Yo...
Is it harmful to leave ma pc on (wit d net on) during thunder, many ppl told me its bad, but i think they lieing...
help a brother out...
thankx ppl...
peace
2006-11-04 00:07:13 · 11 answers · asked by Bruno S. 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
Yes and it can even be damaged by the fluctuations that are normally on the phone line itself. A computer, and a modem especially, is always subject to electrical damage from many sources, storms, normal spikes and outages and even from a spike in the amount of current on a phone line plugged into it. Surge strips for power and phone lines are a poor defense for these spikes but better than nothing. The cheapest protection is unplugging it. If you don't, you take your chances. Personally I don't worry that much about it, but it can and does happen. Your call Man!
2006-11-04 00:17:44 · answer #1 · answered by John E 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just having the modem plugged into the computer and the telephone jack can allow lightning to surge to an "off" modem and computer. I have seen this. Nothing is as fast as lightning. Lightning is faster than electricity.
As an aside, a close lightning strike will turn on your TV's remote and command the TV to come on. I've seen it happen on the back porch of a house during a storm.
Now, having said that, they used to sell surge protectors for the telephone jack in addition to the protector for the computer. If the surge happens away from your house before coming downstream, these devices will protect you. If it is a direct hit at the utility link behind your house, there is a very big "if" that the surge protector will clamp the surge in time.
Underground utility phone and power lines offer a lot more protection and are not prone to lighning surges as the old style of power/communication lines that run along telephone poles to your location.
2006-11-04 00:25:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is dangerous to leave your PC plugged in to the wall in any fashion during an electrical storm. Lightning hit a telephone pole down the street from me back in the late '90's and it fried my modem, part of my television screen and of course fried my telephone line. Every appliance I had that was on felt the wrath of the lightning that night. I still have the television, which shows a pink-tinted splotch near the bottom as a permanent reminder to me of why I shouldn't use electrical appliances during storms.
That said, I do allow my laptop to stay on IF it is running on batteries only and does not use the internet connection (it uses a wireless connection, but of course, the wireless is plugged in physically to a router, then modem , then the wall). I yank it all when I hear thunder, having had to replace two modems in my time. The crazy part is that it doesn't even have to be storming; any electrical fluctuation that is strong enough can fry your modem. I use a surge bar now, but I still unplug in the face of a storm.
2006-11-04 00:42:20 · answer #3 · answered by Black Dog 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes it can and has happened to me my computer got roasted when the telephone pole across from my house got hit also took out the tv lol that was before surge protectors were a big deal early 90's
i think you would be fine with a surge protector but, hell man why risk it just turn your system off.. and wait a few
you computer can get damaged from the telephone as well
2006-11-04 00:33:19 · answer #4 · answered by halicon2000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not the thunder but the associated lightning that you have to worry about. If you have a surge protector in the power bar that your computer and peripherals (like the modem) are plugged into you won't have to worry about it.
2006-11-04 00:10:00 · answer #5 · answered by joeanonymous 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
During thunder I don't think there's much of a problem, but it is still a good idea to turn it off anyway. The storm could cause lightning, and if that hits it, your computer is pretty much next to crap!
2006-11-04 00:11:43 · answer #6 · answered by drdansir2002 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yea it iz undesirable, guy i be tellin da certainty. as quickly as u depart yo notebook on goin exceedingly wit da internet on, yo a** is grass. yo internet would bypass out and ur notebook mwill in all probability close down on u, it is going to do da comparable if da capability went out 4 a at an analogous time as. so hear to a OG and im tellin u dem pplz iz givin u sum actual stable suggestion. peace n***a.
2016-10-03 06:36:18 · answer #7 · answered by blumenkrantz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
think of it this way anything can get damaged from lightning your just playing the odds whats the odds that your that one out of a million ant doubts unplug it
2006-11-04 00:13:51 · answer #8 · answered by zippo091 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could damage the computer if you have a power surge during the thunderstorm but nothing to serious that can't be fixed might have to reboot and re configure afew programs nothing to major
2006-11-04 00:11:22 · answer #9 · answered by topgunpilot22 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you have no surge protection yes it can damage your computer
or short it's ethernet card.
2006-11-04 04:01:05 · answer #10 · answered by markm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