ElectroStatic Discharge or ESD

ESD warning stickerShort for ElectroStatic Discharge, ESD is one of the few things
you can do to damage or destroy your computer or parts of your computer. Much
like the shock you receive when rubbing your feet on the carpet and touching
something metal, ESD can occur when working in your computer and can cause
components you touch to no longer work properly. ESD can occur without the user
feeling a shock and only occurs while working on the inside of the computer or
handling an expansion card or other hardware.

Preventing ESD and grounding yourself

The best method of preventing ESD is to use an ESD wrist strap, grounding mat, or
grounding workbench. However, because most users do not have access to such
items, we have included the steps below to help reduce the chances of ESD as
much as possible.

Tip: If you plan on working on the inside of the computer more than once we highly
recommend purchasing and using an anti-static wristband.
Zero Potential - Most importantly, make sure you and the computer are at Zero
Potential by continuously touching an un-painted metal surface of the chassis or the
computer power supply case.
Standing - Always be standing when working inside the computer. If you are sitting
on a chair or the floor, it can generate more electrostatic.
Cords - Disconnect everything from the back of the computer (e.g. power cord,
monitor, and USB cables)
Clothes - Make sure not to wear any clothing that conduct an electrical charge, such
as a wool sweater.
Weather - Electrical storms can increase the ESD risk; if it can wait, try not to work
on a computer during an electrical storm.
Accessories - To help reduce ESD and help prevent other problem, it is also a good
idea to remove all jewelry.
Surface - You should be standing on a hard surface, and the computer or other
electrostatic sensitive device should be on the table.

ESD tools

Laptop on antistatic matWhen working inside the computer, you should have at the
very least a wrist strap to help protect the sensitive components from ESD damage.
If you run a business that deals with lots of sensitive equipment a grounding mat
and even a grounding table is also highly recommended.
See our tools definition for a listing of other computer repair suggested tools.

Other ESD related terms

Below is a listing of other ESD related terms found in our computer dictionary.
Antistatic
Antistatic bag
Antistatic device
Antistatic mat
Antistatic spray
Static
Wrist strap

Damaged hardware

If the computer no longer boots after working inside of it, try the below
recommendations.
1.If you have added any new parts remove them and try to boot the computer
again. If the computer boots, the part was either not connected properly or
incompatible with the computer. Try it again just to make sure.
2.If the computer still does not boot properly after removing all new hardware or
you did not add any new hardware, make sure all games are connected firmly inside
the computer.
3.Make sure each expansion card is seated firmly and not partially seated.
4.Unfortunately, if the computer still does not properly boot, something may have
been damaged and is causing it not to work. If the computer is beeping abnormally,
refer to our beep code page for recommendations and beep code listings

1.
An antistatic wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet is an antistatic device
used to safely ground a person working on very sensitive electronic equipment, to
prevent the buildup of static electricity on their body, which can result in
electrostatic discharge (ESD). It is used in the electronics industry by workers
working on electronic devices which can be damaged by ESD, and also sometimes
by people working around explosives, to prevent electric sparks which could set off
an explosion. It consists of an elastic band of fabric with fine conductive fibers
woven into it, attached to a wire with a clip on the end to connect it to a ground
conductor. The fibers are usually made of carbon or carbon-filled rubber, and the
strap is bound with a stainless steel clasp or plate. They are usually used in
conjunction with an antistatic mat on the workbench, or a special static-dissipating
plastic laminate on the workbench surface.

1.

An antistatic floor mat or ground mat is one of a number of antistatic devices

designed to help eliminate static electricity. It does this by having a controlled low
resistance: a metal mat would keep parts grounded but would short out exposed

parts; an insulating mat would provide no ground reference and so would not
provide grounding. Typical resistance is on the order of 105 to 108 ohms between
points on the mat and to ground.[1][2][3] The mat would need to be grounded
(earthed). This is usually accomplished by plugging into the grounded line in an
electrical outlet. It's important to discharge at a slow rate, therefore a resistor
should be used in earthing the mat. The resistor, as well as allowing high-voltage
charges to leak through to earth, also prevents a shock hazard when working with
low-voltage parts. Some ground mats allow you to connect an antistatic wrist strap
to them.