My Friend CPU

Finally I have my desktop pc up and running again. A few weeks ago we had a power outage and after several attempts and misses at it coming back on, I was left with a computer that wouldn't come back on even though it wasn't on at the time of the outage.  I've learned quite a bit about pcs since then. (I'm so grateful that my hubby got me a tablet for Christmas so I was still able to get online without having to work around finding time to get on his pc and read and read about what to do).

So here are a few of the tidbits of wisdom I've learned about pcs:

• When you have a power outage, it's best to unplug the pc from the surge strip because the surge isn't necessarily going to protect it
• Surge protectors don't last forever--who knew?? After a few surges through them, they are worthless and should be replaced, especially if you live in a thunderstorm area
• Putting off opening up the pc case to clean out the dust can be a huge mistake
• Symptoms of the Power Supply (CPU) needing to be replaced can be system slowing down, freezing up, and other irregularities. Mine was already showing signs and then I think the power surge did it in.
• Using an anti static wrist strap can alleviate a novice's worry about opening up the case and zapping the mother board and ruining everything
• After you disconnect everything from the modem, you should hold in the power  button for a few seconds to discharge any electricity that's left
• There are plenty of instructions and pictures online of how to work on your own pc
• The Holy Spirit gifted me with wisdom and discernment to remove the CPU from my last pc (yes I still have it sitting around, along with Mike's old one and my dad's...) and place it into the newly fried one!!! AND it worked!!!

My geeky father, who was in charge of the maintenance pc systems for Lockheed Martin in the 60's and 70's, preferred DOS to Windows, and who used to build pcs from scratch, would be smiling at my accomplishment. When he moved out of his house and Mike and I had to clean out everything to get the house ready to sell, I'm sure we threw away tons of pc parts that we had no idea what they were, along with every box that each of the parts came in "in case it needed to be returned".

I may still end up ordering a new Power Supply, but for now, this one is working and I will have no qualms about replacing it myself!

My friend, CPU