Electrical surges may damage the electrical components of a computer's motherboard.
Lightning strikes and other forms of electrical surges can severely damage computers. The power supply that distributes power to computer components and parts may become unusable after receiving more voltage than it is designed to handle. Using the process of elimination and checking some basic parts on your computer can lead to a solution for the symptoms of damage from electrical surges.
Lightning and Power Supply Units
The first line of defense that computers have against power surges from lightning, aside from external surge protectors, are the fuses in the computer's power supply unit (PSU). The PSU is the box that a power cord plugs into on a computer. PSUs convert electricity to the necessary specifications for each part on a computer. Each PSU has at least one fuse in it. If one of these fuses are blown, it will not power on at all and its power light will not illuminate. Do not take a PSU apart to look for a blown fuse, as they contain components with high voltages. Instead, a multimeter may be used to check the PSU, or it may be deemed broken if the computer won't power on at all.
Power Surge Damage to Motherboards
Computers with limited functionality after a power surge may have damaged motherboards. If willing to void the warranty, users can open the side panel of their computer and visually inspect the motherboard. Lightning damage may show in the form of burnt components, or black areas near the connections on the plug-side of the board. Motherboards with electrical damage are also likely to have blown capacitors. Capacitors may be tested with a multimeter, or visually inspected for blown-out end caps or signs of leaking. If a capacitor is damaged, it may present symptoms such as seemingly random powering-off of the computer or failure of the computer to consistently start.
Electrical Damage to Computer Components
Computer components, such as graphics cards, memory and hard drives are susceptible to electrical surges. If a computer powers on without an image and the normal fan and hard drive noises can be heard from the tower, it may have a damaged graphics card. If the computer can't locate a drive, and presents an error at startup, the hard drive may have been damaged by the lighting. Hard drive damage due to electrical surges will likely result in file loss. Beeping at startup followed by a failure to load the operating system could point to damaged memory modules.
Replacing Damaged Electrical Parts on a Computer
Parts may be removed when discovered to be faulty; however, be sure to read warranty information before working on your computer. Replacing basic parts, such as memory, won't usually void a warranty. The replacement of some parts, including PSUs, requires special attention to be paid to specifications. PSUs with equal to or greater than power-distribution capabilities may be used in computers, but using an older or less equipped PSU in a computer may damage the computer motherboard and other parts.
Tags: electrical surges, basic parts, computer motherboard, computer power, damage electrical, hard drive