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Thunderstorms
and
Computers
Jyoti asks:
A thunderstorm recently struck our area, and before it hit I
turned off all power to my computer. After the storm, however, the
computer would not boot up. Some power lights come on, but nothing
appears on the screen, and I can't hear the disks being accessed.
What has happened to my computer?
Answer:
It's possible for a lightning strike to induce current
in a power line that can affect components even if
they are switched off. With most computers, the power
supply is the part that takes the hit.
Turn on the system, and check to see if the
power-supply fan is turning. If not, there's a good
chance that the power supply got smoked. Fortunately,
a power supply is relatively inexpensive to replace.
If the power supply checks out, then one or more of
your expansion cards or the motherboard may have been
fried.
Next time a big thunderstorm rolls into the area, you
could unplug all your electronics, although it's more
sensible to hook up everything to a power strip with
surge protection. A surge protector will most likely
absorb any spikes--though it may die in the
process and is more convenient than unplugging and
replugging everything.
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