Hurricane Proof Computer

Hurricane Proof Computer

Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage each year, including damage to computers. Unfortunately, computers can be much harder to replace if lost than other electronics because of the data contained on their hard drives and time spent tweaking and overclocking them. Being a Katrina evacuee and survivor myself, I know how important a computer can be after a natural disaster. With hurricane season looming in the days ahead, I decided to write a guide to help people protect their computers and data during a natural disaster.

Part I: Backing Up Data And Things to Have

Hurricane season or not, you should always be backing up your data. Whether you plan on riding out the storm (a bad idea) or evacuating to another location, you should have a backup of your computer data either on an external hard drive or optical media such as CD-Rs or a DVD. Be sure to keep your data in a very safe place, such as a water proof safe. Never leave your backup by your computer.

Next, you should have the following things to make life after the storm easier:

1. Phone numbers for insurance, computer or computer parts companies, and phone numbers for all local ISPs (including dial-up and satellite). Having your insurance phone number and phone numbers for your computer company will help get your computer replaced faster if it is damaged. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to have phone numbers and even access disks for all of your local ISPs! After Katrina, the Internet was the only way many people could contact the outside world. As fate would have it, my broadband was down for 3 weeks and none of the other broadband ISPs would except new orders due to the storm, leaving me with my old friend Dial Up, whom I thought I had buried 8 years ago. Your best bet is to use a satellite ISP as they have no equipment that can be destroyed by a hurricane and cause an outage.

2. Back ups of all your file, have all application and game discs, CD keys, drivers, and operating system discs on hand.

3. Photos of your computer as well as proof of what parts are inside.

In the event your quad SLI rig is destroyed, you don’t want your insurance company to replace it with something of a significantly lesser value, do you? It’s very easy for people to claim “I had this, this, and this and it all cost me 00 last month.” after their 3 year old Athlon XP rig is destroyed. As a result, your insurance company may be hesitant to replace your expensive computer parts unless you can prove you own them. Also know to what extent your insurance (including flood insurance) will replace damaged property. While some policies will cover the replacement cost of damaged property, some may only cover part of the damage cost. Also know what your deductible is.

4. Blog or Social Networking Profile

Social networking sites such as myspace were great after Katrina. Friends could find out where other friends had evacuated to simply by reading each others’ myspaces.

5. Generator and Gas

A generator can power many things, including home computers! Check with your local generator supplier about any local laws about generators, how to safely and properly set one up, and how well they will work with computers. Because generators provide unstable power, a battery backup UPS and a surge protector are a must. Do not count on gas to power your generator being available in the aftermath of the storm. It’s best to have a good supply of gas as well as a few empty gas containers on hand.

Part II: Evacuating with Your PC

Like any family members or pets you may have, your PC isn’t something to leave behind if you can avoid it. While your first priority should be getting out alive, you should consider bringing your PC with you if you can room in your car. You can’t count on your destination to have good computers, high speed Internet, or any entertaining activities for that matter. Being in another place during a hurricane is stressful. Between watching your home town being walloped on CNN and The Weather Channel, the people around you as well as yourself will be tense and worried. Having a nice computer to browse the web with and play Battlefield 2 is a sure entertainer. In fact, the Internet was the only place where I could get information about my very neighborhood after the storm! Local newspaper message boards were packed with evacuees from all over my area and had plenty of information about damage to share.

Even if you can’t bring your PC, at the very least bring your hard drive with you! If your home is looted in the aftermath of the storm, the last thing you want is your personal data in someone else’s hands. Be sure your hard drive is in an anti-static bag to avoid needless damage to it.

If taking a long road trip, you should probably place some sort of padding or foaming (even a blanket will work) around your computer or hard drive to protect it from the vibrations of the car. Don’t bring your monitor unless you have an LCD and there’s room for it.

Part III: Leaving Your PC at Home

If you don’t have room for your PC in your car, don’t plan on staying with it during the storm. There are several safeguards you can take to prevent unnecessary damage to your computer:

1. Cover any open parts of your computer case (such as fans and vents) with tape. Don’t use duct tape unless you want to risk taking paint off your case or a sticky mess.

2. Cover your computer with as many trash bags as you need. At least 2 trash bags per computer are recommended.

3. Consider how high your home is above sea level, the risk of flooding, and other factors. If you know your home could flood, you should put your computer on the second floor. But if you know your roof is weak and could easily blow off, don’t put it on the second floor! Find an enclosed space with no windows (such as a closet) as close to the center of your home as possible. If your computer case has a side window, make sure it’s facing towards the ground or against a wall. If you can, place other objects around your computer to offer it additonal protection from blowing rain and flying debris.

Part IV: When the Worst Happens

In the event your PC becomes damaged during the storm, don’t fret. If the damage is from a fallen tree or a piece of flying debri, there is nothing you can do. If your computer becomes flooded, however, there are steps you can take to recover it. Below is a basic guide on how to recover a flooded computer.

1. Do not turn on the computer! Make sure it is unplugged! While you may be anxious to see if your computer can run, don’t do it if you know it’s been exposed to water. You’ll just end up causing more damage if you do. Remember to keep your computer unplugged.

2. Remove components that work. If you can see a water line in your computer, take out all the components above it and put them in a safe place.

3. Let your computer dry. Let your computer dry for a week or so. One drop of water in a running computer could mean disaster.

4. Remove the CMOS battery and other parts.

5. Use a solution of 90% alcohol or more to wash the various components of your computer, including connectors. If necessary, use a paint brush to remove stubbon crud.

6. Let your computer dry completely.

If the above doesn’t work or you have data you can’t risk losing on your hard drive, consider professional computer recovery. Do not plan on salvaging the power supply, CMOS battery, the hard drive, optical drives, or any fans if they have been flooded. Also remember to take pictures of any damage to your computer before you attempt to fix it for insurance purposes.

