Compaq has issued a recall and replace notice for 1.4m faulty laptop AC power adapters, after five caught fire.

No-one was hurt, but it would not do for Compaq to torch its customers. (Very bad for business and for legal costs as anyone who remembers the exploding Ford Pinto will know.)

Compaq says it is making the worldwide recall of the potential fire hazard "in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission".

The affected laptops were made between 1998 and September 2001. You can find out if your notebook is on the list here.
®