| May 31, 2002
The time has come
again for the severe weather season. Severe weather itself presents a whole
new scenario in safe computing. Being online during an electrical storm is
definitely not a good idea. As with most electrical things during a storm, you
should not be near them. Stay off line as it is dangerous to use electrical or
phone equipment during an electrical storm.
Lightning may easily damage any and all computer
equipment despite the fact that you may have surge protectors or power back up
devices. Lightning contains more than enough voltage to go straight through
some surge protectors and right into your computer. Modems do not handle extra
energy very well. The technicians at Green Apple have become familiar with
this problem after dealing with many instances of damaged modems due to
electrical storms.
The best and simplest way to protect your
equipment from electric storms is to completely unplug the computer.
This means you should pull the cords out of the wall and leave keep them away
from the outlets. This will reduce the risk to your equipment dramatically.
Another important aspect of protecting your
computer is to unplug your modem. Whether you have an internal or external
modem, you should unplug the telephone line. If you are not sure where your
modem is, simply follow all telephone cords that are hooked into the back of
your computer back to the wall where they are plugged in. If you plan on
leaving your home for an extended amount of time, it is highly recommended
that you unplug the power cords and phone line of your computer from the wall
in case a storm occurs while away.
The symptoms of damage to your computer from
lightning are usually failure to boot and a burnt smell. If your computer
boots but fails to log onto our service by giving a "no dial tone" error or
the modem dials the number but no handshake, this usually means damage to the
modem has occurred. In the event of either case, please feel free to call us
at Green Apple and one of our technicians will be glad to give you their
opinion on your choices in dealing with the situation. Usually in the event of
a damaged modem, we will have you drop your computer off at the office and
then verify that the modem is bad. The technician will then recommend a
specific type of modem that suits your computer and you can then purchase a
modem from one of the many local computer retail stores. Once we receive the
modem, we will install it free of charge to our customers. Any more serious
damage than a burnt out modem cannot be repaired in-house and a technician
will recommend you to take your computer to a repair specialist.
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