It’s officially hurricane season, and that means it’s time to face the inevitable power surge. Protection is important to keep your things from fizzling out, but the power strip you bought might not be enough. So if you have a computer, data backup should be the first thing on your mind this storm season.

We’ve compiled a list of ways of how to back up a computer so that you’re protected during the season. To avoid dealing with computer problems after a power outage, why not give one of these a chance?

Buy a DVD/CD Burner: Copy EVERYTHING. Really – everything. Power surge protection strips might help you in a small storm, but in a serious weather event, like a hurricane or a tornado, huge amounts of electricity can come coursing down those wires. It’s far less expensive to take care of your computer data backup at home than it is to replace a motherboard – or an entire computer.

External Hard Drives: The price of external hard drives has really come down over the last few years, making this an inexpensive way to create additional power surge protection. How, you ask? Because an external hard drive usually comes equipped with computer data backup software pre-packaged inside of it. That means it automatically backs up everything you do, as long as you remember to turn it on.

Get Online: If you want to know how to back up your computer for free, however, then it’s time get online. Many web-based companies offer free computer data backup through cloud computing or applications. What does that mean, exactly? It means that all of your "stuff" – your pictures, your spreadsheets, your music, your documents, etc – can be saved not just on your specific computer, but on a network that allows to you access them from anywhere in the world. It’s the ultimate in power surge protection, because the data isn’t only on your computer.

Reliable Computer Data Backup Solutions

All of these power surge protection ideas are great, but there are some other preventative methods you really should take first. They’ll help you minimize computer problems after a power outage by lowering the level of damage that a storm may cause in the first place.

1. Keep your computer in a cool, dry place that’s relatively free of dust.

2. Develop your computer data backup plan and stick to it every day.

3. Buy a power surge protection strip, and keep only your computer on it.

4. Protect your computer from static electricity, which can cause erasures.

5. Update your virus protection – stat.

Even small storms can fry your computer, so knowing how to back up your computer is a must. But by taking preventative measures now, you can avoid long-term, serious computer problems after a power outage. If you’ve not yet begun using a computer data backup system, then it’s definitely time to start. A little bit of prevention can save you hours of aggravation – and hundreds of dollars in repairs.

If you’re not sure which kind of protection you need, it’s a good idea to call a professional. Local computer technicians will not only understand how surge protection works – they’ll also know what kinds of weather events are most common in your area. That means they’ll be more familiar with how computers react to certain types of storms, and can recommend methods of how to back up the computer that are more likely to work. They may even offer data storage, which will take care of two birds with one stone.