Charles Wyly wrote: . . . HAD A LIGHTNING STRIKE NEARBY AND OUR POWER WENT OFF WHILE i WAS SITING AT THE COMPUTER AND I LOST OVER 100 MESSAGES BEFORE I COULD GET THE COMPUTER DOWN OR PRINT ANYTHING. . . Since internet genealogy and computers go hand in hand, I felt it appropriate to comment. A split second power interruption is all it takes to crash the system. I have an uninterruptible power supply which I bought here in Stephenville. It is basically a 120 volt battery that provides alternating current. It plugs into the wall outlet, and the computer plugs into it. It is supposed to provide 20 minutes of power to allow you to shut everything down if you lose power completely. It protects from those split second power interruptions, as well as provides some protection (I don't know how much) from spikes and surges. Since buying the power supply I've had the lights flicker off an on again, but my computer never missed a beat. I really recommend them. I paid over a hundred dollars for mine, but I don't how much they sell for now. Of course, you should shut down everything and unplug from the wall if you hear thunder. Don't forget to unplug the phone cord, too. Also, you should back up important files. I keep backup disks of my genealogy at work as well as at home. You can also save email msgs into your favorite word processing program, either by the cut and paste method or the "save as" method, and put them on disks. The help file on your computer should tell you how. And last, don't forget to back up your email address book, too! I've had crashes and lost stuff too, and it's no fun at all. Thanks Brit Ferguson Stephenville, Texas