[R W Burgess]

Does your household have multiple lap tops, external drives, calculators, other small electrical devices, all in one room?

Let me relate an experience I recently ran across. Gloria and I each have a laptop, which we generally leave in the dining room area, as that's where we spend most of our time during the day. She has her laptop on one end, me on the other. Of course we have an electrical outlet filled to capacity. As we finish using our laptops, we unhook the power cord each time we go on "standby". About two weeks ago, I was doing a little newsletter work for the AACA, and had been using an external drive to back my work up on. We all know how computer crashes can ruin our day, right? So, I'm clicking along, then to take a break, I back up everything, and shut my laptop down, unplugging the cord as usual. I also unplug the hard drive. Want to save that little squirrel running around in that cage, you know? I could hear him getting a little winded. [img]<>/cool.gif[/img]

An hour later I come back, all ready to finish up my project. By this time, with two laptops and one external drive cords unhooked, there are power cords all over the place. I turn my laptop on first, then reach for the power cord, but say, "Hey, let's get this external drive running first!" I pick up the cord, plug in the hard drive, then get my laptop cord plugged in. "Hummm, the hard drive light is going through a funny blinking light sequence?" I unplug its cord and try again, same thing. That's when I realize that I have plugged Gloria's 19.5 volt power source into a 12 volt external drive unit. Did you know that 19.5 will not "go into" 12 volts? Well, it will go into it, but not well! [img]<>/blush.gif[/img] [img]<>/crazy.gif[/img] [img]<>/frown.gif[/img]

"Fried, Fried, Fried!", my computer guru said!

Lucky me, I still had all 46 of all those newsletters still in my basket. I can do this again. Isn't life grand? [img]<>/mad.gif[/img] [img]<>/grin.gif[/img]

After calling my lifeline in North Carolina, Judy tells me, "Wayne, we label all of our cords!" Thanks Judy! I guess I need to start writing down these recommendations you keep sending me. [img]<>/blush.gif[/img] [img]<>/smile.gif[/img]

A word to the wise guys, maybe "two" backups is not a bad idea???? [img]<>/grin.gif[/img]

Wayne

[novaman]

Wayne, Define the word multiple. [img]<>/grin.gif[/img]

Let me look around my ofice here. I have one computer w/1 internal hard drive, 2 computers w/2 internal hard drives, and 4 external hard drives and two battery packs. 2 monitors with a switch on the one so it works on two CPUs. 2 laptops not runing at the moment. 2 printers (1 on, 1 off), a scanner and a router.

As soon as I fix an ethernet cable, I'll be able my computer in the garage from my house. There is also an other computer in the spare bedroom and three more in the shed (old 386 & pent 2s)

[R W Burgess]

David,
Multiple around here is more than 3, and evidently that's 2 too many. This problem must be an age related thing!?? [img]<>/crazy.gif[/img] [img]<>/blush.gif[/img] [img]<>/smile.gif[/img]

Wayne

[Debby Soucia]

Gosh! I'm old fashion, I have a computer and two printers. Both printers never move. I also have a copier in another room. Thats it!
Maybe santa list should have a lap top!
Deby

[Moepar]

I fairly recently bought an external hard drive (back in March). As another club member is a printer & therefore does the newsletter printing I have been in the habit of burning a CD with multiple copies of the newsletter (you can keep adding to the CD as long as you set it up as a multi session cd) to mail to him, & now back it up on the external drive as well.
I figure it cant hurt to have many 'extras'.
Hey Debby - ask Santa for a laptop for me too!!

[imported_bill pritchett]

Just a hint. Instead of burning it to a CD, you can print it as a PDF and email it.

[R W Burgess]

Bill, I'm assuming you mean, e-mail it to yourself and save it in your mail box folders. [img]<>/smile.gif[/img]


My Yahoo address is full of folders of informational letters.

Wayne

[imported_bill pritchett]

No, they were talking about sending the copy of the newsletter via a CD to someone to print. It is much easier to mail a PDF to the person or printer as it will retain the original formatting with no worry about accidental changes. Also, as you know, email is much faster than snail mail. I got our newsletter editors to do that and they now love it.

If it is too large, there are several sites that you can load a large file to and then anyone can download it.

You are correct that if people would distribute the letter via PDF in an email, it would be much quicker and easier. Just a note to you that gmail allows up to a 20 Meg file to be emailed so that would take care of a limitation that some email providers have.

[R W Burgess]

I appreciate the info Bill.

Our region had a board meeting last year and the new president was insistant that the web site be updated more often and that the newsletters be online. I mentioned to him that few members even have a pc. He asked for a show of hands of members that use the computer. Out of about 10 members, 3 hands went up. He was shocked. [img]<>/grin.gif[/img]

I'm sure he was thinking, "Boy, what a bunch of backward people in the Northern Neck!"

I'd say they were smart to never ever start the habit. [img]<>/wink.gif[/img]

Wayne

[imported_bill pritchett]

Wayne,
What is a computer? I use my electric typewriter to do these messages and use a spiritual medium to send them. It is much easier since I use an Ethernet connection to connect to the ether used by the medium.