Sean,

SD> DS>   I do have some surge protected power stripes besides the 3 UPS's.

SD>That is still better than running directly into the wall,

  No kidding.

SD> DS>   Thunderstorms in Arkansas are prolific lightning producers...and

SD>You -do- live in Tornado Alley. :D  The US has the most active weather on
SD>Earth because of its geographical location.  There is a myth up here amongst
SD>the locals about the mountains protecting them from tornadoes...boy, are
SD>they wrong...

  Actually, a combination of BOTH Tornado Alley, and Dixie Alley. Most
of our severe weather occurs at night...when it's harder to see, and
when people are asleep.

SD> DS> 1) Is 5 miles long

SD>A lightening bolt can travel along telephone wires for over ten miles from
SD>the initial strike...I've found that out the hard way.

  I heard of one case, where an individual was walking down the railroad
tracks (which is trespassing, since the tracks are private
property)...but lightning struck the rails a long distance away, and
traveled down the current to the individual, where they were
electrocuted.

SD> DS>   In short, it's no contest. I'd rather be offline a few hours or days,
SD> DS> rather than permanently, from a lightning strike.

SD>Yep, no contest there.

  Yet, so many want to take their chances.

SD> DS>   I've always used UPS's from American Power Conversion, even when the

SD>APC is my preferred brand too, although I have a cheap Cyberpower one that
SD>works well to protect the router and such.

  I can't afford to get new UPS's...much less computers.

SD>To keep this message somewhat on-topic, are you planning on trying out
SD>Windows 10 when it's officially released?

  Nope...sticking straight with XP. I've got perfectly good working
hardware and software, that I can not see getting rid of, just to
satisfy Microsoft's bottom line...never mind I can't afford it.

  Earlier today, the host would not resolve via MTel, or the website, so
I decided to reinstall XP. But, I had to jump through a lot of hoops to
find various drivers, etc. Thankfully, a combination of Driver Booster
from IObit Software, and some search engine work, got me what I needed.
Microsoft Update finally woke up, downloading and installing nearly 160
updates!! As soon as I get everything installed again (I save the games
outside the BBS for last), I'm doing a system backup.

Daryl

---
 þ OLX 1.53 þ To be arrested without a visa is a borderline infraction.
                                                                           
                           
--- Virtual Advanced Ver 2 for DOS