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  • Power cuts

    There was a report the other day that power reductions in the near future may effect the performance of electrical items - sometimes I do have problems accessing the internet through technical issues their end or even my own computer playing up - but if these power reductions or cuts become a reality could it also cause corruption of data?

    Although I do have my trees online - I also keep a paper copy so at least I have the information if the computer or internet sites crash or disappear.



    Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

  • #3
    Val

    Power surge cables don't stop power cuts though. I have one now for my telly and my router, after we had a freak lightning strike in January and I couldn't get any telly reception - it had blown the router apparently.

    OC

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    • #4
      oh yes I know that but they are supposed to stop them damaging things.

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      • #5
        I was thinking more about where they store my info on the internet - would that be safe?



        Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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        • #6
          Power cuts shouldn't cause loss of data (except any data that was being stored at the very moment of the cut). After all if you switch off your computer it doesn't lose the data even (and I know this from experience) after years of not being turned on.

          Whether websites and internet hosts will last for ever is another question! Probably not, I guess. Its very handy to have stuff hosted on the net but to be sure of it being kept there's nothing to beat paper. That's why we go to Archives and put on gloves to study ancient papers. Yes, they can be digitised but will the digital copy last the hundreds of years the paper one has? Who knows!
          Anne

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          • #7
            Sudden power cuts can cause corruption of hard drives, which may or may not be recoverable. Power surges/spikes can cause serious damage to electronic equipment , which is why power surge cables/connectors are a good idea.

            If you want to be completely safe, you need a UPS system (Uninterruptable Power Supply) which uses a powerful battery as a backup to keep systems running for a period during a power cut, or at least allow them to shut down safely.

            IT businesses with massive racks of servers often have huge UPS systems in place "just in case" .....
            Last edited by AntonyM; 21-10-15, 16:26.
            Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
            Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

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            • #8
              Thing is if the power is reduced as opposed to cut - how could that effect us?



              Researching Irish families: FARMER, McBRIDE McQUADE, McQUAID, KIRK, SANDS/SANAHAN (Cork), BARR,

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              • #9
                If power is reduced, things don't work as fast. Imagine your vacuum cleaner going at half power. Annoying and not very efficient but will still do the job in the end.

                OC

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                • #10
                  I used to have an UPS until a lightning hit ruined it. The object of the UPS was to keep things running for, in my case, 20 minutes so the computer could be shut down in
                  an orderly manner - they don't like being instantly switched off from the power source. As the UPS was rather an expensive item I didn't replace but rely on a bank of
                  three computers, only one ever being on at a time and all have the same data. That way I figure I am never going to lose my data.
                  And before anyone thinks what is G doing with 3 computers, two of them are older ones which I never sold (not worth anything) when upgrading to a newer model.
                  Whoever said Seek and Ye shall find was not a genealogist.

                  David

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