And Thor struck my PC . . . . .

[Castout]

And one of the chips on the motherboard just popped . . . . . And now couple weeks later I'm using a new rig and a new modem and finally made the jump to Windows 7. Well I'm still holding on to the old GPU and PSU but I think I'm going to replace those in February too. The cable modem was really hard to find. It turned out most people never heard of cable modem before.....and those who did told me it has not been sold for quite a while because demands are always rare. My ISP offered a second hand cable modem but when I spotted a funny pasted on MAC address which code is commonly used to spoof MAC addresses I decided to buy myself a new one. I'll disconnect the tower power and everything on the modem next time. Lesson learned.

[HunterICX]

get a UPS

besides it's function as a battery to keep the pc alive when the power goes out so you can shut down the PC it also protects the PC and other devices (modems, printers, etc) that are connected to it from power surges.

just make sure the model/brand also has the protecting features, as some UPS's cover different power problems.

HunterICX

[Castout]

Hey thanks for the suggestion I'll ask around and perhaps get myself one soon

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by HunterICX

get a UPS

besides it's function as a battery to keep the pc alive when the power goes out so you can shut down the PC it also protects the PC and other devices (modems, printers, etc) that are connected to it from power surges.

just make sure the model/brand also has the protecting features, as some UPS's cover different power problems.

HunterICX

An ups will not protect you against Thor's wraith. The only way to be sure a lightning strike will not take out your electronic equipment is to disconnect said equipment from the electric grid when there are thunderstorms.
You can say its old school but it works, guaranteed 100%. This of course if your equipment doesn't have to stay online 24/24, 7 days a week, 356 days a year.

The only use for an ups is to give the pc some minutes of relieve while the power goes out momentarily and to smooth out relatively minor power spikes.
Once you understand the limitations of an ups you're good to go. But don't think for a moment that spending 300-400 $ on a midrange smart ups from apc (just an example) will protect your equipement all the time.
It simply doesn't work that way.

[Castout]

Thanks Goldorak. I've read similar comments too.