Yellowknife (Jul 05/06) - Blackouts, power surges and dimming are damaging Yellowknife's computers says one computer repairman.

Travis Pieper, a technician at Arctic Data Systems in Centre Square Mall, says the shop has been fixing computers damaged by recent blackouts.

"When you unplug your computer, or when the power goes out, it can damage Windows or it can cause file corruption," he said.

Pieper adds that "brown-outs" and power surges are also dangerous, as they can fry or damage a computer's hard drive - like a needle scratching off a vinyl record.

"In some cases, you can actually damage the hardware of the computer," he said.

Pieper adds there is a good way to protect information. He says computer users should buy a spare plug-in battery or current filtering power-bar, which protects the computer from surges and allows time to save.

Though the devices can cost $150 to $200, he says they are less expensive than a new computer - and sometimes, information can be very important.

"We've seen a jump in sales (because of damage caused by recent blackouts)," Pieper says. "But it's bad because many of the computers we sell come back while they are still on warranty."