Severe Thunder Storm

A DSL modem is no better protected than your old modem.

I must admit that I also turn my computer off duing storms.
Either mains-borne or telephone line spikes can cause damage.

Thanks. I'll keep turning my computer off during any bad storm!

a computer's monitor screen can make a small explosion sending sparks and smoke everywhere and will also ruin ALL of you computer stuff.
( for real, its happened to one of my friends)

Wow, I didn't know that. A few years back I used to turn my computer off during storms, but I stopped doing that, and when I recently asked if others thought I should, they didn't think I needed to.

I might start again after reading this, but I generally just do things I shouldn't, thinking, "Oh, that'll never happen to me."

Not only should it be turned off, you should unplug it too. Lightning doesn't care whether the PC is turned off, it just uses the line to travel. Best protection other then unplugging is a very good surge protector and the surge protectors need to be replaced periodically because as they do their job to suppress spikes, they wear out.

Thanks for the reminder, Butrflynet - I was just looking at an extra surge protector I have upstairs, and wondered why I'd bought it.

I need to get one of those. Do they sell them at Wal-Mart (for example)? Or is it something you have to buy in an electronics shop?

K Mart has surge protectors.

The rule in our house is at the first sound of thunder or first flash of lightning the computer and all accessories get turned off, the surge protector gets unplugged, and the DSL modem gets disconnected. I lost a modem a couple years ago when lightning struck nearby.
Thunderstorms only last a few minutes and better safe than sorry.

I read something yesterday about a jogger that got struck by lightning because of his iPod. Maybe he shouldn't have been jogging during an electrical storm!

Just my two cents, but there are surge protectors and surge protectors. I would go to an electronics store and opt for a heavier duty unit. Just the thought of my pc frying is enough to give me a connipton. I have found that when it comes to electronic accessories, Wal-Mart and K-Mart usually carry only the low end stuff.

I use a heavy duty surge protector for the computer and my 4 in 1. I have surge protectors for all the electronics in the house.

Also my brother-in-law's sister was just electrocuted in Texas because during a storm part of the roof came off and water was leaking in the house. She was trying to clean it up and picked up the cord to a lamp that was plugged in the wall. It didn't kill her but her right side is paralyzed and the doctors don't know if she will get her feeling back.

Just a note that the jogger didn't get struck by lightening because of the ipod. Rather the ipod acted as a conduit when the jogger was struck....the same as a tv, computer etc.

Note that the higher the joule rating on the surge suppressor, the better. Nothing less than 1000 should even be considered and much higher would be preferable.

Wow! Now I know why I turn off my computer and normally unplug it during storms.

Last year, however, while I was at work, a storm hit. My computer was off and unplugged because it was stormy when I left for work. When I returned home, I hooked it back up and I had no internet.

Lightning came THROUGH the cable (cable internet) and fried the modem and the network card in my computer. When the cable guy (pun not intended) came, he hooked the new modem directly through USB. This made me nervous, so now, whe storms lurk about, I not only unplug, I remove the USB cable from the modem to the port.

One more thing, has anyone heard of lightning "arching"? A friend of mine who use to live in Texas was considered to be a real comuter guru (geek to the fullest) but he is a wonderful person. He had a "Super" computer and did marvelous things with it. When storms hit, he would unplug everything because he had too much invested to loose it all. To his amazement....he lost it all. Fried it like a crispy critter! The lightning arched from the outlet (I assume the house itself was struck or a power line????) to the metal plugs of the computer. It all lit up and smoked down.

This is an interesting string and helps me to remember to never be too careful.

Even if the computer is turned off and unplugged, lightning can take it out. Many people forget that phone lines are also a source of power surges. Simply leaving a phone connection on the turned off computer can have severe consequences.

You would think people would know THAT

I am going to start as well...not the brightest lightbulb in the box...I thought turning it off was all I needed to do and that the surge protector protected it from getting fried....

Last thunderstorm here the computer was unplugged. We lost two telephones, the cable to the computer printer, a radio and one of Mr. Noddy's amps.

Evidently Zeus/Thor/Jehovah was very annoyed.

Eeeeek!

I just got zapped Wed. morning. Everything was plugged into the surge protector. But here's what the computer is doing now.......

When I boot up, It tells me to press F1. After I do that, it will load up windows. Anything and everything that was plugged into my USB ports got fried. The USB ports themselves are fried. Nothing is recognized that you plug into a port. The time on the clock the past 2 mornings upon boot is October of 2004. I set it and it holds....till the next boot.

Rather than spend the money on repairs ( I assume a new mother board is in order?) I am having a new one built and will have it next week. In the meantime.....I can still manage with what I have. And something tells me that the longer I use what I have....the more problems that will crop up.

What sucks is I can't even use a USB port to stick a thumb drive in and save things off of my computer.

Speaking of surge protectors....does anyone know of the best one made? Or close to it? I was using a Belkin.

Thank You

Brooke,

Check out all the other electronics in your house too. It is likely that some of those got zapped too. Things like VCRs, stereos, digital kitchen appliances, etc.

Also, check your homeowner's insurance policy to see if there is any help there with replacement costs. Probably not, but it is good to check.

Has anyone heard of a "brownout" rather than a surge? Surge protectors do not protect against them at all.

My son lost his hardrive on his computer and at the same time the furnace in our home went. Brownouts are when the power goes DOWN but not OFF resulting in burning (frying) anything drawing power. People loose microwaves, furnaces, appliances, etc. No surge protector has been known to protect against power being reduced, but not off. When you see the lights go dim, but not off, it is a "brownout" and it is bad for anything using electricity at the time. I am not certain as to the specifics, but it somehow makes them hot...maybe someone who understands more about electricity could explain it better.