Rain

[monty]

I think the watersupply to Pattaya this year might be of a lesser problem then last year.

We've already had more rain then usual, but today it's absolutely coming down! Big downpoor in the morning, then some sun over lunchtime and now again a boomer of a tropical rainstorm...

[Pattaya_Fox]

I think the watersupply to Pattaya this year might be of a lesser problem then last year.

We've already had more rain then usual, but today it's absolutely coming down! Big downpoor in the morning, then some sun over lunchtime and now again a boomer of a tropical rainstorm...

Good old Mother Nature.....balancing the books

[Rimmer]

Thought it was, I can hear the thunder over there from Jomtien. Hope Mobi has got his windows rolled up on that black monster with the black windows

[thaiflyer1]

Long as it stops for 6pm.........i/m supposed to be going out for a beer .

[Mobi]

Thought it was, I can hear the thunder over there from Jomtien. Hope Mobi has got his windows rolled up on that black monster with the black windows

My daughter, and step son had just entered the Mobi pool this morning when the heavens opened.

Into the black monster and off to North Pattaya to ferry the last stray Songkran guests onto the bus to Bangkok.

Queues streaming right out of the Bus station; an estimated 3 hour wait.

Shifty negotiations with a group of Motorcycle taxis drivers, who say they can produce a meter taxi to BKk for 1400 Baht. I said - what the hel_l - I'll put in 1000 if the four passnegers can cough up 100 baht each. (I'm so tight!) All agreed, and we waited and waited and waited - in the boiling sun. Many mobile calls later - about an hour, and we all take a hike a kilometer down the road to meet the phantom taxi. Procurer asks for payment up front. Wife refuses - says she must see taxi first. More phoning and waiting - eventually, taxi appears. Taxi driver gets 1000, procurer 400. Fair enough, at least I got shot of them - guests and shifty motorcycle drivers. (Talk about cloak and dagger to get a taxi to Bkk from the bus station)

Over the road for a huge dim sum lunch. (My daughter loves Dim Sum)

Back home for a late afternoon in the pool.

Everyone gets changed - the heavens open again. What a storm - power cut after power cut, perpetual lightning for about half an hour.

Ipstar shuts down, phones lines shut down - power shuts down again. Everything back on again; Im busy completing a post to TV forum. Another powerr cut. I try to finish the post I'm typing on battery power. A huge flash of lightning which seems to come up the power cables. Battery shuts down. Can't turn it on again.

Power finally resumes. Reset the laptop and get laptop lcd lights back on. The machine won't boot! Try again and again and again. It won't boot. That final flash of lightning has buggered it. May have lost everything, including the most erudite, witty and fascinating post I have ever written. Thank God I've still got the desktop PC.

It sure did rain.

A day in the life of Mobi.

[monty]

Yep, the lightning was terrible.

Lost an ADSL modem, which for some reason wasn't plugged in the UPS, but in a direct power plug. Fried the external adapter and unfortunately the entire inards of the modem as well...

Also got a network hub blown up, probably picked up lectrics through one of the network cables (which are on top of the wall separating our houses), since the hub was UPS fed, but fried nonetheless...

Mother nature at her best

What a price to pay to have some water during dry season

[thaiflyer1]

Long as it stops for 6pm.........i/m supposed to be going out for a beer .

Made it out but in waterproofs on the bike.............

[taxexile]

i think your storm has just passed over hua hin , two to three hours of almost constant gold medal lightning and thunder and a massive downpour sweeping in from the east.

mother nature at her most spectacular .

what a show.

[wolf359]

Don't you just love it when it rains like this!!

[Kerryd]

Don't you just love it when it rains like this!!

Well, the RAIN itself wasn't that great in South Pattaya (as to the quantity, we had worse downfalls in February), but the thunder was awesome. Never heard such loud and long thunderclaps.

One lasted so long, I was able to get up and walk to balcony while it was still reverberating. Saw a bunch of other people (Thais) who were all staring up at the skies as well. Another was so loud, I swear it set off the car alarm in one vehicle in the TukCom parking lot !

Sure puts a damper on the enthusiasm for water fights though

[Mighty Mouse]

....but was it enough to wash all of Pattaya's sins away?????

[Kerryd]

....but was it enough to wash all of Pattaya's sins away?????

Hahaha, not even 40 days and 40 nights of biblical rain could do that !

