Computer Battery Backup
Computer Battery Backup – Saving Your PC
Read this true story before you think for a minute that computer battery backups are only for businesses and corporations:
Kevin stared into the darkness as his heart rate increased rapidly. The display, which had just been lit brightly, full of valuable programming code he was working on, had turned off completely. Everything was dark, even all the lights in the house were now off. Kevin had been working on this project for 8 weeks, stumbling, mental blocks preventing him from figuring out the code that would solve all of his company’s framework issues. He had finally gotten it – something clicked – and he just spent the last 6 hours writing code so fast it was almost directly brain-to-keyboard input. Kevin was in the zone.
But in his trance he forgot to save his work.
The mouse pointer never made it near the “Save” button. The computer was completely shut down. Dead.
For most of us, a power outage is nothing but an inconvenience, unless it is a result of a nasty storm. Or lasts for hours and puts the food in the fridge at risk. Put yourself in Kevin’s shoes. While it was his fault that he didn’t save as he worked like he should have, a computer battery backup would have prevented a catastrophe. It would have provided him enough energy to save all of his work and shut the computer down properly, avoiding even more possible damage. Most importantly it would have saved his data. Small enough to fit under your desk, or on your desk right next to your other components, computer battery backup units don’t get in the way. Besides, even if they did, they’d still be worth it wouldn’t they?
A common misconception about power outages: you don’t have to have any kind of ‘storm’ that is responsible for ‘knocking out’ your electricity. Your home can suffer a power surge which overloads your circuit breaker and trips it, cutting the current. This typically occurs when there is a change at the power plant or substation, or if lines are being shut down for repair and then turned back on, resulting in a spiked wave of electricity. Now, this type of work goes on all the time and your electric company has safeguards against this, but occasionally – albeit rarely – it can happen. Do you really want to be without a computer battery backup if this happens to you? Brownouts are similar to this in that the load on the electrical grid becomes too great due to heavy usage. This causes random areas to drop current to very low levels, and high-wattage items in your home like your computer will simply shut off to prevent damage. While you may notice your lamps dim and come right back, your computer won’t be coming back, and there went your 6-page college essay!
Computer battery backup systems are inexpensive for the security they provide. If you work from home, being able to save after just one power loss will pay for the unit itself. There are many different options, as well. Some are larger and last longer than others. Some will come with software that will automatically save your desktop and any open applications you may be running. Find one that suits your needs, or you could be pulling an all-nighter like Kevin to save your job!