Is it bad to have the computer on during a thunderstorm?

Question

theres a thunderstorm watch in my area so should i turn it off to be safe???

Answer 1

i would just to be safe!! one time i was on it ans the power went out and it fried my comuter shich sucked cuz o had to buy a new one. even if you have stuff to protect your computer i would still turn it off jsut to be safe you never no =0

Answer 2

Lightning is just too powerful. When you stop and think about it, lightning defeats the electrical resistance of air (very high resistance) for several thousands of feet if not miles in order to discharge to ground. The average lightning bolt carries over 10 million volts and up to around 100 million. That sort of power will defeat any protection device man has come up with. Currently the best is the UPS (Uninterpretable Power System that uses a system of continuously charged batteries which the computer actually get their power from) which will mainly protect the computers from the momentary (up to several minutes) power outages caused by lightning striking the electric grid. The National Weather Service Offices use large UPS units to power their computer systems since they have to keep working during storms. Even then, a direct hit on the building has caused some damage in a few of the offices but normally was to the UPS unit rather than the computers. But I would rather be safe than sorry. At home I always shut down and unplug everything the moment I hear thunder and know the storm is headed in my direction. A home UPS unit is less than cost of a new computer and the hassle of lost data. So it is up to you whether or not such a system is worth the cost or is it better to just stop and unplug while a storm is near or take the risk of frying you machine and data. Your choice.

Answer 3

If the storm is within two kilometres - six seconds between the lightning and the thunder - turn off and unplug your computer from the phone line and the mains. A surge protector will help but I had a strike 20m from my house that jumped the surge protector and fried the computer. Fortunately I was insured and got a new one on insurance but it is best not to take the risk.

If the storm is further away, don't worry about it.

Answer 4

It probably is because if your house is struck by lightening and your computer is on it just might short it out.
Also did you know that about 100 people die every year from showering during a thunderstorm?
Some of them get electrocuted while washing dishes during a thunderstorm or talking on the phone.
So be careful during a thunder storm.

Answer 5

If your house is grounded then there is little chance of the lightning striking your house and shorting out all of the operating electronics.

However if the thunderstorm takes out a phone pole and your power goes out, then be sure to unplug it. Otherwise you run the risk of when the power returns, that it overloads the computer.

But that doesn't matter if you have a surge protector (those long things with all of those outlets).

Answer 6

It depends. If you have some form of voltage regulation between your computer and the wall outlet, you should be OK, but if a surge happens the regulation may be destroyed. If you don't have something like that, then it would be best to shut off the computer to avoid surge damage.

Answer 7

No matter how much protection you have for your house or computer, lightning is so powerful that it will defeat them all. So at the first sound of thunder, shut the computer off and disconnect everything in your house. Our pastor of our church learned that lesson the hard way.

Answer 8

You need to turn it off even with a surge protector your computer could still be zapped. Its always better to shut it down when you know its gonna storm.

Answer 9

i idk man...stay on and find out...last time my white pot head friends computer got hit my lighting...and it was about 200 dollars to fix....they say you should disconnect all electrical appliances during a LIGHTING storm....ive never heard of a thunder storm