A Small Example Of What Lightning Can Do

I can guarantee that most long-time computer users that read PCMech have a lightning story or two (or more). If you’ve used computers long enough you will inevitably get something zapped. For example, years ago dial-up modems would commonly get zapped – thru the phone cable. Enough of a charge would travel across the wire after a strike and the modem was dead. No snap; no smoke; just dead.

In the Tampa Bay area of Florida we get a lot of lightning during the summer and its very typical to the region. This includes the often destructive (and at times deadly) cloud-to-ground type.

Yesterday my video card got zapped. Four blown capacitors on the board.

Why didn’t the rest of my box get fried? I have no idea. Yes, I’m very thankful my PC didn’t bite the dust because it easily could have.

Lightning is completely unpredictable. Not a soul knows when or where it’s going to strike. When it does it wreaks havoc with electronics. Sometimes your microwave will get zapped but your television won’t, or vice versa.

With PCs, it’s very common that when a strike occurs, a component or accessory will get zapped but the rest of the computer will work perfectly. And even if you’re behind a surge/spike protector (like I was) you can still get hit.

I have since replaced the above 256MB with a 512MB e-GeForce 8400 GS. Cost was $58 after tax at Circuit City. Yes, I could have bought it cheaper online, but it’s not like I had a choice being my monitors couldn’t function without this.

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Jason Faulkner
Regarding your claim:
‘Lightning is completely unpredictable. Not a soul knows when or where it’s going to strike.’
This is simply not true. I know for a fact:
“A bolt of lightning is going to strike the clock tower at precisely 10:04 PM, next Saturday night.”
archer9234
Th only problem: It happens Nov 12, 1955.
http://www.charljoubert.co.za Charl Joubert
THINK MCFLY THINK!!! HELLO!!
ALaneBro82
Funny, I just posted a picture of my 7600GT on EBay a few days ago. Glad it didn’t have oozing capacitors on it!
Sorry ’bout your loss.
http://www.geezergeek.net Floyd Bufkin
All of our utilities, electric and phone, are underground here, and that helps. But I have learned the hard way, and I unplug everything whenever there is a storm in the area. Had a customer recently, lightning took out his DSL modem and his router. Did not hurt anything else.
http://www.kickinthepeanuts.com Chuck
Your surge protector doesn’t have a warranty and a guarantee up to something like $50,000?
Almost all Belkin surge protectors (even the 12 dollar ones) have a warranty like that, in case your pimpin’ new HDTV gets zapped.
It’s probably worth the 20 bucks to get that 7 series accounted for