09-29-2008, 06:36 PM
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#1 |
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Chief of Naval Operations
  
Join Date: May 2000
Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA
Posts: 12,588
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Lightning Hits Computer
A friend of mine has a computer which was hit last night by lightning. Obviously, it's not working. What should I check for first? The power supply? How can I tell if it's also the motherboard? Would anything else be affected, like the hard drive?
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09-29-2008, 06:46 PM
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#2 |
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Rear Admiral Lower Half
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Ala-effin'-bama!
Posts: 2,377
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As silly as it sounds, smell the motherboard - if it smells burnt, it is...
Were any other electronics / appliances in the house affected?
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09-29-2008, 07:02 PM
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#3 |
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Secretary of the Navy
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood
Posts: 33,445
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Next time, maybe he'll buy a surge protector or a UPS...
Either of those could have saved his investment. As far as what might have been affected... most likely the mobo and the P/S would be the first victims. Other parts could also be affected, however those 2 seem to be the most vulnerable to me.
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09-29-2008, 07:39 PM
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#4 |
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Vice Admiral
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: floating inside of a giant egg made of stars
Posts: 4,316
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what does it do when you try to turn it on? Does it do anything at all... PS fan spins, mobo lights come on, etc?
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"We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality." -Ayn Rand Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog. |
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09-29-2008, 07:43 PM
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#5 |
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Chief of Naval Operations
Join Date: May 2000
Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA
Posts: 12,588
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I will stop there tomorrow to find what does/doesn't work. I have an extra power supply. I guess I should replace that first and go from there.
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09-29-2008, 07:50 PM
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#6 |
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Rear Admiral Upper Half
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: by a lake in michigan
Posts: 3,631
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if your lucky it be just the power supply.
if they plan on doing a insurance claim then they will need to take it to a shop .or you'll need to write it up. and if the unit starts up after you put a power supply in. have them run it for a day or two before calling it good.i have seen /had them act up even a week later after a power surge that killed a power supply .
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09-29-2008, 09:29 PM
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#7 |
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Commander
 Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: La Vista, NE, United States
Posts: 1,223
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I had a near lightning strike years ago. I felt it a split second before it happened, the hair on the back of my neck was standing up. I only lost a network hub and a network card. The surge protector wasn't damaged. It took a couple reboots, but the computer eventually came up correctly.
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09-30-2008, 10:16 AM
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#8 |
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Chief of Naval Operations
Join Date: May 2000
Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA
Posts: 12,588
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It was the power supply. Fortunately, I had one that was the correct size, but I had to perform some surgery on the case and drill some holes at the back where it mounted.
It appears the DSL modem was also fried. Hopefully they can get a new one from Verizon today. |
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09-30-2008, 10:50 AM
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#9 |
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Secretary of the Navy
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood
Posts: 33,445
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So are you gonna recommend that they get a good surge protector/UPS in the future?
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09-30-2008, 11:45 AM
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#10 |
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Chief of Naval Operations
Join Date: May 2000
Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA
Posts: 12,588
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They had everything plugged into something. I forgot to ask what it was.
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09-30-2008, 02:08 PM
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#11 |
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Secretary of the Navy
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood
Posts: 33,445
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Most common users confuse a "power strip" with a "surge protector", which is why I'm mentioning it.
Seriously, if they only have a power strip (like one of those $6 for 6 outlet strips you buy at Wal Mart) then maybe you should nudge them into spending a little bit more for a strip with some protection. Honestly, I live by my various UPS backups... In the middle of heavy thunderstorms, I'm still on the computer working away with no problems. The peace of mind is just worth it in my opinion. |
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10-01-2008, 05:29 AM
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#12 |
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Chief of Naval Operations
Join Date: May 2000
Location: LEVITTOWN< PA> USA
Posts: 12,588
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So who makes a decent surge protector? I unplug everything in my house when I am expecting a storm.
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10-01-2008, 06:32 AM
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#13 |
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Fleet Admiral
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Michigan
Posts: 8,539
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IMHO, Tripplite & APC are the best
http://www.tripplite.com/EN/products...?txtEntryID=19 http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=12&subid=65 |
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10-01-2008, 01:32 PM
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#14 |
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Secretary of the Navy
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood
Posts: 33,445
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I trust APC and Tripp Lite myself.
 I don't unplug anything when a storm comes. I just don't feel the need to with all the protections I have enabled. |
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10-07-2008, 05:17 PM
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#15 |
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Chief of Naval Operations
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: the ghetto's of bawlmo'
Posts: 10,952
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...03940%20Joules
I've been using belkin and i think it gives me good protection. 300k warranty on stuff plugged into it... shrug.
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