Electrical Surge struck all my computer equipment

[Cyandin]

But thanks to my UPS unit I had bought 2.5 years ago (an APC), only the UPS itself got fried.

That unit (the XS900 model) cost me $125 2.5 years ago, and just saved a router, cable modem, 24 port gigabit switch, external HDD, $5k computer system, and two phones from all being fucked.

I just replaced it with the XS1300 model for $160 (I bought them both from Best Buy).

If you are at all serious about your business, I strongly suggest you get one. Remember, data backups are useless if they along with the original both get fried from an electrical surge.

[bja]

But thanks to my UPS unit I had bought 2.5 years ago (an APC), only the UPS itself got fried.

That unit (the XS900 model) cost me $125 2.5 years ago, and just saved a router, cable modem, 24 port gigabit switch, external HDD, $5k computer system, and two phones from all being fucked.

I just replaced it with the XS1300 model for $160 (I bought them both from Best Buy).

If you are at all serious about your business, I strongly suggest you get one. Remember, data backups are useless if they along with the original both get fried from an electrical surge.

[/IMG]

This is good advice in general, but the backups problem is just one experienced by people who don't take their business seriously anyway. All critical data should be backed up using a remote backup strategy in addition to local backups on removable media and/or a SAN/external hard drives.

I know if my surge protection equipment fails and I'm out a computer, all I have to do is hop on over to best buy, buy a new computer, then download WinSCP/login to my backups server to get everything back.

[Yngwie]

I never had a surge mess up my stuff, but my old 200gb hard drive died completely and there was no way to get the data back. In the end I had to start all over again. There's still stuff on that hard drive that I need, but will never see it again. Live and learn I guess. I still would like to get a UPS and also make many different backups of all of my stuff.

[LongBG]

If you do not need the backup power from a UPS there is also similar products that are cheaper and simply keep the power at a constant level, eliminating spikes etc.

But you're 100% right. You must have something to prevent losing your shit from a surge!