HP 8540P - Slight electrical shock

Hi,

I have just purchased a HP Elitebook 8540P.

Very nice laptop apart from one thing. When using the laptop with the power adaptor, the metallic surface feels slightly electric giving this tingling feeling when touching it. Not an explicit electrical shock, but you can definitely feel some sort of lov-voltage electricity going through your fingers. It is the entire metallic frame above and below the keyboard.

This is when the computer is used in an electrical socket which is not grounded - when unplugging the power adaptor or using a grounded socket at work, everythings fine.

Is this normal or should I complain about the Elitebook? When working at home, I dont have access to grounded sockets, so Im a little concerned about using the computer with the lov-voltage feeling.

 

It is normal. The power supply that came with your laptop is NOT intended for use with an ungrounded wall socket and any damage caused by doing so will not be covered by warranty.

I think your house electrical needs some maintenance. At worst, hook the safety ground to your heater or water pipes (assuming of course that they haven't switched to PVC pipe everywhere...). But it's advisable to call a qualified electrician to make a safety ground for your power outlets.

 

Also check out this document, that explicitly states that ungrounded outlets can cause a "tingling sensation":
http://bizsupport.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01524741/c01524741.pdf