Karin Arrogini:
This may seem like a dumb question, but.... I have my G3 PowerBook and external monitor hooked up to a UPS device. Is this a waste because if power goes out, the batteries on my PowerBook enable my PowerBook to keep working (and then I don't need the external monitor on the UPS because I can just use the PB screen)? I wonder if I should keep the UPS hooked up to my older Mac and monitor instead (which I do use occasionally).

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

John Crane:
Seems like somewhat of a waste to me. Of course, the UPS does provide some surge protection, and I don't think power outages are all that good for monitors, so it's probably not a complete waste.

Geoff Hart:
It's true that your PB should switch to internal power when the external power goes, but a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) does many other things than just let you shut down cleanly when the power goes out: a good UPS provides extremely clean power (which a typical surge suppressor doesn't provide) and thereby extends the life of whatever is plugged into it. It will almost always provide much better protection against power surges too. That's the theory, anyway; if you've got unusually clean power to begin with, it might not make a difference, but if you have occasionally bad power, it might be worth plugging in your most expensive computers to the UPS.

Ellen Thorn:
We have all our machines passing through UPs devices, because the battery backups smooth the electrical spikes that might otherwise cause damage.

Irene Struthers:
Geoff Hart
It's true that your PB should switch to internal power when the external power goes, but a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) does many other things than just let you shut down cleanly when the power goes out: a good UPS provides extremely clean power (which a typical surge suppressor doesn't provide) and thereby extends the life of whatever is plugged into it. It will almost always provide much better protection against power surges too. That's the theory, anyway; if you've got unusually clean power to begin with, it might not make a difference, but if you have occasionally bad power, it might be worth plugging in your most expensive computers to the UPS.

however would one know if one had "unusually clean power" or "bad power"?

Geoff Hart:
Irene Rush
However would one know if one had "unusually clean power" or "bad power"?

I imagine an electrician could provide a definitive answer to that, but since I only _play_ an electrician on this list <g>, a few thoughts based on my own reading: If you have lots of power failures or sags (the lights dim and then brighten again), if you get lots of static on your TV or radio or telephone, and if lightbulbs tend to burn out more frequently than is reasonable, then the odds are that you have (at least occasionally) bad power.