What to Do When Your PC Fails After a Lightning Strike: A Personal Experience

If you’ve ever experienced a sudden power loss during a storm, you know how terrifying it can be—especially if you’re using your computer at the time. Recently, I faced this very situation, and it left my PC in a state of uncertainty. I’m here to share my experience and offer some insights for those who might find themselves in a similar predicament.

The Incident

While I was engaged in work on my computer, a fierce lightning storm rolled in. Suddenly, with a crack of thunder, a lightning strike occurred nearby, causing my PC to spark from within before shutting down completely. In the moments that followed, I attempted to power it back on, but to no avail. There were no signs of life: no lights flickered, no fans whirred.

Troubleshooting the Damage

Determined to get to the bottom of the issue, I opened up the casing to investigate further. After resetting the CMOS in hopes of a reboot, I still encountered the same frustrating silence. It quickly became apparent to me that the power supply unit (PSU) might be the culprit. Upon inspection, I discovered signs of melting inside the PSU itself.

Realizing I was in over my head, I took my computer to a professional. The technician replaced my old PSU, a Litepower 650W from Thermaltake, with a new one. However, despite this effort, my PC remained unresponsive. As I left my setup in the technician’s capable hands, I found myself filled with anxiety about what kind of damage I might be facing.

Considering the Damage

I started to worry about the state of my entire system—would the motherboard be able to recover, or had the incident caused more extensive damage? Given that the router connected via Ethernet had also been struck and ceased to work, it was a challenging situation. Thankfully, I noticed no burnt smells within the computer casing, which offered a glimmer of hope.

The Resolution

In a surprising turn, the technician later informed me that the only component that had sustained damage was indeed the motherboard. Thankfully, this meant that my other components—such as my Intel i3-3220 processor, 8GB of RAM, and GTX 980 graphics card—were intact and could be reused.

Conclusion

Experiencing a lightning strike while using your PC can be a nerve-wracking ordeal. However,