Lightning zapped my box!

[kingcrowing]

So, i got all my new stuff yesterday (200GB HD and superdrive) i installed them, and to my dismay i learned that in a QS '01 i can only format the HD to 135GB unless i get a PCI card for it, oh well

but i put my computer to sleep and went out for the day, when i was gone there was a huge lightning storm, i get home and my computer dosent turn on... so i open it up and check it out, turn it on again (with the case open) and it works fine... has anyone heard of this happening? I'm thinking that it got zapped by a power surge or something and and it shorted the mobo and when i shut the case the mobo touches something else?

thanks a lot, hopefully insurance will give me money for this if i cant fix it

 

[yellow]

The mobo could be dead, dead, dead.. but first, try and reset the cuda by opening up the box, finding a small gray/black button, and pressing and holding it for a 5 count.

 

[kingcrowing]

I got it working! it wasnt doing that, i just laid it on its side, then shut the case, then stood it up... who knew? oh well its working now, so i'll leave it be untill i decide to get a PCI card

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

The only power surge I've actually experienced was when lightning got a direct hit in a transformer just 30 m (~100 ft) from where I lived. I actually stood right outside the house and ducked when the lightning struck, instantly swearing because I knew that al my electronic equipment was plugged in. I ran in and found that almost everything was unharmed, but the surge had gone through my hub, frying all of the ports except the port my Pismo was plugged into. The Pismo's network port was clearly the weaker point and was fried...

With a Pismo, it isn't just a matter of changing the network card, which would have been the case if it had taken out the cheap network card on the PC I had operational back then, but that off course survived, the whole motherboard on the Pismo had to be changed. (Another fine example of Murphy's law.) Luckily the our home insurance took care of it, though I had to cover NOK 3000 of the total cost of NOK 6500 myself ("egenandel", I have no idea what that's called in English), but that's still better than paying the whole thing, right...?

 

[stevep]

Luckily the our home insurance took care of it, though I had to cover NOK 3000 of the total cost of NOK 6500 myself ("egenandel", I have no idea what that's called in English), but that's still better than paying the whole thing, right...?

"egenandel" - is this the same as "excess" -ie the sum you agree to pay as part of each insurance claim. I have a £150 excess on my van insurance - the idea is to discourage small claims as they are expensive to process.

More on topic - has anyone tried one of the Belkin surge protectors that handle phone lines and mains?

 

[jeremy.king]

Glad you got it working. FYI, make sure your case isn't pinching any of the cables that run near the hinged bottom edge. Its possible that when you were closing it, a cable was being disturbed and causing weirdness.

 

[deebster]

After 6 years here, and 2 weeks before I fly out for good, lightning fried my iBook's firewire port a couple of nights ago.

As we Brits say, 'Oh bollocks'

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

"egenandel" - is this the same as "excess" -ie the sum you agree to pay as part of each insurance claim.

Thanks... I'll try to remember that, though it's not easy as it's a word I very rarely have any use for...