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Boy… ok. This is so frustrating! Ok so, I've been getting a whole lot of problems with the electrical grid here lately: spikes, surges, lows, brown-outs, all kinds of problems, it's terrible, short-circuiting things left and right. I have been afraid to even plug my laptop (Toshiba Satellite L300 Series) in at all to charge it. So I wanted to get a really good surge protector/battery back-up to protect it (it's really important to me, I'm a sentimental sort, and I don't want to just upgrade to a new laptop like everyone tells me, I'm very attached to this one!). So I do some research, the APC Back-UPS Network 40 450VA Battery Back-Up System BN4001 is the one I end up going with.

So I do all the stuff to get it set up, attach the battery, get it plugged in, turned on, all that, I go to actually try to plug my notebook's charger (which is, at this time, actually plugged in to the computer itself, mind you) into the UPS, and… it won't go in, can't get it to fit, there's sparks blasting out, what is going on here? I tried to plug in a different thing, with a three-prong plug, which seems to be the only thing it's designed to take, but my laptop power cord has a two-prong plug which I just can't get in, and what concerns me even more now is the sparking, does this mean my computer will have been damaged? I fear the worst. Please help, I would really, really appreciate any guidance right about now. At the end of my rope currently with all this! :(

Here are some images, which were requested to help visualize what I'm talking about: this is the UPS (not the exact model I have but really similar) http://sishardware.com/imgs/a/a/t/j/t/apc_back___ups_es_550_ups_330_watt_8_outlets_4_surge_be550r_easy_set_up_1_lgw.jpg and this is the laptop power cord http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Ef8gJpFsL.SX300.jpg

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    We can't tell you if trying to force a plug into another plug damaged your laptop. We can tell you to stop doing that if you don't want to damage your laptop. Are you sure the product you purchased supports the plug in your country?
    – Ramhound
    Jul 17, 2014 at 11:24
  • Yes, of course I'm sure, both my device and the company that makes the product are all using American plugs! Obviously I have stopped doing it but I REALLY hope someone can tell me, why it won't accept a two-prong plug and if those sparks likely mean my computer was damaged… this is egregious, a device I purchased specifically to protect my computer from unforeseen damage, actually possibly causing it! :( Jul 17, 2014 at 11:34
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    Your house is wired using American plugs? Because the third pin is ground, if you are getting sparks, that indicates UPS isn't grounded. A screenshot of the UPS and the plug your trying to use might be helpful.
    – Ramhound
    Jul 17, 2014 at 12:23
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    I'm surprised no one has mentioned that some two-pronged plus are polarized and will only insert one way (one blade is slightly wider than the other). Have you tried rotating it 180 degrees? Seems like a stupid thing to suggest, but there it is. The sparks might be nothing but intermittent contact with the service voltage and capacitors in the power supply charging up (in-rush current). Hard to tell with the information given, though. Be careful. Maybe post some pictures of the plug/receptacle.
    – Steve
    Jul 17, 2014 at 21:49
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    Try using an adapter. There exists adapters that will convert a 2-prong plug into a 3-prong plug. The first image you provided isn't helpful.
    – Ramhound
    Jul 18, 2014 at 2:28

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