Blame it on the Storm

Has your computer stopped working properly? Often times a severe thunder and lightning storm can wreak havoc on your computer. Following a storm if you find that your computer is not working the way it was a few days prior, the damage from the storm could be the culprit. There are a few common issues that indicate that your computer may have suffered from lightning damage following a storm. Depending on the issue and the damage some of these errors are easily fixable while others may be a sign of more serious internal damage to your system. There are ways to prevent lightening damage to your system.

Here are a few common issues that result from storm damage:

• No power to your computer is indicative of power supply cord damage. Your computer fails to turn on when you boot up, or will turn on and shut off immediately.
• Motherboard damage. Your system is not displaying information correctly, is slow or
• Modem damage. You are unable to connect to the internet or your system is displaying error codes or freezing up during connection. .
• Processor damage. Your system may run much slower, you may find that you are missing files, receiving error messages when attempting to open certain programs.

The best thing you can hope for is that your power supply cord was fried. This is very common after a lightning storm and is something that you can repair yourself for a small price. If you have access to another power supply cord that you know is working properly, attempt to reboot your computer with the working cord and see if makes a difference. If the computer is still not working with the good cord the damage probably extended beyond the power supply.

You can pick up a new power supply cord for about $100.00 with universal tips that can be adapted to all of your computers. Replace your cord and hopefully this will work. If you do not have access to another cord and don’t want to purchase a universal before knowing if this is the issue you can take your entire hard drive and the cord to your local computer repair shop.

Most computer repair shops will allow you to take your hard drive into the shop and test it with a different cord for free, that way you will know right there if you have an internal issue that need repair by a technician. Issues with your motherboard, modem and processor may be mild and will probably require the assistance of a trained technician who can check the part for damage. It is possible that lightning did mild damage to a part and it can be repaired for a low cost. The probability is that if your system was fried by lightning the part that received the damage will have to be replaced completely which unfortunately can be costly and may run you the cost of a whole other computer. The best advice is to prevent this from happening by protecting your system from storm damage ahead of time.

Prevention:

• Ensure that you have a surge protector for your power supply.
• Always unplug your system off during a severe thunder and lightning storm. Do not just log off but rather shut your system down completely and unplug it to prevent lightening damage to the internal working of your computer.