Hardware

Lightning strikes computer modem leaves burned circuits behind

By // June 11, 2010, 12:41 AM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Lightning strikes computer modem

    When lightning strikes a computer, charred metal, melted plastic, and burned circuits are the results.

    This computer's modem was hit with a power surge during an electrical storm. The computer was protected by a surge protector but not one with modem outlets.

    The owner brought the machine to IT Systems Administrator Brad Rowden--who took these pictures.

    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

Lightning strikes computer modem

When lightning strikes a computer, charred metal, melted plastic, and burned circuits are the results.

This computer's modem was hit with a power surge during an electrical storm. The computer was protected by a surge protector but not one with modem outlets.

The owner brought the machine to IT Systems Administrator Brad Rowden--who took these pictures.

Photo by Brad Rowden

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...