This time of year, the thunderstorms come rolling through. As a result, we often run across a handful of computers that have sustained damages from lightning strikes and power surges. Here's some advice so you can avoid being one of our clients who needs a new computer.
Unplug Your Electronics and Anything Connected
Electricity follows the path of least resistance and any physical connection to your computer should be disconnected. That is, it's best to unplug both your computer’s power cord as well as all the other cables and cords, including Internet cable, printers, external hard drives, monitors, etc. Don’t forget to unplug your modem or router as well. If your computer uses a wired Internet connection, and the modem is still plugged in, a surge can travel along that path.
An easy way to unplug things efficiently is to have everything plugged in to the same surge protector or power strip. Then simply shutdown your computer and unplug the power strip as storms approach. Although we do recommend having a surge protector, we've seen where the surge protectors do not offer enough protection from lightning, and during a storm it's best to unplug altogether. In addition, if a surge protector has been left connected during a power surge or lightning strike, it should be replaced even if it still works as it may be damaged.
If You Have a "Zapped" Computer
Some of the symptoms of a zapped computer are a failure to power on, failure to boot, strange buzzing or high-pitched noises and random loss of power during use. If your computer has been struck by lightning, your home or rental insurance policy may cover the cost of replacement. In addition, some surge protector manufacturers also offer a warranty if the device fails to protect your components. Of course, that means that your surge protector purchase must be registered before the damage occurred. We can provide an assessment, estimate and replacement, if you should need one. In the case of a lightning strike it is usually recommended to replace the computer, as there is no reliable way to determine the full extent of the damage and some problems appear in the days or weeks following the strike.
Unplug Your Electronics and Anything Connected
Electricity follows the path of least resistance and any physical connection to your computer should be disconnected. That is, it's best to unplug both your computer’s power cord as well as all the other cables and cords, including Internet cable, printers, external hard drives, monitors, etc. Don’t forget to unplug your modem or router as well. If your computer uses a wired Internet connection, and the modem is still plugged in, a surge can travel along that path.
An easy way to unplug things efficiently is to have everything plugged in to the same surge protector or power strip. Then simply shutdown your computer and unplug the power strip as storms approach. Although we do recommend having a surge protector, we've seen where the surge protectors do not offer enough protection from lightning, and during a storm it's best to unplug altogether. In addition, if a surge protector has been left connected during a power surge or lightning strike, it should be replaced even if it still works as it may be damaged.
If You Have a "Zapped" Computer
Some of the symptoms of a zapped computer are a failure to power on, failure to boot, strange buzzing or high-pitched noises and random loss of power during use. If your computer has been struck by lightning, your home or rental insurance policy may cover the cost of replacement. In addition, some surge protector manufacturers also offer a warranty if the device fails to protect your components. Of course, that means that your surge protector purchase must be registered before the damage occurred. We can provide an assessment, estimate and replacement, if you should need one. In the case of a lightning strike it is usually recommended to replace the computer, as there is no reliable way to determine the full extent of the damage and some problems appear in the days or weeks following the strike.
RSS Feed