If you depend on your PC for your business...

13 years ago

Well, a UPS can be somewhat expensive and most often
isn't used for a home solution. It's used in the hosting industry
a lot.

Thanks
1 reply

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804059].message }}

xento 13 years ago

I think you can get a UPS with battery backup for $100-200. I'm not sure how long the battery lasts when powering PCs, but it just needs to survive long enough for you to at least save your work in progress.
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804094].message }}

KenThompson

13 years ago

UPS' for home offices have been around for quite a few years. I
don't have one, but a good friend bought one around 2004. They
are not cheap, but certainly not prohibitively expensive.

I believe he has up to 30 minutes of power available. So a few
minutes of power loss is well covered.

Ken

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804098].message }}

Diane S

13 years ago

Thanks for the info. I had never heard of a UPS. I use Mozy offline storage so I am good to go as far as getting all my docs back quickly if necessary. I have the automatic updates set to run while I sleep.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

BUY ULTIMATE DEMON

KimW still needs our help DONATE DIRECTLY

My First Kindle Book: Ten Days in the Land of Smile

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804118].message }}

bobsstuff 13 years ago

Costco (USA mega-store) has a UPS for $115 that runs for 20 minutes after a power outage. They also have cheaper ones. UPSes (sp?)are fairly cheap for home use. Commercial units can run $1500 on up to ?? $10,000 or more.

A UPS is also good for brownout or extended low voltage. A good ups delivers a constant voltage regardless if the voltage goes high or goes low. AND of course it it goes out altogether.
- Thanks
Signature
Bob Hale
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804140].message }}

Bradley J Anderson

13 years ago

Most definitely if you depend on your computer like I do. As KenThompson pointed out, they are not that expensive for a home version. [Not an affiliate link]

Amazon.com: CyberPower CP850AVRLCD Intelligent...

Well worth the money when you consider the cost of having to replace your computer and, especially, if you lose your files.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

BRADLEY ANDERSON - Tips, reviews & resources to make your online business more profitable.

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804148].message }}

KenThompson

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Bradley J Anderson

Most definitely if you depend on your computer like I do. As KenThompson pointed out, they are not that expensive for a home version. [Not an affiliate link]

Amazon.com: CyberPower CP850AVRLCD Intelligent LCD Green UPS - 850VA/510W AVR 9-Outlet RJ11/45/Coax: Electronics

Well worth the money when you consider the cost of having to replace your computer and, especially, if you lose your files.

If you're interested in a UPS, uninterruptable power source, be sure to read the
specs closely.

As an example, the UPS in the link above is just under 100.00. The max power it
will supply is 510 Watts. At 50% load you have only 7 minutes. According to the
info, this model will shutdown your PC when it is down to 5 minutes remaining. So,
you only have 2 minutes to do what you're going to do. If you're not close to your
PC, then chances are you won't make it in time. So you really don't want to connect
a lot to the UPS outlets. This model has 9 with 5 UPS outlets, I think. The other
4 are non-UPS outlets but are surge protected.

This model has some decent standard features, but it is not fancy. Just giving you
an idea of what you need to think about.

Ken

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804182].message }}

tj0575

13 years ago

Thanks for this bit of info. never heard of a "ups" before

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804156].message }}

yesacpow 13 years ago

Thanks for the tip George. I know too well about what you are talking. Before the pc I have now, I went through several crashes and loss everything. I am very glad that you didn't lose any of your work.

I think I am going to invest in a ups system as well.
- Thanks
Signature
FREE Step-By-Step Blueprint To Make $1000/Month With YouTube - Even Without Being On Camera!
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804159].message }}

magiclouie

13 years ago

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

Moving to sunny Spain brought with it a certain problem:

We have power outages here pretty frequently. The problem is not so much the outages itself (which usually last not longer than 2 minutes)...but the fact that power ON/OFF/ON in quick succession (as sometimes happens when there is power outage) can be DEADLY for a PC.

Two weeks ago my trusty PC (motherboard) died because of this and it was a MAJOR pain in the butt to rebuild my computer. Luckily i had an old spare PC which is normally used by my wife so i could keep up with communications, reboot servers etc.

