Computer Working.. But..

[Mitchell]

My computer, which was a gift from my mom, just three years ago, in August 2011, and had been working perfectly, suddenly has a problem.

Everything was fine. I was online tonight, when suddenly lightning flashed. After that, and since.. there is a bluish tint with lines on the computer, and also some red lines.

At first I thought maybe it was my battery, so I shut the computer off, and let it recharge. No. I turned it back on, and the same thing. A tint, with bluish, and red lines.

I don't know what's wrong with it, or how, if anything can fix it. As everyone knows, I need the computer to communicate with work now, so it's important that it works properly.

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Bohemianne]

The lightning damaged your PC. You should buy a surge/lightning arrester next time, otherwise, just don't use the PC when there is any onset of lightning.

 

[Mitchell]

I have a surge protector. I think you're right about lightning damaging my PC. That's unfortunate. As long as I can use it, I'm just going to press on. A new computer isn't in my budget right now.

Thanks, Boh.

 

[Nedstacey2]

At first I thought maybe it was my battery, so I shut the computer off, and let it recharge. No. I turned it back on, and the same thing.

From that I'm guessing you have a notebook/laptop? If so, there ought to be a port where you can connect an external monitor to it. With that and a mouse you can plug into one of the USB ports it also surely has, as long as the problem is just with notebook/laptop's screen you should still be able to make this system work for you, if a bit awkwardly.

 

[Mitchell]

Yes, I do have a laptop.

Thanks for the advice. I will look into it.

 

[Mitchell]

For a change, the WPVI website seems to be working this morning.

It's strange.. the site itself is fine.. No lines or anything through the newscast itself. When they go to break, the same red/blue lines that are on when I'm on another website, are there too. Whatever happened may have damaged my computer, but not the video player etc.

As long as it works, I'll just use it.

 

[Jericho716]

Why were you on the computer during a lightning storm anyway? Safety first. The internet will always be there when you return.

If you need a new computer, are you eligible for a work-provided laptop? I would look into that. Most legitimate jobs will provide employees with one.

 

[Mitchell]

I didn't know there was a lightning storm, Jericho., The first flash of lightning came, I got off the computer, and then when I got back on this happened.

I doubt I'm eligible for a work computer, as I'm considered an independent contractor with Aflac. All of my supervisors and co workers have their own computers that they bought themselves for work.

 

[Jericho716]

I didn't know there was a lightning storm, Jericho., The first flash of lightning came, I got off the computer, and then when I got back on this happened.

I see. Well, at least you're safe. I'm more concerned about personal safety in a lightning storm than I am about that of electronics. There's always somebody who is able to repair electronics like computers.

I doubt I'm eligible for a work computer, as I'm considered an independent contractor with Aflac. All of my supervisors and co workers have their own computers that they bought themselves for work.

You should explore this or inquire about it. Perhaps somebody would have a recommendation or be able to offer a discount. If not, maybe you'd be able to purchase one and have it deducted in small amounts from paychecks, instead of paying for it all at once. That makes it much easier. Still, if you just need a basic laptop and don't want anything fancy, you can get a new or refurbished one for pretty cheap nowadays.

At the very least, if you purchase a new computer and say that you use it for mostly work, you'd be able to deduct it from your taxes at the end of the year. I did that years ago when I purchased my iPad. Think about things you're going to purchase for work (like a home office) and take advantage of that.

 

[Mitchell]

Thank you for the advice, Jericho. I will look into it.

 

[sophilos]

Hey, Mitchell!

... the site itself is fine.. No lines or anything through the newscast itself. When they go to break, the same red/blue lines that are on when I'm on another website, are there too. Whatever happened may have damaged my computer, but not the video player ...

Sounds from that as though the video components in your Ethernet adapter were damaged. You can replace the adapter with an external adapter attached through a USB 3.0 port. Use one of the ports attached directly to the motherboard.

It's an obscure point to those whose savvy lies on the other side of the hardware. A laptop usually will have fewer ports than a desktop. If your laptop is set up on the desktop, with freestanding monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and perhaps a headphone and a backup drive, you might not have a USB port to spare for a simple key drive. I use a "spreader", a device that plugs into a port on the back of the laptop, leaving the front ports available, and offers four ports for use with slow peripherals like a keyboard or a mouse.

When you need quick response with a minimum of errors, as with reading a drive, you want to connect to the onboard USB circuitry as directly as you can. Peripherals like a spreader may not fully support the speed and reliability of USB 3.0. Yet modern key drives support volumes in the GByte range.

Don't worry about piping your Ethernet through USB 3.0. 3.0 runs five times as fast Gigabit Ethernet. You'll be in new hardware by the time you have to worry about it again.

Good luck, Mitchell.

 

[Mitchell]

Thanks for the advice, soph. I will look into it.