Hopefully this guide will help people save their computers from hurricane related damage. A computer is a very useful tool that should be part of any good disaster supply kit. Trust me when I say it’s an important thing to have around. However, remember a computer is only a material possession. Like all material objects, they can be replaced. Human and animal life, however, cannot. Use good judgement when deciding whether or not to take your computer with you and while repairing it if it damaged.

Disclaimer: In no way is the author responsible for any actions you may take to save your computer from a hurricane or fix it after flooding. Any actions you choose regarding hurricanes and computers are taken at your own risk. For the sake of all, please use common sense during any natural disaster.

Laptops: in the 21st century

Laptops: in the 21st century

Laptops:the new age communication

A laptop computer or simply a laptop is a small mobile computer that usually weighs from 8 to 16 pounds. It usually runs on a single main battery that can also be connected to an external AC/DC connector. A laptop has small components that have been optimised for mobile use and efficient energy consumption. A laptop computer can generally perform all the tasks that a regular computer can do, but they are typically more expensive than a desktop computer.although the prices are rapidly falling among the major production manufacturers.
Many laptops come equipped with a 9 volt battery that will keep the device running for quite some time in case of a power failure so that laptop computer users can complete there urgent tasks quickly. Laptops usually have liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and most of them use different memory modules to access their random access memory (RAM). They have a built-in keyboard and many of them come equipped with a touch-pad. A pointing stick or an external mouse can also be attached to the device. These days, manufactures have released several new models of cheap end laptop computer into the markets.
These cheap laptops are a big hit among the masses. Earlier, only high profile business people or executives were the only ones that could afford to buy a laptop computer. But people of all walsk of life can now purchase these at retailers in the market these days. Thanks to the big competition in the mobile computing market, manufacturers are rolling out a updated model of a cost effective laptop computer every now and then.
Gone are the days when only high profile business people and executives could afford to buy a laptop. Now, several models of cheap laptops are available in the shops. Retailers across the UK have come up with many attractive cheap notebook deals. These deals have made it possible for students, youngsters and housewives to own a laptop computer of their own. The prices of laptops are bound to fall further in the future.

Laptop computer www.discount-notebooks.net

10 Secrets To A Healthy Computer And A Happier You

10 Secrets To A Healthy Computer And A Happier You

There comes a time in a person’s life where no matter how much you fight it time takes its toll and we begin to slow down in how we perform our daily activities. However, in order to extend our youthful glow and energy levels it is important to eat right, exercise, and keep a positive outlook on life.
Now you may ask what has any of that got to do with “Secrets To A Healthy Computer?”
Well, in a way we’re all just like a computer. If you neglect to take care of yourself you soon will cease to function properly and the many tasks that once were easy to do now take twice as long to accomplish and often require you to rest or “reboot” after a malfunction.
I can’t tell you what foods to eat or what exercises to perform because I am not a nutritionist. Although, with my experiences in the personal computer field I can share with you some tips of how to keep that rectangle box of circuitry that sits within sights range functioning at maximum performance as long as time will allow.
Some important steps to follow are…
*Make certain that your computer is located in a well ventilated area and that all air vents are unobstructed to prevent overheating and premature failure to any internal components.
*Clean out the dust build-up at least every 6 months from the inside of the computer case including case vents, power supply vents, and all visible circuitry with a few cans of compressed air that can be purchased from any major computer store or electronics outlet. This will help reduce the chances of overheating and circuitry damage.
Before cleaning just be certain to always unplug the computer from the wall outlet and never physically contact the circuitry inside the computer case to prevent damage.
*Be prepared for an unsuspected failure by always making backups of any important data that you do not and can not afford to lose.
I personally keep updated backups of my website and even store the disks at a remote location away from my every day use computers just in case a disaster were to occur and my main computers were destroyed resulting in the need for those lost files.
*Purchase and install a well known anti-virus program that can be regularly updated with the latest virus definitions and ran during boot-up to help protect your computer from being the victim of an unwanted infestation.
*Every few months or so run your computer’s “Scandisk” program followed by the “Defragmenter” program to maximize the efficiency of your hard drive.
If you are not certain of how to use these utilities and being that the steps to execute these programs varies slightly from one operating system to the other it would be easiest to simply use the “Help” option that can be found by clicking on the START button found on your computers desktop.
The START menu will open up a drop-down-box that should display the “Help” option. By going here you can enter the keywords that deal with the answers to the subject you are searching for.
*Run your computers “Disk Cleanup” utility every other week or so. If set the “Disk Cleanup” utility will automatically empty the recycling bin and recover some wasted disk space by removing the internet temporary files that seem to always accumulate.
Again, use the “Help” option if you are uncertain of how to perform this task.
*Never smoke near a computer because the cooling fans will pull the smoke into the case where it can coat the inside parts of the computer with a residue which in turn can damage sensitive components.
*Place the computer case in an area where it will not be accidentally kicked or bumped to prevent the loosening of cables and damage to internal parts.
*Invest in a high quality surge protector to provide your computer and monitor against voltage spikes or “surges” that can dramatically shorten the life of your system. Just like most items in a store, “You get what you pay for”. So don’t skimp out on this important device!
Its also not a bad idea to invest in a surge protector that includes what is called a “Data Line Protector” which allows you to connect your telephone lines to and serves the same purpose for the telephone line to your modem just like the surge protector does for the electrical household current lines.
*Finally, if you plan on being away from home for more that a few days at a time or if there is a thunderstorm brewing in your area it is a very wise decision to always unplug all electrical lines and modem telephone lines from your system. Even with a surge protector installed it is possible that such a large voltage spike such as one caused by a lightening strike could prove fatal to any computer system.