If you depend on your computer for your business you might want to invest into a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) which would protect your PC and your work in such circumstances.

Luckily, after changing the board i did not have problems since i have Windows 7....i did not have to reinstall my PC and my applications, thanks to Win 7. With XP or any other OS i would have lost everything and would have needed to rebuild and reinstall everything from scratch in addition...

So...don't forget to backup either!

G.

Thanks for sharing this. At the moment I am using my 2 laptops so I don't have any plan of having one but perhaps in the future.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804160].message }}

Alfredo Carrion

13 years ago

Ouch, sorry to hear about that. I back up almost every day...

Thanks

Signature

[WSO] No Matter What I Try This System Just Keeps Working

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804366].message }}

mavmav

13 years ago

[DELETED]

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804868].message }}

TG12 13 years ago

Buy a Surge Protector for your extension lead.
- Thanks
- 1 reply
Signature
Vaoser Link Ninja Software
DHV Delivery Systems FAILING at online dating???
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3804993].message }}
- Paul Myers 13 years ago
  
  I've got a Geek Squad UPS that will run my PC, monitor and phone for 60 minutes of blackout. It was well worth the investment.
  
  I recommend making sure you get the ones that run the system off the battery full time. Units that fall back to the battery in an outage are more prone to allowing fluctuations that can be damaging over time.
  
  Those surge protectors that you plug into like an extension cord are next to worthless in any kind of serious fluctuation, and completely worthless in an outage.
  
  Paul
  
  Thanks
  
  Signature
  
  .
  Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.
  
  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805023].message }}

JohnMcCabe

13 years ago

Originally Posted by GeorgR.

So...don't forget to backup either!

G.

If you run an operating system like Vista or XP, you need to make a clone of your HD with all of your software on it. That way, should your HD bite the dust, you can send in the clones...

If all you have is a data backup, then you lose all of your software. Best case, you spend a bunch of time reinstalling software. Worst case, which just happened to me recently, you lose the software and the transaction details needed to get new copies and license keys, so you either buy the software again, do without it, or look for alternatives.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805232].message }}

Clara H

13 years ago

Very interesting information here!
Like Diane S, I use Mozy for backup, greatly reccomended.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805275].message }}

celente

13 years ago

I back up every other day. You just have to do this, i mean if you are serious about your business.

I have 2 x 12k list. Imagine if I just woke up and found nothing.

That would be like losing a bank account full of money...almost the same if you know what i mean.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

Create a $5000 USD a month Business. 1-on-1 Coaching. By 6 figure marketer! - CLICK HERE

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805307].message }}

TG12 13 years ago

Free backup software - Backup files with FBackup

This is a good free Backup Product
- Thanks
Signature
Vaoser Link Ninja Software
DHV Delivery Systems FAILING at online dating???
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805322].message }}

seobro

13 years ago

I can get a small UPS at Office Depot for $39.95 and it is great for a desktop PC, but a better solution is a laptop which is portable and you can take with you. A bigger problem for me is a power surge. Another good addition is an external hard drive for $99 to do back ups. These are a big slow for regular work, but are great for archiving your web pages.

Also, you can get a small generator at Pep Boys for $299 that will provide a lot of power. This is a great solution when you live in areas in which blackouts are common. I lived in spain. OK so I never did have any problems with power.

Thanks
1 reply

Signature

http://www.seobro.com

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805343].message }}

Wakunahum 13 years ago

You could get a high powered laptop that will stay on even when the power is out.

The price of laptops compared to desktops aren't much different anymore. I found many 4gig, high processor speed laptops at best buy for well under $500. Just use is as a desktop connected to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

That will solve all your issues with power.
- Thanks
{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805369].message }}

Rich Miller

13 years ago

Good advice, I highly recommend a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) for anyone who has a PC. The cost is small in comparison to the consequences of not having one. I also run a APC power conditioner along with my UPS. These are great for your equipment in areas where the power fluctuates often.

Thanks

{{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3805613].message }}

Toby Lewis

13 years ago

Forget a UPS, use a laptop. That'll give you 4+ hours, probably long enough for the power to come back on. Plus you can take it to coffee shops, the beach, holidays, etc