DATA SECURITY
                           SURGES & BACKUPS

Every Computer System needs a GOOD Surge Protector, properly connected. A $10 
or $20 Surge Protector is not good enough! Obtain a Panamax SURGE PROTECTOR or
equivalent that guarantees that not only the surge protector is covered by a
lifetime warranty, but that connected equipment is also covered by this
warranty. If you have a Modem or Fax Modem, also be sure that the phone line
is also connected to a GOOD Surge Protector. The Phone Company does NOT 
provide any protection at their block. A Surge can come in the phone line and 
take out any or all of the computer even if the power line is protected.

The Data that you or your computer creates can disappear faster than you 
create it. Your hard drive can fail at any time, even when new. Programs can 
interfere with each other and corrupt data. Electrical noise can also change 
or disrupt data if there is a poor or no surge protector. And there is human 
error that can cause erasures. Installation of new software can cause data
to become corrupted. A Failure in WINDOWS can destroy  most or all data on
a hard drive.

A Business computer that looses data can cost a company countless thousands of
dollars. A Home computer that looses data can be irratating and fustrating.
It is guaranteed to happen - now or later. Here is how to be prepared:

1   Use a Surge Protector or Uninteruptable Power Supply.

2   Emergency Boot Disk ready to use. It must be able to boot your computer 
    from Drive "A:" and have SYS.COM, FORMAT.COM, FDISK.COM, as well as 
    COMMAND.COM and the 2 hidden files. DO NOT USE FDISK OR FORMAT unless you
    know what you are doing. 

3   Have the CMOS information concerning your hard drive on a label on or near
    your computer containing not only the hard drive type number, but also the
    hard drive heads, cylinders, and sectors per track. Do not guess because 
    if you enter the wrong numbers and write to the hard drive, you corrupt the 
    data. Do this now, not when you feel like it later. It may be too late. 
    If you bought your computer from Gene's, the numbers are on a sticker 
    inside the computer on the power supply and on the hard drive.

4   Back Up your Data to Disk or Tape! Either copy your data to disk or use a
    backup Utility. You can use a TAPE DRIVE to back up your data. A Business
    should use a rotation method of backing up. 
    Make two full tape backups. Take one home and keep the other untouched.
    Depending on how often and how much data gets changed or updataed depends
    on whether you back up daily or weekly. If you do a daily backup, have a 
    different tape each day of the week. Save one each week for a month before 
    putting them back into rotation.

5   If there is a STORM in progress, stop using the computer and shut down.

6   Run SCANDISK once a week. Run DEFRAG once a week after backing up.

7   Setup a backup plan for your system. Also, setup a recovery plan.