What is a Line-InterActive UPS

Line-InterActive UPS, sometimes referred to as an offline UPS, can be a cheap way to get battery backup and somewhat clean power to your computer equipment.


Generally the power flow of a line-interactive ups has AC power comming in, charges the batteries, and provides AC output. Even though there is no apparent switching device from the one-line, there is!. If incoming power is lost, power is "switched" between input AC and your batteries. There is a 2-5ms transfer time when the UPS actually switches to batteries. Note with critical loads, this means loss of data, hard drive lockup, or in the medical industry, instrument failure. One note of difference on a line interactive ups versus a standby ups is the addition of the Buck/Boost transformer. This transformer allows the output voltage to be "Bucked or Boosted" to the appropriate level. So if your input voltage drops to 98Volts AC, the transformer will boost the voltage up to 115Volts.

Typically this type of UPS is best suited in the home use, where equipment costs are at a minimum. However, a standby uninterruptible power system can be bought for as low as $100.00.

Often times the UPS is accompanied by some sort of equipment warranty, claiming if it damages any of your equipment, they will pay for it. Do not fall for this trap, because it will never happen. There is no way for you to prove that it was actually their UPS's fault.

Advantages:

* Stand-by uninterruptible power systems are fairly inexpensive.
* You will get some battery backup during a power outage, if your equipment does not lock up.
* Buck/Boost Transformer will regulate output voltage

Disadvantages:

* Very unreliable. Sometimes they will not even switch to batteries
* No Overload Capabilities. If you plug too much equipment into a line-interactive UPS, it will simply turn off
* No static bypass. If anything goes wrong with this UPS internally, it will automatically turn off.
* Very poor filtering (if any). Units will not protect against most surges
* No frequency regulation. Now, more then ever, while utility companies are deregulating, frequency is now becoming a growing issue.
* Because the unit has to transfer to batteries via a switch, this can cause problems with your equipment
* Because of the cheap charging methods, don't be surprised if you are not replacing your batteries every year.

by Damion McHenry

About the Author:

Damion McHenry is a power consultant that has worked in the power industry for many years. He worked for a major manufacturer of uninterruptible power supplies in marketing/sales/technical support.

View more information about UPS systems at http://theupspeople.com

How to REALLY backup the Windows Registry

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following article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for
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How to REALLY backup the Windows Registry

By Stephen Bucaro

In Windows 3.x configuration information was stored in
human readable text files like win.ini, system.ini,
config.sys, and autoexec.bat. But that method of storing
configuration was inadequate to store configuration for
the enormous amount of bloat Microsoft put into Windows 95
and higher.

In Windows 95 and higher, configuration information is
stored in the "registry". The word "registry" rarely
appears without being accompanied by the word "warning",
and a vague description of how your computer will go up in
smoke if you even think about messing with the registry.

The registry is bloated and overcomplicated, but since it
is the central repository for almost all of Windows
configuration information, you will probably have to deal
with it sooner or later. In fact, if you ever require the
assistance of a support technician, the first thing they
will instruct you to do is open registry editor.

It is perfectly safe for you to work with the registry,
provided that you back it up first (and you know how to
restore it). Windows automatically creates a backup of the
registry every time you start your computer. But when you
are making configuration changes, you usually have to
reboot your computer several times, possibly writing bad
data to the backup.

To make your own backup of the registry, start your system
with your startup floppy disk. (If you can’t find your
startup disk, use the Add/Remove utility in Control Panel
to make a new one. Place a copy of the file attrib.exe
from the c:windowscommand folder on the disk.)

After you start your system with your startup disk, use
DOS to change to the C:WINDOWS directory (type c: then
cd windows). Then carefully type in the following DOS
commands.

attrib -s -h -r system.dat
attrib -s -h -r user.dat
copy system.dat c:
copy user.dat c:
attrib +s +h +r system.dat
attrib +s +h +r user.dat

Note: if your system is Windows Me, also back up
classes.dat

Then remove the startup disk and restart your system.

Why did I put you through such a laborious method just to
make a copy of two files? Could you just use Window’s
Explorer to copy the files? Could you use the Registry
Editor (Regedit) to back up the registry (or Windows Me
System Restore)?

Yes, you could. But what if your system crashed so that it
can’t even start in Safe Mode? Then you can’t use any of
those Windows programs to restore the registry. I put you
through the DOS method to make sure:

1. The boot sequence in your BIOS is setup to boot from
the A: drive.
2. You have the minimum proficiency with DOS to restore
the registry if required.
3. To make sure that you have a copy of attrib.exe on your
startup disk.

To restore the registry, start your system with your
startup disk. Use DOS to change to the c:windows
directory. Then type in the following commands.

attrib -s -h -r system.dat
attrib -s -h -r user.dat
del system.dat
del user.dat
cd
copy system.dat c:windows
copy user.dat c:windows
cd windows
attrib +s +h +r system.dat
attrib +s +h +r user.dat

Then remove the startup disk and restart your system.