(back in the old days, buildings were single story and made out of mud bricks and thatch. Nowadays we have concrete and steel multi-story buildings. It'll take more than a little downpour to clean up this place !)

[Mobi]

Yep, the lightning was terrible.

Lost an ADSL modem, which for some reason wasn't plugged in the UPS, but in a direct power plug. Fried the external adapter and unfortunately the entire inards of the modem as well...

Also got a network hub blown up, probably picked up lectrics through one of the network cables (which are on top of the wall separating our houses), since the hub was UPS fed, but fried nonetheless...

Mother nature at her best

What a price to pay to have some water during dry season

Hey Monty, that storm took out the internal modem in my notebook according to the guy in the repair shop, because i didn't take out the phone line.

He also says that the mothetrboard may need to be replaced, but most worrying of all, he said it may have wiped out the hard disc. I'm an amateur in these things, do you have any idea if this is possible? I can live with the other stuff, but not losing all my data.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Kerryd]

Hey Monty, that storm took out the internal modem in my notebook according to the guy in the repair shop, because i didn't take out the phone line.

He also says that the mothetrboard may need to be replaced, but most worrying of all, he said it may have wiped out the hard disc. I'm an amateur in these things, do you have any idea if this is possible? I can live with the other stuff, but not losing all my data.

Any ideas?

Thanks

I'd say it's possible, but unlikely.

What happens when you turn the power on ? Does your computer try to boot up normally ? Does it "hang" at a certain point in the process ?

It's hard to diagnose a problem at long distance, as I imagine thousands of help desk operators have learned over the years

Never lost any component to an electrical surge (yet). Minor power surges and static electricity used to be major killers of computer components.

Here I use a UPS, primarily as a grounding unit, and surge protector power bars.

[astral]

Where is Mabprachan?

Mabtaphut I know....................

[allexx]

Yep, the lightning was terrible.

Lost an ADSL modem, which for some reason wasn't plugged in the UPS, but in a direct power plug. Fried the external adapter and unfortunately the entire inards of the modem as well...

Also got a network hub blown up, probably picked up lectrics through one of the network cables (which are on top of the wall separating our houses), since the hub was UPS fed, but fried nonetheless...

Mother nature at her best

What a price to pay to have some water during dry season

Ever tried to UNPLUGG your puter BEFORE the rainstorm??

[monty]

Alexx,

I have several (like 6) puters in several locations all over Pattaya (unattended) It would be a pretty difficult race to go unplug them all. They are however all protected by UPS units.

My damage resulted from one peice of equipment being plugged in directly (i know, my fault), but the other damage resulted from a lightning induced spike somewhere on my network cable...

It is not feasible to go unplug the network cables on the back of all my pc's on this network each and every time there is a chance of lightning...

Astral,... aargh how can that be...Mabprachan, the place where the elite of Pattaya resides

It's a residential area around Mabprachan reservoir located some 10 km inland from Sukhumvit. Major attraction apart from the lake is "driving street", the road going all around the lake and the location of the whole nightlife/restaurant scene of the area Until at least late next month, when the Thai visa travel forum's sponsors will open up their little place

[Mobi]

Hey Monty, that storm took out the internal modem in my notebook according to the guy in the repair shop, because i didn't take out the phone line.

He also says that the mothetrboard may need to be replaced, but most worrying of all, he said it may have wiped out the hard disc. I'm an amateur in these things, do you have any idea if this is possible? I can live with the other stuff, but not losing all my data.

Any ideas?

Thanks

I'd say it's possible, but unlikely.

What happens when you turn the power on ? Does your computer try to boot up normally ? Does it "hang" at a certain point in the process ?

It's hard to diagnose a problem at long distance, as I imagine thousands of help desk operators have learned over the years

Never lost any component to an electrical surge (yet). Minor power surges and static electricity used to be major killers of computer components.

Here I use a UPS, primarily as a grounding unit, and surge protector power bars.

I haven't got a UPS and the mains power was off when it happened. I was finishing something off on battery power when a huge flash of lightning seemed to go right through the house. The mains cable was still connected, as was the phone line and the cable to my Ipstar box. The lap top immediately went off and would not turn on again.

When power was resumed, I reset the lap top and the power came back. However it won't boot, it just hangs immediately after I turn it on, with 4 lcd lights remaining permanently on, rather than the usual flashing during the booting process.

