i have a 56k US Robitics @ home, while on line, a lightning occur. now it's defective/no power. what must i do to prevent this. now i am planning to puchase a new one. thank u in advance jp

There are spike protection things you can get for your ph lines, i don't know how good they are, but i guess that's what you're after. I've seen them in power 4-way plugs that have surge protectors in them at hardware stores. trying ringing around computer hardware retailers see if they sale them.

Consider an UNINTERRUPTABLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS) from APC (American Power Conversion Co.) Costs are > $125 for the better models that are heavy duty and have multiple protected outlets and phone connects and more minutes when a blackout occurs. Remember, to plug your phone lines into a surge or UPS. Basically, in a power outage, ther battery power kicks in and lasts for the duration of the battery supply or until the AC power is restored. Some models can give 30-45 minutes for power in the black. Also, the transition from "power" to "no power" when the battery kicks in, is flawless and not discernable at all, on the monitor or in your programs.