[TooToby]

This is kind of long, but maybe personal experience will save someone else some grief. Just wanted to give a warning to anyone who doesn't have a surge protector for their phone line.........if you are unfortunate enough to still have to rely on phone lines. We were told - by the phone tech - when we bought the computer and had a second phone line put in, that we didn't need to purchase a new surge protector as we had underground phone lines and "nothing would happen". WRONG!!

Got by for 2 1/2 years, then a storm came too close. Lightning hit two trees, 200 feet from the house, then down into the ground. The computer and everything else electronic were on basic surge protectors and the computer was also UNPLUGGED . We lost the modem, motherboard and video card in the computer plus three telephones and the satellite receiver. ( Also the two trees and the end of the chicken coop.) The surge had come in through the phone lines! When I got the computer back, found out that the USB hub and the scanner would not work either. We were extremely lucky in that that insurance paid for repairs and replacements, AND that I still had the hard drive. Bought a new surge protector before we got the comp. back from the shop and if you don't have one with a phone jack, please get one, ASAP. The worst indignity was being computer-less for three weeks!