Protecting your system during monsoon

After the relentless heat of Arizona in June and July, very few things can provide relief equal to the monsoon. Although monsoon storms give us a hiatus from the “dry heat”, they may not be the best things for your computer. This week we are going to look at some things that you can do to keep the affect to your computer to a minimal.
This may seem like a no brainer, but you should not use your computer during a thunderstorm, which is often a calling card of monsoon storm. Aside from placing your computer in harms way, you also run the risk of having a truly enlightened experience. I do not mean that in a good way either. A strong surge of electricity could very easily over power you and your system.
Some of you may be thinking that your old trusty surge protector, will protect you and your computer. You are free to take that chance if you want, but that is one chance that I would not take. A new surge protector may be able to take one good surge, but unfortunately you may not know how many if any surges that your protector has already taken. I view surge protectors in two ways. The first is as a central location where all of my computer and peripherals are plugged in. The second is as my last line of defense in case of a surprise power surge.
The best thing to do in a monsoon or thunderstorm may be to just unplug the computer from the wall outlet. If you use a power surge protector then you need only to unplug the surge protector. This way there is no way for your computer to fry from a power surge. You should also disconnect phone cables and DSL filters if you have them connected to your computer. They also have the capability to be an electrical path during an electrical storm.
You should also take monsoon rains in to consideration when locating your computer. You do not want to place your computer near a window or on the floor if possible. These two areas may increase the likelihood of water entering your system. Ideally, I try to place systems near a wall without windows. Then I either place them in a computer desk or place something under it to raise it off the floor. A piece of wood would do as long as the computer is elevated off the floor at least 2-3 inches as a minimum.
Other things to be cognizant of are regular backups and performing a post storm startup. A surge of power or water damage can result in data loss that is why performing a backup can be important. Lastly, it never hurts to plug everything back in and boot up your computer after a storm to insure that no damage has been done. As always, feel free to email me with your questions.