thanks to those who offered solutions and info on my quest to power my Compaq
PC in my bus. I just got this response from Compaq when I e-mailed them to
find out if I was better off using the $99 cigarette lighter adapter or the
$49 Trip Lite Power Verter 140 (140 W inverter) they offer in the Compaq
catalogue. Scroll down fo response.

Jeff
83.5 Westy
NYC
This was Compaq's response:

In a message dated 6/1/2000 8:04:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Consumer@COMPAQ.com writes:

<< Thank you for sending in your email,
    Ultimately, there would be no difference if you intend to use them
 for only this purpose. However, with the inverter you may get more outlets
 and higher wattage for other purposes.
   >>

[message/rfc822]