My new laptop has a 3-prong grounded plug, which fits into my standard 2-prong European adaptor. Is this safe, or do I need another intermediate adaptor? Thanks for the help.

Strange, a 3-prong grounded plug on a laptop. What's the brand?

HP - the Pavilion dm4t, which I love -- 14" with an optical drive and only 4.4 lb.

My old (2006) MacBook has a 3-prong plug as well. I found a 3-prong adapter at Best Buy, I think - I wouldn't feel good about leaving a prong dangling, personally.

HP is one of the few, if only brand of laptop that uses a grounded 3 prong plug. Almost all others use a universal 2 pronged plug.

I use my 3 prong HP plug with a 2 prong adapter in Europe frequently. The dangling prong is ground, not live voltage.

You will be just fine. 3 prong Schuko plugs fit more snugly into the corresponding outlet, so I carry one of those when I travel as well. You can get one quite cheaply - no need to pay $20 airport gift shop prices.

http://www.amazon.com/GERMAN-SCHUKO-.../dp/B001PLSXBG

I used the standard european adapter with my 3 prong netbook plug and had no issues. My netbook worked well and I didn't blow any fuses.

You can pick up a 2 prong to 3 prong adapter at any hardware store, walmart, etc. The round prong is the ground. If you want to feel safe, carry a small roll of wire. Attach it to the ground screw on the adapter and tie this to any metal plumbing. Bingo, you are grounded

dave

The SCHUKO plug adapter linked by J62 is grounded. The ground is the metal strip on the perimeter, not another prong. Since HP put a grounded plug on your machine you would be wise to make proper use of it instead of messing around with a Rube Goldberg scheme.

BTW, what is a <i>standard 2-prong European adaptor</i>? There are more than one type of two prong plugs in use in Europe.

My daughter just wrote from Milan that the Schucko plug adapters do not fit in the Italian outlets at the private home where she is staying.