Hi, Muriel.
UPS = Uninterruptible Power Supply
That means the power to your computer can't be interrupted. A UPS is a
piece of hardware, basically just a big rechargeable battery, that plugs
into your electrical wall socket. The UPS has sockets into which you plug
the power cord from your computer (and maybe your monitor or other
peripheral devices). The battery continually recharges itself from your
electric utility. When power to your house is interrupted - by a
thunderstorm or downed line or a problem at the electric company - your
computer continues to run on power supplied by the battery.
Most glitches last only a few seconds (or fractions of a second), so your
computer doesn't even notice the short interruption. When the power outage
lasts longer than the battery can handle, software bundled with the UPS
(usually) can provide for a "graceful" shutdown of your computer, saving
your data files before turning off the power. UPSes are rated by the amount
of power they can supply (350 VA, for example; I'm no engineer, so all I
know is to pick as big a number as you can afford; mine is 800 VA) and by
how long they can continue to support your computer during the outage (mine
says "up to 45 minutes").
The UPS should come with a driver (which should be updated on the
manufacturer's website) that matches the hardware to Win2K. Then you can
use Win2K's control panel to set the UPS as you like - including the
power-off time setting. Many also come with software that allow management
of the UPS. Check the features list in your own user's manual.
If you don't have a UPS, get one! Until then, make sure that Win2K's
control panel understands that there is no UPS in your computer.
RC
