image from the Virginia Tech Computer Labs
Thunderstorm and hurricane season call for extra precaution for electronics users – that's all of us.
How do you really protect your electronic devices from surges, strikes and spikes?
The true answer? Disconnect everything.
That includes power sources and modems.
Any entry into the home, electrical and plumbing, is a route to doom your devices.
Each week I have my 3 PCs do an automatic backup to an external drive. When that is complete, I unplug the drive and disconnect the drive from the power supply.
Each week I also do a backup to DVDs. My MS OneCare has an option to select the location of the backup and I backup each PC separately as well as collectively.
I also have two off-site backups that connect to my PCs and upload my files every night. The little fee for that service is just very inexpensive peace of mind.
Do your back ups. Back up your back ups and back up your back ups offsite.
For storm preparation, do not rely on surge protectors. They can only do so much to protect your equipment from harm. Also, they lose their capacity for protection over the years.
I have a series of surge protectors and a UPS device for my main PC. However, everything is connected to a single outlet. When a bad storm is imminent, I unplug everything and I also detach the cable connection so that nothing from the outside can come inside.
The same is true for the big, bad TVs, DVD players, amps, game machines and the new electronic washer and dryer.
IT IS EASIER TO REBOOT THAN REPLACE.
Storms, they are coming. Get ready in the sunshine. You'll be so happy you did. © Tim www.timjohnsonphoto.com
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