Urban myths or real dangers?

[AndyFC]

Two things about the Amiga which I never could decide whether they were real threats to hardware or not are as follows:

 - Use a buffered IDE interface (A1200, A600 and A4000) otherwise you could damage your motherboard (not talking about data corruption, possability of longer IDE cables etc - just damage to the machine)
 - Switch off at the PSU (or on the case for the big box machines) and don't just use the switch on the wall, otherwise you could blow the Mobo.

Are/were these real dangers or not?

Thanks.

[Thomas]

I think both are myths. I have been using a simple IDE cable witrh CD-ROM and HDD connected directly to the motherboard of my A4000 for years without any damage. And I also use a switch on a multiple socket outlet to switch all machines (computer, monitor, printer, external drives etc.). Switching *off* should not do any harm at all. Switching *on* all machines at once sometimes blows the home's fuse, but does not affect the computer's health in any way.

Bye,
Thomas