I left my computer on the other day when I went shopping and while I was out, a thunderstorm struck. We’re talking lightning, traffic-stopping pouring rain. It didn’t even cross my mind to be concerned because I’m thinking: No big deal, I have it connected two surge protectors, it should be fine. I came back home and found that one of the surge protectors had been tripped and the computer was acting wonky, giving me a message about Windows not functioning because of a defective systems file.
So I just got off the phone with the local computer shop. They gave me an estimate of $100 yesterday to a) replace the defective CD-ROM drive and b) repair the systems file. NOW they’re telling me my motherboard’s damaged and that they’re tacking on another $75 to replace that.
I’m bugging because $175 is exactly four dollars less than I have in my checking account! Oy.
They haven’t done any work on it yet, other than to diagnose the problem. I’m waiting to hear back from the technician regarding the motherboard. What should I do?
There is a chance that the computer is acting wonky because the power supply is screwed up from the surge. Personally I would replace the power supply first and then diagnose any problem from there.
If the actual motherboard was damaged (entirely possible) it would have to be replaced. I would also be worried about the integrity of the hard drive at that point, but it does not seem they mentioned this.
If the HD is fine and the MB is fine, you could reinstall windows and probably not lose much if anything. If the MB is fried but the HD is fine, the MB costs what it costs. if the HD was damaged and there is a chance you could lose all of that data (have you been backing up?), then the repair guys will actually be earning that $$ bringing things back to normal.
I had a PC taken out by a power surge a while back - didn’t kill it, but almost. I had to replace the motherboard and CPU, at a cost of over 250$ - and it still never quite qorked perfectly after that.
CandidGamera. I was telling myself yesterday I was lucky the problem wasn’t worse, and that I was smart to have two surge protectors (one for the PC, one for the monitor) – until I found out about the motherboard. I don’t feel lucky.
Dorjän: What do you mean, “replace the power supply?” How much does THAT cost? How will I know if the hard drive’s integrity has been damaged?
Jayrot: Agreed, which is why I didn’t mind that. The CD-ROM drive been damaged for ages, and I’d been putting off replacing it until now.
The kicker was that mine was on a surge protector, except for the Scanner - which was naturally hooked into the USB port of the PC. Scanner’s fine, PC got fried.
Affordable houshold style surge supressors are actaully fairly limited in what they can do in handling a serious voltage surge / lightning strike.
Re the repair that’s actually pretty cheap. If you want to save a few just have them replace the MB. You can get a CDRW CDROM drive for $20 - $30 these days. Hell, if you pay the shipping I’ll send you a brand new Sony CDRW for free and you can replace it yourself.
CandidGamera. (Rueful chuckling) Well, thanks for making me feel a little better…
astro. If I had any faith in my repair skills, I’d take you up on that – but I don’t so I won’t. But thanks a lot. Yeah, I’ll be upgrading my surge protectors, make no mistake…
Allow me to address the surge protector issue. Surge protectors (more properly termed surge suppressors) work by using devices called MOVs (metal oxide varistors). These are components whose electrical resistance varies with applied voltage. They are designed to have a large (in the megohm range) resistance until the clamping voltage is reached, at which point the resistance rapidly drops considerably, allowing current to flow. The are placed both across the hot and neutral lines, as well as from hot to ground and in better units, also from neutral to ground; as such they will cause the voltage on the line to remain below the clamping voltage, protecting your equipment. They typically have several important ratings:
[ul]
[li]Surge energy - This rating is given in Joules, and reflects the total amount of energy the unit can absorb before failing. Each surge below that value subtracts from that amount, thus the damage is cumulative. Once the total surge energy capacity has been “used up”. the Protected When Lit light on the suppressor goes out and the unit needs to be replaced.[/li]
[li]Response or clamping time - This is usually given in microseconds and indicates how rapidly the device will respond to incoming line surges. The faster, the better.[/li]
[li]Maximum surge current - Self explanatory. The higher this value, the better.[/ul][/li]
These devices work well for their intended purpose. However, in the event of a direct lightning strike, or even a very strong lightning-induced surge, they are easily overwhelmed. In the event of a thunderstorm, the best course of action is to unplug all the cables connecting your computer to the outside world, including power, network, and telephone lines. Relying on a surge suppressor to protect you is unwise, particularly if you cannot afford to repair or replace the equipment in question. Check the Protected light frequently, particularly after a storm. If it has gone out, replace the unit. Also frequently overlooked is protection on the phone lines (for a modem or DSL) or the cable line. There are surge suppressor units with protection for these lines built in, and there are also stand-alone suppressors, as well.
