Electrical Storm Surge
Protection & Computer/
Phone Interface

Since we are approaching Hurricane Season,
I thought we would go over some tips for protecting
your PC from Mother Nature. You should be using
a good surge protector, in the $30 or more range
and you should replace surge protectors every two
years. The protectors have changed a lot in the last
couple of years, so get a new one for added features.
Next, consider a battery back up system.
APC is my recommendation. You will spend at least
$45.00 on a good back up system that you should
replace every 5 years. OK, so now the final step.
The only way to be totally sure of protection during
a storm is to unplug the computer and it’s components all the way back to the receptacle outlet.
That’s what I do when a hurricane threatens. Get
the PC up off the floor, and pack it up in something
waterproof. The PC box is the most expensive and
has all of your info on it, so at least protect it, if not
your monitor and peripherals. And don’t forget to
back up and protect the backups!!!
Now for those of you who like to use your
phones for everything but are not quite sure how
to: get the pictures and videos off your phone and
onto your PC, or get ring tones from your PC to
your phone, or back up your phone book. You need to get a Bluetooth capable phone, and get a Bluetooth
adapter for your PC. Then you can pair your phone
to your PC just like a wireless headset, and transfer
items back and forth from your phone to your PC
and back again. If you have a laptop that is Bluetooth
capable, then you are halfway there.
How about all those pictures you are taking
with that new digital camera of yours? Connecting
the camera to a cable, then to your PC, downloading
the pictures to your computer, then having to delete
the pictures off the camera?
There is an easier way. Pick up a Digital Card
Reader. I recommend the Ativa 24-in-1 card reader.
It will take almost everything out there. Just plug it
in, and you can see your pictures right away. You can
also delete, cut-n-paste, print, and e-mail right from
the card reader! You can even edit the photos before
you print, save or e-mail your photos! Once you have
moved all the photos to your PC, your card is empty
and ready to be refilled. Also, many phones come
with a card reader adapter for the memory card in
your phone. You can plug into the card reader, and
transfer your phone images that way as well.
Are any of you having phone trouble? Those
of you with cordless phones and wireless internet
could be experiencing a conflict between the cordless and the wireless. If you have a 2.4 GHZ phone system, this interferes with wireless a lot, and viceversa.
The 5.8 GHZ phones are only a little better.
The new DECT 6.0 digital phones have the best compatibility with wireless routers. So before you pull all of your hair out, or chew-out the support tech on the phone demanding a better connection, maybe
you need a new phone.
Ok, that is all for now, have fun and happy computing.
…
Computer Doctor
Michael Bilyeu
Computer_doctor@myctsonline.com