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Lightning Can Fry Your Computer - So protect it!

During thunderstorms many people leave their computer unprotected. Simply turning the computer off during a thunderstorm does nothing whatsoever to protect the computer.  You need to unplug to "break the circuit."

Nearby lightning strikes can cause surges through the power lines or phone lines into your house or office, and these often damage your computer.  Sometimes just the power supply gets damaged, sometimes the whole computer needs to be replaced.  Power surges also do incremental damage to electronics, so the computer may work okay some of the time, but occasionally has problems.  This type of fault is hard to diagnose or fix.

So when storms approach, the best idea is to first do a regular shutdown of your computer (Start, Shut Down, Shut Down).  Once the computer goes off, unplug it from the wall (or just unplug the power strip… usually easier). 

Other susceptible devices include things like your printers, fax machines, cordless phones, TV, DVR's, VCR, and really anything you plug into power.  Take appropriate precautions.

Having a surge suppressor is good sense for the minimal day-to-day power surges that most people are completely unaware of.  These surges/spikes gradually damage electronics, but if lightning strikes, a surge guard will be instantly destroyed along with anything it was supposed to be protecting.  Also, keep in mind that cheaper surge protectors wear out over time (or don't do the job at all), but there is no way of knowing their status.

What is your computer, and the information it contains, worth to you??  I often have a rash of service calls in the days following a severe thunderstorm... protect yourself and your equipment.

Thanks to: http://www.gerringong-gerroa.com/computer-help.htm

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