"Ben Scott" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote on 01/27/2008 02:37:06 PM:
> On Jan 26, 2008 1:50 AM, Angus Scott-Fleming <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Has anyone here undergone something like this? > > I haven't had that problem/scenario per se. But there is/was a > widespread problem with capacitors failing prematurely; it was > colloquially labeled "capacitor plague" (you can Google it). > Basically, some inferior capacitors have problems with their > electrolyte decomposing prematurely, leading to physical deformation > of the capacitor body (bulging, leaking, rupture, etc.) and then > performance failure. I know I had some motherboards slowly go insane > due to cap plague a few years ago. I suppose it's possible the > scenario described involved a bunch of equipment purchased at the same > time, and thus having capacitors from the same production lot. http://www.badcaps.net It was a VERY widespread problem covering many years worth of products. We had it primarily in a batch of (500+) Dell Optiplex GX270's, but if you check out badcaps.net you will find it was a very widespread problem affecting more then just computers. Whether or not it's the cause of this server failure issue, is hard to say. I'd be leaning in the unlikely column - but then again heat is really hard on capacitors and power supplies tend to be hot (and collect lots of insulating dust). > *That said*, $hit can happen at any time. This is why backups, > service contracts, and contingency plans should not be considered > optional. :) Yup! That's why routine testing to discover problems at prescribed intervals instead of right after emergencies (like someone hitting the emergency power shutdown switch - not that I've ever experienced that myself ;) should be part of your contingency plan. Like I said, I haven't experienced problems with power supplies, but I have had plenty of old hard drives fail to spin back up after an outage (then again, I came across an old Seagate ST-251 MFM drive and some other old parts when I was moving year before last - hooked up my old 286, fired it up and everything worked - kinda scary actually). Eric Eskam =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government "The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." - P. B. Medawar ~ Upgrade to Next Generation Antispam/Antivirus with Ninja! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbelt-software.com/SunbeltMessagingNinja.cfm> ~