I have told you what the guy in the shop thinks.

What do you think? I'd hate to lose my hard disc as I haven't backed up for ages. (I know, what an idiot). If the shop wants to replace the hard disc, should I take it elsewhere?

Thanks Kerry, any advice is appreciated.

[monsieurhappy]

Alexx,

Astral,... aargh how can that be...Mabprachan, the place where the elite of Pattaya resides

I like that Monty, makes me feel special!

[Kerryd]

What do you think? I'd hate to lose my hard disc as I haven't backed up for ages. (I know, what an idiot). If the shop wants to replace the hard disc, should I take it elsewhere?

Thanks Kerry, any advice is appreciated.

Doesn't sound good. Sounds like it's not even making it to POST (Power On Self Test).

Hmmmm, can you remove the modem without taking the machine apart ? Is it an add-on card or built in ?

If it is an add-on card, try removing it then booting the computer. Otherwise, unfortunately, it could be at least 3 different things (motherboard, RAM, hard drive). Only way to really know would be to test each component separately. I'm not set up here to do that.

I think I would try taking the machine to one of the hardware shops in TukCom, and ask them to specifically check the hard drive. Don't tell them what happened. First thing they'll do is try to boot the machine. After that they would hopefully pull the hd and test it in another machine.

If the hard drive checks out ok, have them test the RAM, and then the motherboard. If you're lucky, you may only have to replace one component.

There are ways to recover crashed hard drives, but it's not easy, and probably not readily available here. You may end up having to FedEx it to a company in the States, and it won't be cheap.

I was going to set up my own little shop here to do stuff like this (more as a way of keeping myself occupied, than an attempt to make money). Problem is, if I go back to work overseas, I'd end up having to shut it down rather quickly. Be more problems than it would be worth.

[Mobi]

What do you think? I'd hate to lose my hard disc as I haven't backed up for ages. (I know, what an idiot). If the shop wants to replace the hard disc, should I take it elsewhere?

Thanks Kerry, any advice is appreciated.

Doesn't sound good. Sounds like it's not even making it to POST (Power On Self Test).

Hmmmm, can you remove the modem without taking the machine apart ? Is it an add-on card or built in ?

If it is an add-on card, try removing it then booting the computer. Otherwise, unfortunately, it could be at least 3 different things (motherboard, RAM, hard drive). Only way to really know would be to test each component separately. I'm not set up here to do that.

I think I would try taking the machine to one of the hardware shops in TukCom, and ask them to specifically check the hard drive. Don't tell them what happened. First thing they'll do is try to boot the machine. After that they would hopefully pull the hd and test it in another machine.

If the hard drive checks out ok, have them test the RAM, and then the motherboard. If you're lucky, you may only have to replace one component.

There are ways to recover crashed hard drives, but it's not easy, and probably not readily available here. You may end up having to FedEx it to a company in the States, and it won't be cheap.

I was going to set up my own little shop here to do stuff like this (more as a way of keeping myself occupied, than an attempt to make money). Problem is, if I go back to work overseas, I'd end up having to shut it down rather quickly. Be more problems than it would be worth.

Thanks kerry, you've pretty much confirmd what the guy in the shop said, which is reassuring in itself. The modem is built in.

I guess I'll just have to let them take it apart and see what they come up with.

You should think seriously about your PC repair shop. Not sure about the work permit angle, but I amconvinced there is a huge demand amonst farangs for a farang managed repair service. Every time I go into Wattana, there is a crowd of farangs hanging around the repair desks trying to get their lap tops fixed, and there's allways loads of people with problems on the cumputer forum - me included. Let me know if you change your mind and I'll start sending you customers

Anyway, thanks once again for the advice and info.

[Samui Coconut]

Rain has now reached Samui... Songkran continues......

[allexx]

Alexx,

I have several (like 6) puters in several locations all over Pattaya (unattended) It would be a pretty difficult race to go unplug them all.

Well, I have 3 puters from diff.loc. and I have no probs to unplug before I leave.

They are however all protected by UPS units.

UPS doesn’t protect from lightning only power cut.

My damage resulted from one peice of equipment being plugged in directly (i know, my fault), but the other damage resulted from a lightning induced spike somewhere on my network cable...

It is not feasible to go unplug the network cables on the back of all my pc's on this network each and every time there is a chance of lightning...

