Static Electricity

its not really that big of a deal. just touch an unpainted part of the case while the power is still plugged in, then unplug it and do what you need to do, just dont rub your feet on the carpet while you are doing it.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

Yes, you should be concerned. You may be able to get an wrist strap at a local electronics store perhaps Radio Shack, but it could cost $30.00 + for a cheap one as they usually come in a kit along with a grounding mat.. The wrist strap is simply a high resistance conductor connected by a wire to , usually , an alligator clip which you connect to the PC chassis. The high resistence is to to keep current flow through your body at a low , safe level if you happen to touch a live voltage source. There are no dangerous voltages present in the PC except for the power supply which would be 120vac in the USA. The power supply is contained in a metal enclosure, and presents no danger if it's intact and known to function properly.

You could visit a local hospital and go to the Surgery area. Get hold of a nurse, orderly, or whoever and ask them to give you two pair of disposable booties (used is OK) which likely have a static strap built in to them (explosive anesthetics). Rip the straps out and tie them together. Tie one end to your wrist and the other end tightly to your PC frame.

But, here's what I suggest.

Get a cheap three wire extension cord and break off the two power pins leaving only the longer grounding pin. Plug your PC power cord into the extension cord. Plug the extension cord into a grounded wall outlet. This insures the PC chassis is grounded and not powered. If the job requires only one hand, hold the chassis and work with free hand. If you need both hands free, ask your girl friend to hold one of your body parts (your choice) and the PC chassis. This works well and may increase room humidity sufficiently so you don't need to worry about a static discharge. If your absolutely certain there is no power to PC by use of above extension cord, you can simply wrap a bare wie around your wrist and connect the other end to the PC chassis.

Regards _ Steve

"its not really that big of a deal. just touch an unpainted part of the case while the power is still plugged in, then unplug it and do what you need to do, just dont rub your feet on the carpet while you are doing it."

Just be sure to KEEP contact with the case at all times.

You can also read this:
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/artic [...] 184,00.asp

AntecRep

Well said Papa Smurf. I've never had a problem with ESD myself. I just make sure that I keep constantly grounding myself. In the future, though, I'm going to get a DuPont Stainmaster carpet. They are warranteed to produce no more than 5 kilovolts of static electricity and they even absorb static electricity from a person, which effectively grounds anyone who touches it.

But I've seen people from the 'other side' too. One of my old friends had a static wristband and was paranoid as hell. He got nervous every time I got near his computer and jumped every time there was a noise.