Lightning strikes computer modem leaves burned circuits behind - TechRepublic

Lightning strikes computer modem leaves burned circuits behind

  • Lightning strikes computer modem

    Photo by Brad Rowden
  • Charred circuits

    According to Rowden “most of the components inside of the machine were a mess.”

    “The case might have been salvageable with some good cleaning,” Rowden told me, “but everything in there stunk terribly.” Miraculously, the machine’s hard drive was undamaged and Rowden was able to retrieve all the customer’s data.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

  • Melted plastic

    The expansion card above the modem shows significant damage.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

  • Blistered circuit board

    The modem’s circuit board fried to a crisp.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

  • Burned modem

    The modem clearly suffered the most damage.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

  • Extent of the destruction

    Nearly every component in the machine was destroyed.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

  • Computer damaged by lighting

    As noted earlier, at least the hard drive survived.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

  • Disconnect your PC during lightning storms

    The owner of this computer learned the hard way that power surges can travel through telephone lines. It’s always a good idea to unplug all your computer’s cables during a storm. Or at the very least have every wire connected to a high-quality surge protector.

    Photo by Brad Rowden

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Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.