Client's persistent crashes traced to bad outlet - how common is this?

Last week, a buddy who runs a PC repair shop called me over. His client had several systems dying at random times, no clear pattern. He had swapped RAM, tested drives, and reinstalled OS, but the issue kept coming back. I brought my voltage meter and checked the wall outlet the main rig was plugged into. The reading showed unstable voltage, thanks to a worn connection in the building's old wiring. After I tightened it up, the crashes stopped completely. Some techs I know say power problems are too rare to check every time, while others think it should be a first step for any weird hardware fault. From my side, I see similar issues in shops and homes, but I get that computer work has its own pace. What's your take? Do you make power quality a routine check, or only after everything else?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige9862d ago

Tbh, I love when the fix is just tightening a screw after all that high-tech troubleshooting.

diana552d ago

Right, like Paige said about loving the simple fix. My neighbor had a router that would drop connection every afternoon like clockwork. Turns out it was on the same circuit as her old fridge, and the compressor kicking on was the culprit.