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stevejobbers
Aug 3, 2009, 10:16 AM
Had a terrible power surge hit the house yesterday during a storm, and my iMac was on at the time. I tried powering it up and it sounded like it was running, however I could not get a display. Later in the day it wouldn't even power up anymore.

Before I bring into an apple store I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or knows what the issue could be. I'm really hoping I won't have to shell out for a new one, but I'm guessing the damage is going to be severe...

Any advice?


zmttoxics
Aug 3, 2009, 10:56 AM
Try resetting the SMC. Unplug the iMac, press and hold the power button for 10 seconds, then plug it in and try again.
geoffreak
Aug 3, 2009, 11:51 AM
If you take it to the Apple store, feign ignorance regarding the lightning strike. :rolleyes:
netdog
Aug 3, 2009, 12:00 PM
Sounds like the power supply/transformer failed.
stevejobbers
Aug 3, 2009, 01:27 PM
Sounds like the power supply/transformer failed.

would that be an expensive replacement?

and thx for the SMC suggestion... i will try that when i get home.
stevejobbers
Aug 3, 2009, 01:28 PM
Also, out of curiousity, would something like this be covered under Apple Care? The iMac in question ran out of Apple Care about a year ago, but I was just curious if something like this would have been covered or not.
geoffreak
Aug 3, 2009, 02:23 PM
Repairs caused by defects are covered by AppleCare. Lightning strikes would fall under homeowner's insurance and are not covered by AppleCare.
Johnnymac96
Aug 25, 2009, 01:25 AM
Same thing happened to me today - big lightning strike (I was out at the time, my wife told me what happened) - when I got home the iMac was dead. I found this thread looking for an answer.

Thus far I can get the chime and a lot of bootup noises but no display. SMC didn't do anything and resetting the PRAM just made the chimes louder.

Guess I'm going to have to take it in tomorrow and see what the damage is, both physically and financially. Oh, this sucks.
Diseal3
Aug 25, 2009, 01:37 AM
Repairs caused by defects are covered by AppleCare. Lightning strikes would fall under homeowner's insurance and are not covered by AppleCare.

But who has to know?
old-wiz
Aug 25, 2009, 09:15 AM
If you look inside I'm sure it's easy to tell that the power got fried by a surge. Let this be a lesson; always use a reallly good surge protector or UPS.