Wait a minute here! With modern ATX power supplies, as long as the computer is
plugged in to the wall, there is current flowing through the motherboard! You
mean to say that it is OK to install memory in a "hot" motherboard? No way!

Similarly, if one is working on the memory of a notebook computer, unplug it
from the wall AND remove the battery. Notebook motherboards have gotten fried
when someone attempted to add memory while the battery was still in the
computer.

Back in the dark ages of AT-style power supplies, it was perfectly fine to leave
the computer plugged in while working on the inside of the chassis... Ben Myers

On Mon, 23 May 2005 03:15:03 -0500, wrote:

On Mon, 23 May 2005 03:02:45 GMT, ben_myers_spam_me_not @
charter.net (Ben Myers) wrote:

1. Unplug the computer from the wall whenever you work on anything inside the
chassis.

Good advice in the general case, but PC power supplies have the
line terminals inside the power supply enclosure, where you
aren't going to accidentally touch them. That's why some
authorities recommend leaving the machine plugged in, to
maintain the case ground connection as a static drain.

Of course, the computer has to be off. Memory is definitely
*not* hot-pluggable.