Protect Your Systems!!!
Blog Archive Repost
Protect Your Systems – Originally posted on 10 December 2007
Ok, so I have started writing part 2 of the Big Name Brands 3 part series, but then this idea hit me.
So virus protection, and cleaning your systems of dust and dirt, I've covered those topics already. But as I am sitting here in my kitchen in Kansas City, freezing rain is falling outside. The Governor has already issued a state of emergency for Missouri (and for those of you wondering, their are two Kansas City's, with the bigger and better one located in Missouri) to prepare for what they are thinking will be hundreds of thousands without power come Tuesday evening.
The freezing rain is expected to collect up to .75 of an inch. Most standard power lines can take up to .50 of an inch. This means that power lines will start dropping like flies here within the next 24 hours. When power lines go down, surges happen. Surges kill electronics.
I have all of my machines plugged into some decent power surge protectors. I replace them once a year. Why? Well those little resisters that protect your valuable electronics from power surges tend to wear out over time, and if you live in an area of the country that is prone to frequent lightning storms and ice storms, surge protectors tend to have to work overtime, thus disabling their surge protection after as little as six months.
I try to not even get that close, that is why my whole family has a very specific power emergency drill that we practice a few times a year. When the big thunderstorms come around in the spring time, each member of the family has their stations that they completely unplug from power sources. This goes for the home theater system, and all phone lines plugged into items like the Satellite boxes, and DSL modem.
It is always best to completely remove your electronics from all power sources when the power starts to act fishy.
And for those of you who went and spent the serious money on those Monster power cleaners and surge protectors. The $50,000 warranty that they come with does not protect against lightning as their is not a single man made surge protector that can guard your electronics against lightning. Even if you put the power company surge protectors at your meter, coupled with Monster high end rack mount surge protectors, a lightning strike within a half mile of your home can take out everything still jacked in.
I do tend to like the power back up units. They have decent surge protectors and can even keep your system going for as long as a couple hours in the event of a decent blackout. But just like the $10 surge protectors, the resisters in those things will only last so long. And just because you have some 6 outlet strip behind your computer that plugs into the wall doesn't mean it's a surge protector. It could just be a power strip which provides no protection at all.
The general rule of thumb is, if you can't remember when or where you purchased your surge protector, then it's time to change it, or if your surge protector is 12 months old or older you should change it, which ever comes first.