my advice is to get a refurb dell from their website. cheaper and an
as-new warranty. AND get a fr*ggen UPS. Get one with dataline
protection for the phone and network. And cable too I guess. If the
cable modems are yours, then definitely protect that too. APC has
lightning protection coverage. And on their surge suppressors as
well - which have phone, dataport and cable protection too. My house
was hit by lightning three weeks ago and it took out a dozen light
bulbs in the house (so far), an outside yard light (melted and fused
the innards!), one cable convertor box and - since I was outside on
the porch when the bolt hit - it rang my bell as well... But the
home network just kept chugging along...
At 07-03-2005 at 14:09, Shakespearean monkeys danced on
scott.hall@comcast.net's keyboard and said:
>so I'm up in the attic running the cat-5 yesterday and I hear
>thunder. we've lost three cable modems already and a slew of vcrs,
>etc. so I get down as quick as I can and race towards the
>computer. as I'm running through the living room a shotgun goes off
>out the back door and *sparks* (I kid you not) shoot from the vcr in
>the living room. I make it to the computer room to find the
>computer dead and the lights in that room off.
>
>long story short, the vcr is toast, the cable modem probably is too,
>and the computer won't power on. the shotgun sound was the
>telephone network interface box on the back of the house exploding
>and shooting off the siding into the back yard. for some reason the
>coax cable goes in there, too. the phones are all dead, and the two
>things hooked to the cable are too (vcr, modem/computer). the modem
>*may* not be dead, since the cable service seems to be out as well
>(the cable t.v. box will not receive a signal) and I can't get turn
>on the computer to verify it anyway. but I'll assume it's gone. I
>figure the surge went through the coax into the modem, and then into
>the computer and/or the surge protector it's attached to. then it
>popped the breaker on that room (that's why the lights were
>out). that's the only breaker that popped.
>
>so I'm pretty convinced now that the coax was the problem all along,
>and maybe not the utility line.
>
>but the computer was my question. I guess if I'm lucky, it was just
>the power supply that was fried and I can swap it. but to tell the
>truth, I was looking to upgrade anyway, so I wouldn't be crushed it
>I could put in a faster processor. but...that was talking over my
>head as I have no idea how to accomplish that. I looked at the
>component parts at comp usa yesterday, and I figure if I can
>assemble an engine, I can put together a computer, but is it crazy
>to even think about it? should I just toss it and buy new? I'd
>like to end up with two anyhow, so fixing the old one is preferrable
>even if I have to buy a new one in the interim.
>
>my biggest question is how can/do I test the components? I have a
>voltmeter, but it's the standard home/auto kind. is there a way to
>tell what's toast without just swapping in new parts? I'd like to
>at least have a go at it before I pay comp usa $99 just to diagnose
>the problem. or am I a moron to even consider it, and these are
>very delicate parts not to be fooled with by mere mortals?
>
>thanks in advance...I'm kinda weirded out with no 'net access at home...
Cheers!
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