Computer Issues after a Power Surge

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Is your computer having trouble starting after a power outage? Is the external hard drive not working after a power outage and follow-up power surge? This post is for you. Sitting in front of the computer and watching the black screen for a few minutes could seem like an eternity. That’s the case when you know the power outage and the follow-up power surge have likely fried something in your PC.

It can be annoying to experience computer issues after a power surge, especially if you’re in the middle of an important project or about to complete a difficult task. However, a few tips can help with your specific issue.

Learn about computer power surge symptoms to know when to call a professional technician. Keep reading to learn about computer issues resulting from a surge.

The computer Won’t Start After a Power Surge.

You will know you have fallen victim to this dreadful incident where you’re rushing to use your computer, and it won’t start! Your PC requires a constant stream of power. However, power outages are common, and they can disrupt how you use your PC.

While a power outage may damage your PC, the real concern is when the power returns. A power surge can have a more drastic impact on your PC and its components. Sudden electrical power spikes after an outage can damage your power supply.

To remain prepared for these issues, ensure you remain proactive and learn about computer issues following a power surge, especially if you live in a neighborhood where power outages are common.

How a Power Surge Can Damage Your Computer

As stated earlier, power surges right after power outages can be responsible for a computer not starting. Power surges can damage your system in a lot of ways, including:

  • Fried motherboard
  • Fried and non-functional hard drive
  • Non-functional capacitor (doesn’t hold a battery charge)
  • Reduced performance quality (slower processing)

Computer Power Surge Symptoms

Learn about computer power surge symptoms to quickly confirm the issue. Normally, a computer’s power supply can withstand a serious fluctuation before being permanently damaged.

So, your computer might show symptoms before completely blacking out. In the case of a power supply issue, you can contact a technician to replace it safely with a new one.

Signs to Watch Out For

Your computer may show one or a combination of the following signs after blacking out due to a power surge:

  • The computer might not start.
  • The display screen will show “No Signal” or any other prompt indicating that the CPU isn’t sending input-output signals.
  • The computer might start and produce sounds but won’t produce any display on the screen.
  • The computer might start lagging and slowing down a lot.
  • The computer might trigger the backup batteries and UPS alarm.
  • Surge protectors appear “blown.”
  • Inline fuses may be out of order.

Some damage from a massive electrical storm might not appear instantly when using your computer.CD-ROM failures and GPU damages might take weeks to show. Therefore, you should proactively assess your computer’s health after a power surge.

External Hard Drive Not Working After Surge

Is your external hard drive not working after a power outage or surge? In that case, you may be experiencing one or a few of the following error messages during the booting process:

  • ePSA error code 0142
  • hard disk 3F0 error
  • other DST error

You may notice other error messages or hardware status responses if your hard drive has failed due to a power surge. Consider your hard drive “fried” if any related issues pop up during booting and your computer doesn’t start.

In that case, having your important files and data backed up in portable storage or another external hard drive can be a huge relief. Here’s how you can get your computer up and running after an external hard drive failure due to a power surge.

Steps You Can Take

  1. Try turning on the PC.
  2. Remove the hard drive from your CPU.
  3. Place it on another PC and try to read from it.
  4. If the hard drive works on another PC and you reset it, place it back in your CPU.
  5. Reach out to a professional data recovery lab like Gillware if unsure how to proceed.

Wrap-Up

Power surges accompany power outages most of the time. Some major damage could include loss of system files, data corruption, and hardware failures. Sudden electric power surges can even short-circuit your motherboard and power supply, leading to a black screen when you try using your computer.

After learning about the computer power surge symptoms, check for issues. Then, you can call a professional technician to repair your computer hardware and software. That way, you can dodge any unexpected computer failures!