Lightning Reaction – Protect And Survive
We are rapidly approaching thunderstorm season here in the UK and every year we hear terrible tales of woe about PCs, hard drives and modems, fried and frazzled by nearby lightning strikes. Hundreds, possibly thousands of PCs are zapped every year but it’s easy to avoid so here’s the Propellerhead guide to PC survival
Firstly do not assume that a storm is too far away to do any damage to your equipment; they can move at frightening speed and a strike half a mile away can still do a lot of damage, especially in rural areas where telephone and power cable are often exposed or carried on overhead pylons and poles. If you hear a storm approaching save your work, shut down the PC and if it sounds like it’s going to pass close by play safe, disconnect the phone/modem and power cables and wait for it to move away. Don’t rely on sockets and adaptors that purport to have built-in lighting protection; a lightning strike on a phone or power cable outside your home will take out just about every piece of electrical and electronic equipment in the vicinity that’s still plugged in. Don’t forget there’s tips galore over on the BootLog website at www.rickmaybury.com