Unplug the 220 V, that’s what I do.

Astral,... aargh how can that be...Mabprachan, the place where the elite of Pattaya resides

It's a residential area around Mabprachan reservoir located some 10 km inland from Sukhumvit. Major attraction apart from the lake is "driving street", the road going all around the lake and the location of the whole nightlife/restaurant scene of the area Until at least late next month, when the Thai visa travel forum's sponsors will open up their little place

[monsieurhappy]

What do you think? I'd hate to lose my hard disc as I haven't backed up for ages. (I know, what an idiot). If the shop wants to replace the hard disc, should I take it elsewhere?

Thanks Kerry, any advice is appreciated.

Doesn't sound good. Sounds like it's not even making it to POST (Power On Self Test).

Hmmmm, can you remove the modem without taking the machine apart ? Is it an add-on card or built in ?

If it is an add-on card, try removing it then booting the computer. Otherwise, unfortunately, it could be at least 3 different things (motherboard, RAM, hard drive). Only way to really know would be to test each component separately. I'm not set up here to do that.

I think I would try taking the machine to one of the hardware shops in TukCom, and ask them to specifically check the hard drive. Don't tell them what happened. First thing they'll do is try to boot the machine. After that they would hopefully pull the hd and test it in another machine.

If the hard drive checks out ok, have them test the RAM, and then the motherboard. If you're lucky, you may only have to replace one component.

There are ways to recover crashed hard drives, but it's not easy, and probably not readily available here. You may end up having to FedEx it to a company in the States, and it won't be cheap.

I was going to set up my own little shop here to do stuff like this (more as a way of keeping myself occupied, than an attempt to make money). Problem is, if I go back to work overseas, I'd end up having to shut it down rather quickly. Be more problems than it would be worth.

Thanks kerry, you've pretty much confirmd what the guy in the shop said, which is reassuring in itself. The modem is built in.

I guess I'll just have to let them take it apart and see what they come up with.

You should think seriously about your PC repair shop. Not sure about the work permit angle, but I amconvinced there is a huge demand amonst farangs for a farang managed repair service. Every time I go into Wattana, there is a crowd of farangs hanging around the repair desks trying to get their lap tops fixed, and there's allways loads of people with problems on the cumputer forum - me included. Let me know if you change your mind and I'll start sending you customers

Anyway, thanks once again for the advice and info.

It's easy to see what the problem is ......................

It's all that rain coming down at Maprachan got into it!!

[monty]

Haa, The sky lords are filling up our reservoir again...

Rain woke me up at 6:30, and at 8:15 hasn't stopped yet!

So anybody out there, water will be plenty this year, the lake is actually rising in level at the moment instead of draining empty....

[Kerryd]

Haa, The sky lords are filling up our reservoir again...

Rain woke me up at 6:30, and at 8:15 hasn't stopped yet!

So anybody out there, water will be plenty this year, the lake is actually rising in level at the moment instead of draining empty....

Yeah, tell me that this time next year !

A couple of months ago, city officials gauranteed we would have no shortages this year. Since then we (in South Pattaya at least) have had our water cut off at least 4 times, once for 3 straight days just before Songkran.

By the time high season arrives again, I'm sure the Water Truck Mafia Collective will have lobbied enough people in the right places to ensure their services are required again.

[astral]

Astral,... aargh how can that be...Mabprachan, the place where the elite of Pattaya resides

It's a residential area around Mabprachan reservoir located some 10 km inland from Sukhumvit.

Do you mean 10km inland from Sukhumvit Road,

or the town of Sukhumvit, which is down near Trat???????????????

Which is where the road ends, and derives its name.

Edited April 27, 2006 by astral

[monty]

Yeah Kerryd,

eventhough there's water in the lake, means not yet a guarantee you're gonna get some of it downtown...

With a bit (well, a lot i guess) luck it might improve a bit. I've noticed they are laying new or extra feed pipes towards Pattaya from the lake. One snakes down from the lake towards soi Khao talo - soi Khao noi... Basically two sois where one new development after the other started sucking up the water pressure in the last two years...

[raro]

Alexx,

Astral,... aargh how can that be...Mabprachan, the place where the elite of Pattaya resides

I like that Monty, makes me feel special!

looks like it is about time having a Maprachan sub-forum to distinguish us from the Pattaya riff-raff