Hurricane Season

by Bob Seidel

Ah, that time of year is here again. Mosquitoes, tourists, traffic, beach, and storms. Are there some things you should do to prepare your computer for a possible hurricane? Yes, there are.

A good backup is your best friend in case of a storm. Backup techniques have changed since I did a similar column a year ago. With the popularity of CD writers (and the ridiculously cheap price of blank CD disks), many people are now beginning to use these for backup. Just remember that you should make sure that you take some of your backup media off site - bring it to a friend or relative's house off the Island and somewhere protected. If your computer is destroyed in a storm and your backups are in the same place, you will still lose.

Backing up on the Internet is possible, but it requires a high-speed connection such as Road Runner. There used to be a number of free sites that allowed you to store your data on the 'net, but those are all gone. This option isn't viable now unless you want to pay for one of the online services.

Zip disks are still popular, but even the larger size (250MB) is not very much storage in today's multi-gigabyte world. Tape drives are another alternative, but I think these are harder to use and less reliable than CDs. The only advantage of tape is storage size. But, if you don't need to backup more than 650 MB or so, a CD should be fine.

You can now get miniature portable hard drives for about $400. These are USB attached and very easy to use. You would not be able to ship one offsite, but in event of a storm you can just unplug it and slip it in your pocket. These are also handy if you want to transport lots of data from one place to another.

After doing good backups, my next recommendation would be to have a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to power your computer. These are fairly inexpensive ($80 and up) and will keep your computer booted up in case of power glitches or short losses. They also provide good surge suppression. Of course, if an evacuation has been called, shut off the UPS and the computer and do what you are told!

You might consider buying one of the portable cases meant for music CDs and put your entire program CD collection into one. You can then grab it quickly in case of evacuation. It is very possible (and even probable) that you may not be able to get new CDs for your software in case the originals are damaged or destroyed. Some companies are lenient about replacing CDs, but others are very strict about it and require proof of purchase.

Another thought in case of evacuation would be to take the entire computer. If you practice unplugging the cables from the back of the main system unit, you would be surprised how quickly you can do that. Then, just carry the main case to your car. Of course you can carry other peripherals also, but I wouldn't bother with the monitor - too heavy and bulky to move easily.

Let's hope and pray that we don't get a big storm - but if we do, be ready!

(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).