12:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: acich.252
Posted: Tue Aug 18 13:12:26 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Aug-87 00:56:11 EDT
References: <1246@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <768@custom.UUCP> <202@ttrdd.UUCP> <3751@watdcsu.waterloo.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: Automated Concepts, Inc. - Chicago
Lines: 38
Keywords: 11,000 hours
Summary: depends on quality of local power supply

In article <3751@watdcsu.waterloo.edu>, magore@watdcsu.waterloo.edu (Mike Gore, Institute Computer Research - ICR) writes:
> In article <5911@ut-ngp.UUCP> ayac071@ngp.UUCP (Bill Douglass) '> ' writes:
> [in reply to]
> In article <202@ttrdd.UUCP> mellman@ttrdd.UUCP (Thomas Mellman) '>> ' writes:
> >>As far as that old argument that the electronics don't like power cycling,
> [munch ...]
> >I say, let 'er run.
> ...
> >Bill Douglass
> >ayac071@ngp.UUCP
> 
> 	As another poster has pointed out the hard disk is the problem.
> I have also found that hard disks reaching their MTBF is the greatest
> risk from a cost point of view... It's more like a game of odd's taking into
> account that most most semiconductor failures will happen during the
> first month or so of use. . .

The quality of the power supply in your community has a bearing on
this issue, and it can vary a lot even within the same power company's
service area.  I used to live in the city of Chicago, and I never had
any power problems at all.  I had a computer running day and night for
several years without any problem.  Then I moved to Lisle, one of
Chicago's western suburbs, which is served by the same company,
Commonwealth Edison, and I'm afraid to turn on my computer half the
time now!  I have lights blinking and power interruptions from one-half
second to several seconds at least once or twice a month.  I'm so paranoid
I save work files every couple of minutes.

(I think that some pervert at Commonwealth Edison knows that a lot of
AT&T employees live in the area, and, thinking that they all have
computers at home, he sits by a big switch and tries to screw up their
computers while they're at work! :-) )

-- 
Steve Westfall
Automated Concepts, Inc. - Chicago
(312) 346-8640
UUCP Mail:  {ihnp4|gargoyle}!acich!steve