My advice is to frequently use Windows Explorer to make
copies of the registry files. Make copies of the registry
files before you install any hardware or software or make
any changes to the registry. Make sure you are prepared
to use your startup disk and DOS to restore the registry.
----------------------------------------------------------
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your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web
site and make money on the Web visit
http://bucarotechelp.com
To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank
email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com

DVD Backup Made Easy

If you are running backups on a regular basis, you have probably come across the problem that CDRs or CDRWs are simply to small for some backups. While you could split your backups to multiple CDs, this is not a very good solution if you have to backup 10GBs of data. The solution to this problem is to use DVDRs or DVDRWs instead. Since a DVD can easily store as much as 7 CDs, you could backup 5 to 10 GBs to a single DVD with a little compression. Using DVDs instead of CDs will speed up large backups considerably and will also greatly simplify storage.

Compression
In order to use the DVD media more efficiently you will probably want to compress your backup before writing it to the DVD. Compression can often reduce the size of a backup by 50% or more, doubling the capacity of your DVDs. A DVDR can usually store 4.7GBs of data and with compression you should be able to store about 10GBs on a single DVD. If you have ever tried to compress a 10GB file you probably know that this will take a lot of time. If you have a 20GB harddrive you might also have a problem storing the temporary uncompressed backup file. Since WinBackup compresses files on-the-fly backup operations are performed considerably faster. The built-in compression also reduces the need for a large temporary storage location and makes it much easier to run large backups to DVD-R or DVD-RW.

Encryption
When storing backups on CDs or DVDs, security can easily become a problem. Since DVDs can easily get lost or even stolen, you need to protect your backups from unauthorized access by using some kind of password protection or even encryption. A backup often contains emails, important documents and other sensitive information. In fact, if you backup your entire harddrive, your backup could even contain passwords to computers and websites. WinBackup allows you to password protect and encrypt your backups with up to 256 bit encryption, making it virtually impossible for anyone without the correct password to access your files. Since encryption can be performed automatically on all backups you do not need to worry about security every time to save a backup to DVD.

Integrated DVD Writing
Even though many pc owners have a DVD writer installed in their computer, surprisingly few use it to backup important data. One reason for this could be that many users feel that writing to DVDs is a little complicated. With WinBackup this is no longer true. WinBackups integrated CD/DVD writing features makes it easier than ever before to write backups directly to CDs or DVDs without knowing anything about DVD Writing. Storing your backup on a DVD is as simple as inserting an empty DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R or DVD+RW into your DVD Writer and clicking on "Run Backup". You can even leave a DVDRW in the DVD writer and schedule WinBackup to automatically update the contents daily. WinBackup also makes it easy to backup emails, documents or internet favorites with built-in shortcuts to important user data.

by Grant McNamara

About the Author

Software developer for LIUtilities ( www.liutilities.com )

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Importance of Backups


08/29/05


by Grant McNamara

A backup is the term used to describe copying files from your computer's hard drive to another medium such as a tape or compact disk. The resulting backup can then be stored somewhere away from the computer. We should do this periodically in case our original files are lost in some way. The most common causes of files being lost include theft of computers, accidental errors we make, and hardware faults.

I was reminded of the need for backups earlier this week through a conversation with a friend. He runs a small computer shop and repair business. Whilst I was there a customer came in and left a nicely wrapped bottle of wine and said a hearty 'thanks', then left. My curiosity piqued I asked why their customer was so greatful. It turned out that the previous week something had gone wrong with his computer's hard disk and he had brought it in for repair. However the owner had no backup, and was terribly worried that he had lost all his data. The shop staff managed to correct the fault and 'save' his data; hence his relief and appreciation. My friend then told me that it was a daily occurence, and showed me some of the numerous gifts people had given in thanks.

But for many people their experience wasn't as fortunate. Sadly for many people who have hard disk faults, unless they have a backup all of their files are lost.

So if you are running a business based around a computer a regular backup of your data files is an absolute must. In my experience as a computer consultant many times the data has been lost because of a burglary. If your house or office is burgled invariably theives take computers. They are easily carried and readily sold.

And this raises the question of what should you backup? Well that's a hard question to answer because everyone's computer is different so I'll explain what I backup on my computer. My computer runs the Microsoft Windows operating system and has a single 'C:' disk drive.

I have all of my data stored in directories as follows:
C:WebSItes (the source of all my web sites, including text, graphics and scripts).
C:Work which is where I keep all correspondence and general junk
C:Courses where all the text to my courses is held
C:My Download Files where all original files of software that I download are stored.

The other directory I copy is
C:Documents and Settings which is where email files are stored. Without my email I'd be out of business!

My backup system is simple, a CD writer, some blank CDs and Nero Burning software (came free with the CD writer).

And once I've taken my backup I take the CDs to a friend's house for safe keeping. I do this every week.


About the Author

Grant McNamara has over 20 years experience in IT, specializing in multi-lingual web site and software development. Visit him at either http://www.selling-it.com/ or www://translateme.co.nz/

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