Lightning, modems, and COM Ports

I went through a real bad storm yesterday. I had my computer powered off, but didn't have the phone line disconnected. After the storm, aside from the various other electrical malfunctions in the house, my computer won't log on to the net. I ran a bunch of diagnostics and they all come back with the same report. It seems that the modem is fine, but something else is accessing it's COM Port. I think that it is probably the modem, but I just wanted to check before I went out and bought a new one

Any Help?

falksdw

 

Falksdw
We had bad storms last year and received a surge down the phone lines, took out hundreds of modems up and down the coast. My laptop was completly fried but my husbands computer was I thought just the modem. After replacing said modem we still had the odd problem here and there which made gaming a bit tempremental but it basicly worked. Our real problem was me, I just couldnt leave it alone so I built a new one salvaging some parts and buing some new. Hope yours is just the modem. Alot of others who lost their modems here had no other trouble at all.
Stitch

 

thanks for your insight. due to the fact that I have a low profile case, I went ahead and went external with my new modem and things seem to be working fine.

falksdw

 

Power outages, Modem, Power Options questions..

Do you suggest even with a good UPS protection, we are to disconnect the phone line from our modem??

Last year lightning (probably as you say came through the phone line) fried my internal modem which in turn acted sporatically from then on, and within a few months my computer went up in smoke and died.

We live in a rural mountain area. We have had bad lightning storms the last 2-3 years especially. A few days ago we had another bad storm and lightning hit the utility line nearby.

I have a new and good CyberPower Power Suppressor w/Battery Backup which i believe saved my computer, yet the external modem may be messed up since!?

I have a new computer as of this Spring. I got an external US Robotics modem as well as the good CyberPower UPS as mentioned above. Lightning like i said hit nearby. I was powered down and off the internet. When our main power went off, the UPS took over and did its thing. The modem however seemed to take the brunt of the surge, as after the storm cleared i tried to connect and it was uninstalled. I finally got it re-installed and connected to Internet. Later i disconnected, powered down, and that night tried to re-connect and same uninstall occurred. For whatever reason this is still happening.

Also i cannot recall the original settings of the power options that my new Dell came with. I used to just "disconnect" at night and leave my desktop as is and then the Windows screensaver would come on, and eventually the computer was darkened and in low power(i think?) I liked that setting as if sat down and moved my mouse, my desktop came on instantly and i could click on my "connect" icon and be on the Internet once again.

I am awaiting my modem company to reply in regard to having a driver update as that may help my modem installment.
The first reply i received from US Robotics said there is a driver update for my modem, yet it needed to be put on 3.5 floppy and i opted not to have a 3.5 floppy slot on the new dell. Hopefully i can dl the driver update in another manner!?

 

Can't say because I don't have a UPS crystalwoman, but I disconnect my External USR modem from the phone line when wx threatens (even tho the modem is supposed to be protected by the surge protector) especially after I lost one to lightening. And it wasn't even cloud to ground lightening but cloud to cloud. Easier to disconnect than to lay out more $.

 

bobmc32: I read your post reply to my questioning. Thank you.

I will disconnect my external modem from the phone line whenever a storm is threatening from now on.

Does that then make you have to re-install the external modem once you re-connect your phone line?

 

crystalwoman - No, thank goodness, it's just a matter of re-plugging the jack back into the modem and you're back in business. Unplug from the wall jack or unplug from the modem, either way.

 

thank you PeteC and bobmc32 for your helpful advice. Happy Trails, J

 

During an electrical storm it's best to disconnect your PC(s) from ALL external lines, especially the modem. In my experience (and the experience of the above by the looks of it) there is a greater likelihood of damage from the telephone line than the power line, but that's in the UK where we have fairly stable and constant power supply.

I would recommend an anti-surge device that takes the power AND the telephone line too. And unless you have to continue to work during a storm it won't do amy harm to disconnect aswell.

Having said all of this I'm the worst culprit and don't prcatice what I preach, one day .............

 

With the good suggestion from someone to take the phone line out of the wall, that is what i have been doing. I never had thought of that. Thinking about it since too, i have heard the phone line is the greater culprit of the damage.

So far so good in regard to all working again. I know the CyberPower saved things and am most thankful my son bought me a good power system.

I had to re-install the USR modem and update the driver. After a few boots, the PC, modem, and WinXP were working like a charm.

Thanks again for all the advice and help, J