Lightening strikes computer - what damage did it cause?

[Carl Leopard]

I need some of your technical expertise guys..


Lightening struck our local phone lines. Our desktop computer was connected to the internet via a usb broadband modem..

Obviously the surge travelled through the modem and into the computer, resulting in a "BANG" similar to a gunshot.

A few days later, carelessly I plugged in the usb modem into my laptop (at this point we thought the surge had come through the power supply, and didn't contemplate the modem being screwed).

The laptop was fine until I plugged in the modem, at which point it just turned off. I tried turning it on again but the laptop would switch on (you could hear the power going through it) but nothing would work..
i.e. there was nothing on the screen, no sound from the speakers on key presses, my bluetooth usb dongle would not light up its LED's etc..

What is wrong with it? Is it easily repaired? What's been damaged and what will need replacing?

We're going through insurance, and i'd MUCH rather have a new laptop, but I fear they're going to say it's repairable.

Any input on this is MUCH appreciated!

Carl

 

[Praetor]

The laptop was fine until I plugged in the modem, at which point it just turned off. I tried turning it on again but the laptop would switch on (you could hear the power going through it) but nothing would work..
i.e. there was nothing on the screen, no sound from the speakers on key presses, my bluetooth usb dongle would not light up its LED's etc..

Without the modem, does the laptop work?

 

[Carl Leopard]

Without the modem, does the laptop work?

No! Of course not.. I'm not that stupid

I tried plugging in an external monitor, too, but this didn't work either.
I took out the battery, left it for a few hours and tried later. Nothing.

All I really want to know is - what are the chances of it being repaired rather than replaced?

Does anyone have any clue as to what could have gone wrong?

I assume the insides of the modem are fried, and seeing as it would be trying to draw power via USB it must have shorted something on the motherboard..

Anyone?

Thanks gents.

Carl

 

[Praetor]

All I really want to know is - what are the chances of it being repaired rather than replaced?

Well i can say ive never ever heard of a USB device frying a laptop .... if thats the case odds are you're better off with a new laptop then trying to repair it :S

 

[Lorand]

You can't fry a computer shortcircuiting an USB port.
But if the modem get fried, it may let pass the 40 V of the phone line to the USB port. Now that's more stressful for the computer than a simple short...

 

[Carl Leopard]

FYI, the damaged caused was terminal.

My poor laptop died a horrific death, more painful than we could possibly imagine.

Oh well, Dell 1.7GHz Centrino 512Mb RAM here we come

aj

 

[Praetor]

Interesting... i guess there's a first for everythin ... never thought that could happen

 

[kermit]

Dude don't get a DELL!

 

[Praetor]

Dude don't get a DELL!

You do realize that every laptop maker has nightmare stories right?? There's a reason dell is very successful -- by far and alrge their products are decent

 

[Computer Man5]

The electricity that moved into your laptop fried the Motherboard. Its Dead. Dell Laptops are good especially for thier value. But if you buy a desktop from dell, you will go to hell!

LOL!

 

[Praetor]

But if you buy a desktop from dell, you will go to hell!

Again, all OEMs have their nightmare stories

 

[da_ezman]

Lightning surge will go wherever it wants. There are precautions you can take but there's no controlling lightning. If you suspect a laptop, desktop or ANY electronic devise has taken lightning damage, best bet is to settle with your insurance and replace the unit. Electronic components that lightning doesn't take out instantly, are weakened severely and will just be a matter of hours or days before more failures rear their ugly heads. Best to replace any suspected lightning damaged devises.

 

[Praetor]

Electronic components that lightning doesn't take out instantly, are weakened severely and will just be a matter of hours or days before more failures rear their ugly heads

Well thats a bit of a doomsday approach

 

[tonsofpcs]

What Computer Man5 says about Dell is very true.

Now, what seems to have happened [imho] is there was still a charge in the fried modem [possibly all the capacitors were supercharged], the machine it was in probably had its power supply blown on the initial shock, there was probably more power coming down the line that didn't ground properly. You connected it to the notebook, and it tried searching for a ground. It found one, through the mother board, to the battery, and if it was plugged in, down the power supply. As da_ezman says, lightning damaged components should be taken as lost until properly grounded, reset to an uncharged state, and tested with equipment that you don't care about, or that can handle a lightning strike (ya, like you got alot of that around)

 

[ansr]

Lightning damage; Dell computers

Re. Carl's laptop failure: there's no way charge from the lighning itself could hang around for several days. I agree that if lightning damaged the modem, the modem, in turn, could damage the USB port, and, in particular, could apply enough power to the laptop's circuitry to break something crucial. However, I strongly suspect the laptop could be repaired: it's unlikely to be "gutted". Perhaps the cost-to-benefit of the repair isn't great enough. In that case, you might well be able to rescue data (assuming you weren't backed up?) by putting the hard drive in another machine.

Re. criticism of Dell hardware in this thread: I've used and supported several Dell machines, both laptops and desktops over the past 8 years, and have found them to be of uniformly very good (to excellent) engineering design and robust construction. Now, if only Dell hadn't outsourced and destroyed their phone-in tech support...

 

[4W4K3]

Re. criticism of Dell hardware in this thread: I've used and supported several Dell machines, both laptops and desktops over the past 8 years, and have found them to be of uniformly very good (to excellent) engineering design and robust construction. Now, if only Dell hadn't outsourced and destroyed their phone-in tech support...

Agreed, DELL's are excelent first time user computers. They function well, and don't have any severe flaws for the average user. For my taste they aren't functional enough (no overclocking, not very compatible wih other hardware). But setting aside my overclocking/upgrading fever, my Dell laptop is great...no probs whatesoever. I don't recommend them for hard-core gamers, or people who want the latest and greatest, but i do suggest them for the average user who just want an e-mail/internet computer.

 

[Praetor]

Now, if only Dell hadn't outsourced and destroyed their phone-in tech support...

Not that the phone support was useful or anything.

 

[Super_Nova]

I use to work in the same building as Dell's Tech Support. It has always been outsourced. The only difference is they moved the outsourcing overseas. All you had to do to be on the team was pass a simple test and go through 2 weeks of training. One guy they were training broke the CPU of the training PC trying to cram it the wrong way into the ZIF socket. I however did not work on the Dell Team. I was on the H&R Block taxcut team. Dell however had Half the building. The other half had us, brother, and minolta. That call center unfortunatly went out of business right before Dell moved overseas. I wonder why
This is why every time I saw a Dell commercial where it showed Dell's Tech support being provided by a Dell employee at a Dell facillity I laughed because I knew if was full of crap. Of course they're commercials are always full of crap. Like the guy "Makeing a new hard drive" for a Dell. Did they wander into the Western Digital or Maxtor plant on their tour of Dell? Better get them out of there that's a clean room!!!!