Static killing PC

[h0b0]

Now Winter has come to the North East US and the air is dry due to forced air heating I’m having a new issue. After a while of sitting at my desk when I stand up I hear static discharge and my PC black screens and doesn’t wake up.

What are my options to protect the PC? I’ve considered a UPS which would be handy for power outages as well. I already have a generator but that takes 1 minute to kick in and a battery back up would bridge the gap. Would a UPS also help with static?

[Prak]

It's when you stand up? Maybe a new chair. Or wear an earthing strap?

Or sit there in your birthday suit. Gives you a reasonable excuse if someone walks in, anyway.

[h0b0]

Birthday suit may not be appreciated by wife, family, or anyone I meet with due to video calls.

I wonder if my new socks are to blame so I may experiment with no socks or going back to my old ones. There is a rug that the PC front legs are on and I have noticed sometimes the static shock happens as I step on/off the rug. O can look into a static strap for the rug.

[roadsmash]

Have you tried putting a bit of non-conductible material between the PC and the current surface it is sitting on? Like a bit of wood (shelf etc)?

I’d be surprised if the problem lies within the external wiring.

[jimmyjimjim]

I had this issue in Colorado. 12% external humidity...quite fun. Or at least something similar; I could deliver lightning bolts that zeus himself would be proud of. Completely killed a DVD player, while numbing my arm. Massive belts to a computer keyboard every time I sat down. Which eventually killed that.

I tried staticide for a while; spray the carpet to reduce the static. Works, but is a pain, and is expensive for what is essentially canned soapy water.

After that, I had an earthing strip I would touch before getting in or out of my chair. An annoyance, but worked.

Eventually, the issue went away. I think down to me changing a lot of the causes. I went from a fabric to a pleather chair, used a carpet protector, changed shoes, and most importantly, used fabric dryer sheets. I didn't used to use them, but read online that they could help. So I did and they did.

If it's only one room, see what you can change that might help.

[jimmyjimjim]

to add - could well be your socks! Could also be the rug. Mine has been in a UPS the entire time, and was never directly affected, so worth getting one.

[alorotom]

A couple of glugs of fabric conditioner diluted in a spray bottle and lightly mist the carpet - it will stop the build up of static

It’ll need redoing every couple of weeks but should solve the problem.

[h0b0]

Thanks for the advice. I am trying out the sock theory first and will report back.

[Penelope Stopit]

Cotton underwear

[The_Jackal]

How about applying a thin metal strip (metal tape maybe?) in front of your keyboard on the desk (so you will touch it without thinking), and then fix an earthing lead to it at the end of the desk (to the radiator or something heavy and metal).
I work in IT building PCs and an earthing wrist strap will the be the bane and pain of your life.
Also, make sure your PC is earthed. There are lots of videos on YouTube showing this.

[h0b0]

Current theory of the socks being the cause may be the winner. I have worn the same socks for 15 years. Not the same pair, but the same design and colour. This has made pairing socks a breeze because they all pair with each other. When I have a hole in one I put the spare aside until I have a hole in another and I can still make a pair. Out of a moment of madness, I decided to purchase new socks. These are from the same manufacturer but have patterns. I had noticed the material is softer but has a habit of not staying put.

Today, I have reverted back to the trusty socks and I have not had any static shocks. It seems my dalliance with fashion had some unintended consequences. I shall set aside the new flashy argyle socks for a time when I do not need to work on a PC. That should be in 15 years time.

[speedyman]

Google antistatic mat. That will sort it.