Sound advice

[TessB]

during a storm, in fact the safest place is probably to sit in the car

That's what my FATHER used to say!
And my mother was always screaming at me to get away from the windows when I was watching the lightning. (I love thunderstorms)

 

[gemma-the-husky]

i never realised you could zap components in this way until it happened

i lost a ethernet card, when i disconnected the computer but left the phone cable in, during an storm.

i trust to luck, but when im on holiday we unplug every major electrical (computers/hifi)

glad you got it fixed - at least you learn more about fixing hardware

 

[oumahexi]

(I love thunderstorms)

Yes, but you get real thunder storms! I love them too, but here they are very disappointing, usually only one or two little flashes and it's over. Last years storm (yes, it was only that one), lasted all of half an hour, just long enough to find my house... Oh, and that was the second time my computer has been struck by lightening, in the same house!

 

[oumahexi]

- at least you learn more about fixing hardware

I think that's what attracts us to computers, there is so much to learn!

 

[mdemarte]

Catchy title!

Many years ago, we had a lightning strike hit a tree which was directly over some tunnels that carried our dual coax cable and telephone lines. Luckily, it mostly just fried some of the coax cable and telephone lines. Most of our equipment at that time was dumb terminals. Some of those had to be replaced also.

But, one particular PC was near an electric junction box. It took us 2 months to discover all of the problems with it. You see, the user was out on medical leave, so when she returned, first she discovered that her phone line was crapped out. Then, she couldn't fire up her PC - motherboard was blown. Then, her sound didn't work right - sound card replaced. She couldn't print - her RS232 cable had to be replaced. She had a single-line phone and she used it for her dial-up modem,but didn't use it daily. At first, we thought it was her signon, until I got the bright idea of ignoring the outside company's overwhelming paranoia with her signon and tried her signon on another working PC and modem in the same department, which worked - the modem dialed up and connected, but did not communicate properly! Once the modem was replaced and she could signon from her own PC, she changed the account password.

As I recall, my company submitted a claim for insurance and covered most of the repairs - but the modem wasn't covered because we had already submitted the claim!

Live and learn! Now, at home, we tend to unplug the computers and the TV sets during a lightning storm.

 

[oumahexi]

Catchy title!

Thanks

As I recall, my company submitted a claim for insurance and covered most of the repairs - but the modem wasn't covered because we had already submitted the claim!

Ours paid out without any problem, our whole street got hit at the same time so they couldn't deny it, the problem was the motherboard we had replaced had this built in sound card...

Live and learn! Now, at home, we tend to unplug the computers and the TV sets during a lightning storm.

LOL, yes, great idea, we just never think it's going to amount to anything here, we don't normally get big storms, but the least sign now and the computer will be unplugged, wrapped in cotton wool and packed safely under the bed

 

[Fifty2One]

We love storms out here in the middle of no where, sometimes by surprize the power does NOT go out during all the lightening and thunder. We unplug the computers and the aerials for the radio and television. The aerial has a lightening arrestor but when we saw what a bolt can do to a tree we figure we would play double safe. A neighbours barn once got it in the lightening rod and WOW it welded the ground cable to the roof of the barn.