I just got a new laptop, an ASUS ROG Strix GL502VM. It's mostly made of plastic, but the back of the lid is metal. When the power supply is connected to an ungrounded socket the back of the lid feels weird to touch, like the surface is vibrating.

After I while I realized that this has to be electricity. I have grounded sockets in my kitchen and bathroom, but not in the rooms where I actually use the PC. Should I be worried about this, is there a risk of damage to me, the PC or anything else?

Is it vibrating because the power mode is set to performance when AC is plugged in, and the fan/HDD is running?

A simple volt-meter will tell you whether any miswiring problems. Connect one end to it, the other to the ground hole in your plug (or a metal fixture in the bathroom).

But any US sold laptop, by a reputable manufacturer, has a sticker on it for like UL or whatnaut and it certifies that it's not doing something insanely illegal electrically like wiring power through a ground service.

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But, if your AC adapter only has two plugs? It's double insulated. Even if the laptop has a metal surface, it's legally not allowed to have anything touch it internally.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel_pre_2011/electricityworld/mainselectricityrev4.shtml

Unless of course, it's broken somehow. But I've literally never heard of a story of that happening unless we're talking some fake China "Apple" chargers, or a miswired home/apartment appliance.

Sockets are different in different countries (see Wikipedia page). Here, in Spain, we use CEE 7 variants and a lot of stuff doesn't has ground!

I plug 3 prong plugs into 2 prong outlets all the time. It needs an adapter, but I've never had problems. Is this really an issue? Most of the outlets in our house are all 2 prong. We'd have to rewire our entire house if we wanted 'proper' grounded outlets.

The argument that you've been doing it and so far you're fine is flawed. That's a fine argument when the stakes are low. When the stakes are high, like your proper brain function or very life, it only takes one time that it didn't work out.

Stupid people take the batteries out of their smoke alarm if it goes off when they cook or shower. Most of them are never affected by it. Some of them are not alerted to a fire and die. This doesn't affect them very long (hopefully), but will be traumatic for their loved ones.

Similarly, people weld, use power tools, and all manner of other dangerous equipment without eye, ear, or foot protection. Most of them get away with it most of the time. And yet, it only takes once to change your life forever. And I bet every time that "once" occurs the person regrets it for the rest of their life (assuming the event didn't kill them, in which case only their loved ones have to regret it).

In the case of a house being wired without proper grounds I don't think there's a good, simple answer. The simple answer is rewire the entire house. Obviously, that can be prohibitively expensive. In which case, the answer is don't buy that house in the first place, or if you do make sure you force the seller to drop the price sufficiently so you can budget for the rewire/refinish. But if it has been passed down from generation to generation before grounded plugs were a thing you don't have a choice in that. There's always the option to try to sell... Or you can always take your chances.. There's not always a good, simple answer...

But of course, you cannot argue that you're stuck with it so it's fine. It's not fine. It's dangerous. People can and do die from it. Grounded prongs are there for a reason. It should concern you greatly any time you bypass them.

I'm not sure you understand how electrical sockets work... Your power strips are not providing 3 prong sockets unless you've grounded the power strip somehow (as Chris suggested). Which even though it should technically work, it still exposes the ground to humans which means keep all children and drunk adults away because they can still get electrocuted if they touch the wrong spot and are unlucky. If you're using a "cheater" to plug the 3-prong power strip into the wall then you're cheating the entire system and basically nothing is safe. If your computer shorts into your case it's a potential death trap.

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm a Canadian that used to wear long sleeves and long pants all summer long, but in these global warming summers even I need A/C. I hope you at least have decent fans.. I like the big steel fans that sound like an aircraft is taking off. You get used to the noise, and they move air like nothing else. Let me know if you need details and I'll try to find some manufacturers.

I don't know how old you were when you did that. If it makes you feel better when I was like 4 years old I stuck a random key into an electrical socket pretending it was a car's ignition (I was always fascinated by driving). I think the shock threw me against the chair that I was hiding behind when I did it. And of course, not understanding it made me freak out. I don't even think my mom knew that I did it until I confessed on her lap in a fit of tears. But that was almost 30 years ago so I'm probably unknowingly filling in blanks with my imagination.

But how would they work without a ground? I don't know how they work in general so I cannot answer that, but I'd sure as shit want to answer that if I was relying on it! Based on my Google results there is a general consensus that without a proper ground there's no guarantee that a surge protector will work (sounds like the laymen explanation is that the excess is supposed to be routed through ground, and if no such ground exists then it has nowhere else to go except through the device and/or "shortcut")..

Okay, so what about plugging 2 prong devices into a 3 prong outlet? They're not grounded. So how is that legal then? Can't the same thing happen?

I'll look into the GFCI's you mentioned (that's what they're called here)...

I can't remember correctly, but I thought local code only said GFCIs had to be installed near water sources, in like kitchens and bathrooms.

Modern 2 prong, are used when the device is double insulated.

IIRC, with old 2 prong (pre-double insulated standard), have a different shape. On the new standard, one prong is always WIDER than the other so you can't reverse the order.
https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/question110.htm

and

Two prong, double insulated:

http://c03.apogee.net/contentplayer/?coursetype=foe&utilityid=citizenselectric&id=4678

[edit] Also, fun fact: Miswired internally, or reversed two prong (without the larger key) often "work" because an AC transformer doesn't care which direction it's coming from and the AC to DC rectification also doesn't care. However, it would then put the METALIC CASE AT MAINS VOLTAGE. So if you then touch anything properly grounded (even a metal pipe), kiss your ass goodbye.

I should mention that I live in Norway.

In Europe you probably shut the power off by calling two buddies that you hate to grab the live circuit on either side of you.

At work we have developed a product which has a large textured metal plate on top of it, and a two-pin connector(even though we are in the UK - I suppose the earth just isn't connected to anything) Just as torhu described, it has this tickly vibrating sensation, it's quite strange. My understanding was the same as bamccaig linked to. Also I am confident it's safe because it passed its EN61010 certification.