*zap*

Hello all. Ive been reading a lot about how to do this and that (eg: difficult xp2100 unlocking, grrr), but, the main thing from holding me back is one very small thing.

Grounding.

Im too much of a god d***** wuss to open up my case and do simple things like rounding my wires, cleaning dust, etc.

Does anyone have a comprehensive guide to grounding themselves and ensure not to get zapped by satan himself?

Why not get a little $.99c grounding strap from frys or something? Alos- FYI- if you TOUCH your case, you will discharge all the static electricty you have built up- and it will ground out therew the powersupply~ So if you touch it for like 5 sec~ you will be grounded~ and you SHOULD not be shocked unless you stick your finget into your powersupply!

in order to keep both you and your PC safe from electricity,

A) unplug your PC from the AC wall outlet.

B) don't work on your PC while it or you are on carpet.

That's pretty much it! It's hard to get hurt by a PC's power supply, unless you open up the PSU itself and start digging around with a screwdriver while it is turned on. You can actually touch pretty much any part of a running PC and not get shocked, grounded or not. There just isn't that much current there. If you follow Spyder's excellent advice, your PC will be 100% safe from you damaging it, as well.

So crack that PC open and start fiddlin

hehe thanks guys.

But, ive heard that some ppl keep their comps plugged in... By this Ive heard that they turn off the psu, turn off the power bar, but keep it all plugged in.

If you keep it plugged in then the case is grounded - the ground wire in the PSU is NOT switched. If you unplug the case, it is then not grounded and will not be a proper ground for you to touch when working on it.

If you don't want to bother with a strap(i hate them), keep the PC plugged in and shut the PSU switch off. If it doesn't have a switch, just disconnect the atx connector from motherboard. As mentioned above, carpet is bad - it can generate ton of static.

It's second nature to me as I worked at an shop & was military certified so I hardly ever worry about it. Just grab everything by it's edges & try not to touch bare connectors, etc..

But, ive heard that some ppl keep their comps plugged in... By this Ive heard that they turn off the psu, turn off the power bar, but keep it all plugged in.

Click to expand...

yup. This is perfectly safe to do it this way, like Can O' Beans said. Leaving the PSU plugged into the wall, but switched off, ensures that you have a proper ground. It's perfectly safe.

Unless your PSU does not have an on/off switch. I'm not sure I agree with Can O' Beans on that- removing the ATX connector will isolate the PSU from the motherboard completely, and it will not be grounded. Drives will be grounded, but mobo and add-in cards will not be- I don't trust the IDE cables to provide a proper ground. In this case the safest route is to unplug the PSU from the wall, get out your wrist strap, and work on a tile floor.

But it's not a big deal! It's REALLY hard to damage your PC with electricity- you have to work at it. I have personally shocked my vid card hard enough to see and hear a spark. And it still works perfectly. Same goes for several modems, mice, RAM, and a CPU- all have been shocked at least once, and still work fine. Not that I would want to push my luck and shock them again- I'm just saying, more often than not you get lucky.

Personally, I don't bother turning my PC off when I work on it anymore. Unless I need to add/remove components, my PC stays on while I work on it. Dangerous, maybe, but I have not killed a component in years

Plan...

Hey! Just for extra safty... I plan on keeping my wrists on the case, and wearing those surgical rubber gloves. They seem to be well insulated, and if not, ill dual layer them.

Anyone tried that...? I know I seem paranoid, but better than a safe n00b than a straight up n00b... huh?

So... rubber gloves?!?!

I hate rubber gloves....after a couple of minutes your hgands get all sweaty with them on and they can easily tear if you rub them against a Heatsink or somthing...and there is no purpose...electricty can go through that if it wants to....just get a strap or ground yourself and do not move....if you move then just reground your self...not hard at all...

you will find VERY few people maybe 1 out of 100 who have runied somthing due to static electricty



Spec

those gloves probably arent rubber- more like latex~ which will not HELP at all!!! Just ground yourself on the case~ turn off the switch in the back~ DONT unplug~ and have FUN! If you fry something.... then its on me~ j/k
Spyder

haha ive gotten used to diggin around my case while its all plugged in, most just checking fans and such but i have been zapped and fingers have been chopped from doing so.