Is it possible to damage game data or save files if my power goes out during a game?

JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
Hi all. One of my biggest fears is my power (and thus my computer) going out while I'm playing a game. The power actually did go out for a second today because of a thunderstorm, which is what prompts me to ask this question. (Luckily, I wasn't playing at the time!)

Anyway, if I am playing a game and the computer shuts down, is it possible for the game to be hurt in some way? I'm guessing that if I'm in the process of saving, the save file will definitely be corrupted, but what about when NOT saving and just playing? Could the game files themselves be harmed? Could save files still be corrupted even if you aren't currently saving?

Thanks!
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
Lets just say anything can happen to your system if its on and the power goes out. That abrupt cut off of power can damage the hard drive. I just had to rebuild a pc I built 5 years ago for a client because of a power outage or surge because it damaged every component except for the cpu.
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
johnb35 said:
Lets just say anything can happen to your system if its on and the power goes out. That abrupt cut off of power can damage the hard drive. I just had to rebuild a pc I built 5 years ago for a client because of a power outage or surge because it damaged every component except for the cpu.
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Eeesh, scary! I usually just turn off my PC when there's bad weather because I'm paranoid!
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
JohnJSal said:
Not sure how that works. I'll have to look into it. Thanks!
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Basically a big unit with a battery in it and about 6 plugins or so and also provide power surge protection. USB cable connects to pc usually. You can get ones that last different amount of time. The longer the time, the more expensive usually.
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
I do have everything plugged into a surge protector already, so hopefully that has been helping whenever it happens too.
 
johnb35

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
But thats not gonna help if you have a power outage, especially if your area is prone to power outages. It just all depends on how safe you want to be, not a lot of people will have a battery backup. I don't have one.
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
johnb35 said:
But thats not gonna help if you have a power outage, especially if your area is prone to power outages. It just all depends on how safe you want to be, not a lot of people will have a battery backup. I don't have one.
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Well, I wouldn't call it an "outage," unless I'm misunderstanding the term. Sometimes when there's enough lightning and thunder, the lights might flash for a second, causing appliances and things to reset quickly. But I don't know if that's any better or worse than a full outage, since it still involves the power going out, even if for a second.

When I turned my computer back on yesterday after the lights flashed, it said something like "Resuming Windows," so maybe that's better than a straight shut down. Maybe it did something to turn off safely anyway. Not sure.
 
beers

beers

Moderator
Staff member
If you have a file lock or have file operations going when power is cut then data loss or corruption such as an index is possible. At that point though once the game 'loaded' then most of the contents are within RAM. Depends on your context as to impact and what kind of game/progression/saving/corruption angle we're referring to, which all have variables.

You could add a UPS to your rig if you were concerned about power loss, many of them give you enough minutes to shut down your PC gracefully. Alternatively, a laptop already has this feature built-in.
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
johnb35 said:
Thats because you have it set to hibernate most likely.
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I'm thinking it was on because I had used it earlier in the day. It won't sleep or hibernate automatically once I've turned it on for the day, only the screen will turn off after maybe 2 hours.

It's possible I *hadn't* used it yet that day, in which case it would have been in sleep mode. But even still, isn't the power still on? Wouldn't that still cause a scary shutdown if the power goes out?
 
novicegeek

novicegeek

Member
Get a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). I have one sitting to the right of my computer (see attached). Power outages are no problem whatsoever. I've had the power go out and the whole room go dark, except for my computer, which is still running like nothing ever happened, because it is hooked up through this battery backup system. It will keep my computer (with peripheral) and monitor running for up to an hour before I have to shut it down. Plenty of time to finish what I am working on, save, and shut down properly. Some UPSs have an incredible warrantee that will not only replace the UPS if something goes wrong, but possibly replace anything damaged connected to it. I speak from experience as I suffered a lightning strike that killed my UPS and motherboard. Definitely worth researching before you purchase. I love my UPS. It was one of the best investment I made for my system. Highly recommended for protection.
 

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novicegeek

novicegeek

Member
beers said:
Truth, they're pretty handy. I need to replace the batteries on mine though, it's living a life of neglect.

A major advantage to the 'laptop as a desktop' life is a built in multiple hour UPS :p
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When I replaced my battery, I took the dead one to a chain auto store for recycling and because it is a lead acid battery, they gave me a $10 gift card just for bringing it in. Can't beat that. Apparently, from what I understand, because of tariffs on imports from China, lead is in short supply.
 
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