Is power failure and voltage spike harmful to the computer?

If you have ever experienced a power outage while using a computer, you can understand the horror and frustration when all your effort is lost. While you are restarting your computer, do you think that a power outage could harm your computer? So what about the opposite of a power outage, voltage surge? Do these things harm your computer?

To answer these questions, see what happens in both cases, how they affect the computer's hardware and how to prevent unfortunate losses.

The computer has a sudden power outage

When the computer's uninterruptible power supply is interrupted, the parts of the computer will lose power to continue operating. This usually happens when there is a problem at the power plant or an indoor incident, such as a broken fuse. Then the whole computer will be turned off, regardless of the process. Turning off the computer is basically harmless because we often do it everyday! However, that does not mean that there is absolutely no risk.

The most likely problem when a power outage is data loss. If a power failure occurs when you are saving changes to a file, the file will be permanently stuck in this step. This may cause some data to be lost in the file or make it impossible to open. This won't be too bad when you're just editing your shopping list, but if you're doing something important or saving changes to an important system file, this could cause data loss or even causing the operating system to not work until power is restored.

How to resolve when the power goes out

If you continue to have a power outage, it is best to switch to a laptop. When a power failure occurs, you will not have to worry about lost data, as the laptop will automatically switch to battery power. Therefore, laptops are a smart choice in places where power is often lost.

Is power failure and voltage spike harmful to the computer? Picture 1

If you are required to work on a desktop computer, you can try using a uninterruptible power supply (UPS) instead. It is like a backup battery for your computer and you can use it when you lose power. This power cannot be used for too long but it is enough for you to turn off the computer and prevent data loss.

Voltage surges when using a computer

While a power outage does not cause too much damage apart from possible data loss, the voltage spike will be much more dangerous. This phenomenon usually occurs after a power outage or lightning strike.

Each electrical device in the house has a specific voltage level. When you plug in the device at the right time when the voltage skyrocketed, the device will be subjected to a higher voltage than the specified level.

If the voltage goes up insignificantly, it may only cause heat or photovoltaic to slow down parts of the computer over time. If the pressure goes up too large, it can affect all parts inside the computer.

For computers, the first component affected will be the computer's power source. If the voltage does not increase significantly or the power is made up of high-end components, the surge voltage may only destroy the power source. Otherwise, the increase in voltage, through power supply to the computer, may affect the main part of the machine. The problem now really starts.

Computer components cannot work well when they are outside the allowed range, so voltage spikes will affect all of these components. The motherboards, processors and graphics cards in the computer will be completely useless after a voltage spike. This is why it is important to protect the computer from the surge in surge voltage, especially for expensive computers. The surge voltage surge can kill your computer instantly!

How to solve when the voltage is skyrocketed

Is power failure and voltage spike harmful to the computer? Picture 2

When there is a thunderstorm and you are worried about your power cable being broken, turn off all electronic devices and unplug it as soon as possible. The increase in electricity cannot affect what has been unplugged!

Also, if possible, consider installing a protective device. This device will prevent the impact of weather-induced voltage increases on your computer and is often quite cheap (or at least cheaper than a new computer!)

Power outages and voltage spikes can damage computers in many different ways and severities. Now you know how this happens, how they ruin a computer, and how to prevent them.

Has your computer ever been damaged by a power outage or voltage spike? Please share with us your story below.

See more:

1. When the power goes out, how long will the computer turn off?
2. The simple way to fix computer errors is suddenly turned off
3. Differences between normal and power surge protection