Not to step on the toes of the Dorj-meister, but I can field this. The most likely-to-be-damaged part of a PC in a power surge is the Power Supply, which is the big box inside the PC to which the external power cord connects. That’s the first thing I replaced (myself) when my PC got partly fried - it was about 75$, and a good first effort - but it didn’t apply in my case. (since the juice came in a different way, probably) Might be worth your time to ask the PC Repair guy if he checked the Power Supply.
Q.E.D. Thanks for the info, especially the tips about unplugging the modems, which I never do. I tell you. I’ve had have every piece of shit bad luck regarding computers that can happen to a user, from corrupted guard drives viruses to someone changing my password and then forgetting what they changed it to – but this – THIS – caught me off gaurd.
Tell me, can you give approximate costs to purchasing maximum surge current supressors?
C.G. I will when he returns my call, which is supposed to be soon. Thanks.
They can be had for as little as $20-30 at computer shows and such depending on make and model. Take a look at places like pricewatch.com and you might be able to save a few bucks. Make sure you get a decent warranty and if possible a friend with a PS tester. An el cheapo supply can cause all kinds of ghost in the machine problems you never dreamed of.
Something that bears repeating here. A lot of people think that multi-outlet power strip = surge protector. NOT TRUE! Many of these outlet strips are just outlet strips, and have no surge protectiona at all. Many others have some surge protection, so that they can call themselves “surge suppressors,” but they are next to worthless.
To get good protection, you need to shell out a little extra to get a heavy duty surge suppresor, or even better, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
The last series of thunderstorms through SoCal zapped my power twice, but no damage to computer. I did find, however, that they had fried my cable box! Luckily, Adelphia gave me a new (and better) one free.
Absolutely correct. I’ve opened a few outlet strips in my day, and while many of them do provide a minimal level of protection with a couple cheap MOVs, they are NO substitute for a proper surge suppressor. For one thing, they lack any indication of when the protection has been destroyed by excessive surge energy; for another, they generally only protect against a single threat - line-to-line surges. They don’t do a thing for common-mode surges (when the surge voltage is present equally on both hot and neutral lines) normally, such as are caused frequently by lightining.
Well, I’ve talked to the technician about my charges and he’s agreed to install a new motherboard, reduce my labor charges, install a working used CD-ROM drive, and re-install Windows XP with Powerpoint and MS Word (two programs I didn’t have before, for some reason) for a total of $125-150.
I also checked my “surge” protectors and — sonuvabit–!! – one of them was just a multi-outlet strip.
The $25 cheapos are not worth buying. I had several burn out before I finally learned my lesson and bought a good, name-brand power supply. Spending $50-$80 on a good one (Enermax, Antec, etc) is cheaper in the long run and saves you time, damage and frustration.
Allow me to give my anecdote in support of what Q.E.D. said. I just recently lost my computer, a TV, and an ancient VCR to lightning coming through the cable line. I hated having to borrow to buy a new machine, but I consider myself lucky that I didn’t lose the big TV and the DVD player. So yeah, definitely make sure the cable isn’t connected to the modem in addition to pulling other plugs.
All that said, Askia, I feel for ya man. Best of luck with all this.
Actually that’s a seriously good price if that includes a new mobo and labor. It’ll take the tech at least 2 or 3 hours to get that done, and that’s provided he’s made a “slip disc” of the XP install with all the upgrades on it.
I know it has been a few weeks, but I felt obligated to point out that this is blatantly illegal/piracy and would bring down the Wrath of Bill if reported. Shops get deservedly sued out of business for this kind of value added crap.