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Fix Those Scratches

If you have a large CD (or DVD) collection, I'm willing to bet that at least one of them is scratched at this very moment as we speak. You may not know it (because I'm sure you don't have time to take each CD out and look at it everyday to make sure it's not scratched), but it does happen from time to time. Yes, CDs are very durable, but it's also hard to prevent it sometimes.

So, you're probably wondering now if there's a way that you can easily fix those scratches, right? Well, of course there is! (If there wasn't, I wouldn't be doing this tip!) Now, there are special CD repair kits available, but before you go out and buy something, try fixing it yourself first. The number one best thing to try is a good cleaning. You can run warm water or rubbing alcohol over the CD to clean it. When you're done, just shake the excess liquid off and be sure to let the CD air dry.

If that doesn't work, you may want to try polishing the CD. Polishing can sometimes repair a scratch by making it more shallow. The best thing to use is, believe it or not, toothpaste (especially toothpaste with baking soda). Just apply a small amount to a piece of cloth and gently polish the whole CD. You can then rinse the disc with warm water and let it dry. Another common fix is to just burn a copy of the CD to make a brand new one. Your software may be able to read the CD well enough to make a good copy. Whatever you do to fix your scratched CDs, you now know that you have a lot of options and if you ask me, options are good!

Surge Protectors

Ever wonder why you need a surge protector for your computer or even better, what you should look for when you go to buy one? Well, if you ask a loaded question, you'll get a loaded answer. And with storm season coming up, this is the perfect time to get this information straight. So, here we go!

Basically, we need surge protectors to keep all the little circuits inside our computers safe from excess voltage peaks. When these power peaks (surges/spikes) occur, they cause the electrical circuit to heat up. It's kind of like the filament in a light bulb. Although a big surge can cause the circuit to blow on the spot, less powerful surges can peck away at it, eventually causing it to fail.

Sometimes these failures are intermittent, causing your computer to do strange and unexpected things. You know, odd lockups, sudden reboots after it warms up, conjuring up lost spirits. That sort of thing.

Most of the time, these oddities are not predictable (since they're intermittent and all) and they show no type of pattern. With that said, if your computer is acting weird, it's not automatically a damaged circuit. Don't underestimate Microsoft's ability to make strange things happen in Windows!

Now, a lot of people think that most of the problems come from thunderstorms. You know, when lightening zaps a power line or something like that. Although a good hit can certainly ruin your computer's day, there are other more common sources of surges that you should be aware of.

Most of these sources are high powered appliances, such as refrigerators, air conditioners, furnaces and even hair dryers and vacuums. In addition to appliances, those big power transformers you see hanging off electrical poles can cause problems, especially on hot days when the local air conditioning is giving them a workout.

Any one of the above can cause a disruption in the power flow of your house, which then creates a surge. It may not be as dramatic as lightening, but it can cause damage over time.

What to Look For

When you buy a surge protector, try to find something better than the $5 or $10 power strips. Although they are slightly better than nothing, they are notoriously unreliable and most won't tell you when they are no longer protecting your equipment. One good surge and your protection is gone, but they continue to function as a power strip. Very tricky.

Also, when looking for a surge protector, look for one that features a phone line "pass through." Telephone wires can deliver a potent surge into your computer. I've repaired (and seen) more than a few computers that were damaged due to telephone line power surges.

In fact, phone line surges are more likely to cause damage than power line surges. Why? Well, your computer's power supply acts as a built in surge protector (not a great one, mind you). Even if a surge sneaks through your regular surge protector, the power supply may prevent it from doing any damage.

With that said, just because your power supply does some remedial surge protection, it's no substitute for the real thing. Computers get damaged on a daily basis due to lack of surge protection. But I digress.

Back to surge protectors!

A good quality surge suppressor will cost anywhere from $20 to $100 and be "UL" listed. It should also feature an indicator light that tells you when the surge protection circuit is no longer functioning.

Now, when you start talking surge protection, you sometimes run across folks babbling about clamping voltages, response nanoseconds and joule levels. While that is a valid way to compare various surge protectors (and make the speaker look knowledgeable), not every protector gives you that information. Plus, who's to say it's even accurate? Let's look at the "down and dirty" method of finding a good surge protector.

The easiest way to tell if you're getting a quality surge protector is to look at the "connected equipment" warranty. I like the ones that cover connected equipment for up to $15,000 or more. I figure that they are willing to risk 15K +, so they're probably selling a good piece of equipment. If it doesn't have a connected equipment warranty, set it back on the shelf and keep walking!

Sure, it's not as geeky as going into a computer store reciting clamping voltage figures, but for most people, it will be every bit as effective!

~ Steve

More Next Friday,
Chuckstr
----My Web Site----

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