Is lightning dangerous to computers?
923031
very, i lost everything in my computer once because of lightning. if you're sure to unplug your computer whenever theres a storm coming, you should be alright
1131034
neither just full of lightning...LOL! It's me 10 points.\neverything_sweet_npink♥
837796
It could be several things. Without troubleshooting it in person, it's hard to tell. Was there a storm? If so, lightening may have come in on it, even if you have it plugged into a surge protector. The surge protector may be faulty. It could be any one of the components in your computer. From the very expensive processor to a cheap modem card.
268659
There are no uses for lightning I've seen in my research. However, I did discover the Empire State Building has been struck by lightning over 100 times per year, and the Benjamin Franklin has a part in something that was described on the wikipedia about like static electricity only on a much grander scale.
1115689
There is a lot of factors that could go wrong, so if you are really worried about it, you should probably shut down.  Surge protector, properly grounded electrical system, and other factors will make it less risky though.  It may be worth the risk.
1183282
NO.\n\nIt is only an effect of a cloud being illuminated by a distant lightning flash.
653201
Although it may be plausible to arrest (and use) lightning, it is an awesome force, unpredictable and lethal too.  There are often several strikes in quick succession following the initial ionized path.  See the link for other statistics.  Lightning also seeks the easiest path to ground and may be difficult to direct and evenly divide.  The voltage surge must be divided and reduced to never exceed the maximum allowed voltage of the capacitors to prevent damage.  Splitting the cable will likely divide the available current, but not the available voltage which may be millions of volts between your target and ground.  You can plug two devices into a wall outlet and several more devices on the same circuit within a room (that 'split' the wire) and all will 'see' the same voltage (unless you exceed rated current and blow a fuse).  Capacitors are often thin layers of foil wrapped with insulating paper between the foils (not much of a gap to arc across).  Good luck!
1104023
Not likely.  Most modern pc's have built in protection against external frequencies.
420212
Thats because it it Internet Explorer, use Firefox and it wont happen. If lightning struck your power source there would be a lot more trouble than web pages.
409594
Lightning can and does strike houses, but seldom with any injuries or fatalities. Stay away from electric appliances, electrical outlets, exposed plumbing, and don't talk on the phone unless its cordless. Never take a bath or a shower during a thunder and lightning storm. Avoid windows, and unplug the power cords to your computer, including the telephone cable going into your modem.
66731
All computer chips are vulnerable to electrostatic discharge [ESD]. an example of ESD can be seen when on a cold dry day you touch a metal object e.g., a doorknob and you see a spark.\n Locate the chip in your body,  put on a pair of leather soled shoes,rub the shoes across a carpet and then touch the general area of the chip. It will not hurt you and the chip will not function anymore
5816
I would recommend not.  Two years ago, my Sony Vaio's telephone modem suddenly stopped working during a lightning storm.  The lights hadn't dimmed or anything, so I thought it was just a glitch.  The technician said that just because the power supply was protected by a surge protector, the phone line (which was not plugged into a surge protector) experienced a surge when a telephone box blew a few blocks away (it was a bad storm, but I just had to check my email).  The surge wouldn't have hurt someone on a normal phone, but was just enough to disrupt my delicate computer.  So unless its urgent, or you can work off the power grid (like a laptop), I'd just leave the computer turned off in a storm.
617158
A good surge protector will normally take care of any problems. However, I had a lightning strike in my back yard and it blew out my entire pc even with surge protector. I recommend shutting off your pc during a thunder storm.
1108755
I'm almost sure that you would be completely safe, because the lightning would be attracted to the rubber tires, which would then charge the lightning to the ground.
138725
You're right--lightning is just a spark. BUT it's a spark caused by massive voltage. Voltage can be defined as a difference in electrical potential between two points, with one point having a high negative electrical charge, the other a high positive electrical charge. This difference in electrical potential can become enormous when a thunderstorm gets going full force.\n\nRain and/or hail in the storm clouds are violently rubbed together by high-velocity winds, thus building up a net negative electrical charge (abundance of electrons). On the ground below the clouds no such action takes place, thus the ground has a net positive electrical charge (deficiency of electrons).\n\nEven though air is a very good insulator, the difference in electrical potential (voltage) between the storm clouds and ground can quickly reach as high as 500,000 volts, more than enough to produce a lightning "spark."
742265
Lightning causes relatively few deaths.\nSnowstorms cause far more.
260652
Glass is non-conductive and was used as an insulator in homes and electric poles.  Since glass is non-conductive, lightning is not attracted to it and will not strike it.\n\nIf lightning could somehow be induced to strike glass, the most likely result would be that the bolt would melt a hole through the glass and continue to something more conductive on the other side.  There is very little chance that the glass would catch fire as silica (the basic material of glass) is not considered to be a flammable material.