It was a dark and stormy night...ZAP!!!!! How to save your computer while sitting in the dark.

So, there you are- typing away, fingers a blur as you write your latest inspiration on the computer for the world to read and absorb in slack jawed wonder when *click* the power dies and your great American novel dies with it. Without power, your computer instantly shuts down and takes all of your unsaved work with it.

This really could have been avoided. By simply purchasing an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), you'd have plenty of time to save your next literary masterpiece.

Think of a UPS like a constantly charging battery. About the size of a small shoebox (more or less), the UPS will supply power to your computer and monitor and give you enough time to save your work and properly shut down your computer so the world is not denied your hard earned genius.

Someone's unprotected computer in this building just
started to smell like cooking bacon, because everything
got fried...everything.

Additionally, most UPS's also filter the power coming into it and provide "clean" power going out, extending the life of your $750 invesment. Plus, many UPS's provide strong surge protection, sacrificing itself instead of allowing a lightning strike or other power bump into your delicate electronics and turning them into 17 pounds of scrap metal.

PCWorld has reviewed several power supplies and has posted an article here so you can make an informed decision and be well prepared for the next lighting strike that Murphy's Law says will destroy your computer three days after reading this article. So get going!

Then, once you're really protected, you can resume your grammatical gift to the world worry free.