For years I've been extolling the virtues of backups. "Don't learn the hard way. Backup your computer." "It's not IF your hard drive will fail, it's WHEN it will fail." "Make it a habit to continuously save your work while working in case the power fails." Yet you'd think I had never talked about the subject when I get someone's plea for help. "Did you make a backup?"

"No, why? Should I have made one?" Or an even more frustrating and common response for me to hear is "No I didn't make one and yes, I know I should have made a backup and I have been meaning to do so but I just never got around to making one. So can you help me now?" All I can say is that

yes, this can and will happen to you if you don't prepare for the worst right now.

As it's been a while since I've written about what happens when the power goes out, I thought I'd write about it again and introduce you to the top-of-the-line latest power backup from APC. The device that keeps a computer running when the power fails is a sophisticated battery device called an Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS. A UPS is fairly simple to use. You just plug it into the wall and plug your computer and any other peripherals or devices that are critical to the computer's operation into the UPS. When the power goes out, the battery in the UPS continues to supply power to whatever is plugged into it and that's pretty much it.

Well, almost. There are a few things you need to consider before and after buying one.

One of the things you need to determine what UPS to get is how much power your computer system draws. To get the answer, you need to check the back of each device for a label (federal law requires that it be there) that tells you how many amps it draws. A typical example would be the computer itself, the screen, any external hard drives you may have attached, the device that connects you to the Internet such as the cable or DSL modem, and any routers and powered hubs. When you get all of the amp values, you add them all up and then multiply that number by 120 which is the number of volts. That number is the VA rating for your system. Using that number, you can choose the UPS that's right for your computing needs. Based upon that formula, expect the UPS to supply about 5 minutes of power if it is close to the computed VA rating. For most, 5 minutes is all that's needed since the idea is to perform a proper shutdown when the power goes out and not to keep your computer running indefinitely.

If the UPS company has a model that's close to your VA rating, you should round that number up to the next higher model. The larger the UPS VA rating, the longer your computer system will run when the power dies. So if you need more than 5 minutes to shut it down, you should consider the models that offer more power to spare. The biggest offering from APC in their PC and Workstation class is the Back-UPS RS that comes in with a whopping 1500VA rating. The Back-UPS RS 1500VA is a tower configuration that offers

865 Watts that will keep your computer system purring. It has all of the usual bells and whistles such as audible alarms, LED status indicators, self-testing, user replaceable battery, software that will perform unattended shutdowns and lots more. But the feature I like most about the RS is that you can expand it by adding another companion battery to the unit.

The BACK-UPS RS/XS 1500VA 24V BATTERY PACK looks much like the main RS unit and is designed to stand along side of the UPS. Together they look like one unit. The Pack even comes with an extension piece that that expands the foot stand to accommodate both of the units together. The Pack easily plugs into the main UPS via a short extension plug that's designed specifically for this function. Together the UPS and the Pack extends the UPS power duration. The length of that duration is dependant on the VA rating of your computer system. But it's nice to know that you have the option of extending the power duration of this UPS if you decide to add more equipment to your system.

It's important to note that peripherals like printers and scanners do not need to be on the UPS. Laser printers are notorious about how much power they can drain (a typical laser printer draws 15 amps). Besides, if the power fails and the printer or scanner stops, you really haven't lost anything as you can always rescan and reprint whenever the power is restored. However, a UPS usually always offers surge suppression and it's nice to be able to plug in all of your devices if the UPS offers surge protection-only outlets that supply no backup power. The APC model offers 2 of those as well as surge protection for telephone lines and Ethernet cables for network devices.

The Back-UPS RS 1500VA sells for $249.99 and the BACK-UPS RS/XS 1500VA 24V BATTERY PACK goes for $149.99. The UPS comes with software for both Windows and Macintosh.

www.apc.com