2 power cuts in a row - how do I check for damage, and protect myself in future? (United Kingdom)

[sjain]

Hey,

 

So I had a nasty power cut when using my computer, I was playing CS:GO. This was disastrous for me last time.

 

So I unplugged the whole surge protector / extension cord for my PC and waited 1 hour.

 

Later, I boot up my PC and there seems to be no damage. It boots up just fine into Windows with no hiccups.

 

So, I boot up CS:GO, since I was playing it. It booted up just as fast and seemed normal.

 

Then, I saw a minor error with "radiopanel.txt" in the console, which I never never had in my time playing CSGO since 2015. Since I use the radiopanel (press Z, X, C to say things like Enemy Spotted), and was using it during the cut, I figured it may have been corrupted so I quit, uninstalled through Steam, deleted the folder from Steamapps and re-installed.

 

It works well, so stupid me gets hooked on the game. Then the lights flicker and buzz and my monitor goes blank. At this point I'm ready to die. (Ignore that)

 

So I have not turned on the PC. I slept and now it's the morning. There is no longer any info about a power cut on the official site.

 

Aside from using CrystalDiskInfo to check SMART readings, and listening to hard drive noise, how else can I check for damage?

 

Info (from here)

 

• Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
• Full PC Specs: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/6LN7d6
• Software running during the crash: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive DirectX9, Google Chrome 61
• I will not start the PC until I have replies
• I will re-install CS:GO fully, goes without saying
• Game was installed and running off the SSD in the list.

All help is widely appreciated.

 

Kind regards,

sjain

[Cyberspirit]

@sjain If you have a surge protector then everything is fine.

Power-cuts mostly lead to data loss but they don't damage your system. 

 

[JohnnyCorporalTech]

to protect yourself from future damage from black outs / brown-outs, you may want to invest in a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), which is basically a big battery that can keep your PC running for long enough to shut it down smoothly. These can be quite expensive mind you. 

You will want to find one that will support the power requirement of your PC. You can use this tool:

https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

 

Also your PC should be fine, you can use windows built in System File checker tool to check for consistancy: 

 

details here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system

 

[sjain]

36 minutes ago, Cyberspirit said:

@sjain If you have a surge protector then everything is fine.

Power-cuts mostly lead to data loss but they don't damage your system. 

 

Thank you! But surely power loss without shutdown can damage an SSD? I've seen it on many reliable sources online. Also, same goes for my HDD.

 

Thanks for your response. Please understand that I want to take every precaution with my data

[sjain]

40 minutes ago, JohnnyCorporalTech said:

to protect yourself from future damage from black outs / brown-outs, you may want to invest in a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), which is basically a big battery that can keep your PC running for long enough to shut it down smoothly. These can be quite expensive mind you. 

You will want to find one that will support the power requirement of your PC. You can use this tool:

https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

 

Also your PC should be fine, you can use windows built in System File checker tool to check for consistancy: 

 

details here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system

 

Thanks for your lengthy response.

 

Yes, I will try sfc /scannow. On the first power cut I did it and luckily found no resource violations.

 

The site you linked to calculate power requirements retuned 830W.

 

So I'm sure it would be recommended to get a 900W or 1000W UPS, right?

 

I will probably not buy one but this information will help me in the future when I may purchase one.

 

Many thanks for your help.

[0x1e]

47 minutes ago, JohnnyCorporalTech said:

to protect yourself from future damage from black outs / brown-outs, you may want to invest in a UPS (uninterruptible power supply), which is basically a big battery that can keep your PC running for long enough to shut it down smoothly. These can be quite expensive mind you. 

You will want to find one that will support the power requirement of your PC. You can use this tool:

https://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

 

Also your PC should be fine, you can use windows built in System File checker tool to check for consistancy: 

 

details here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system

 

Power cuts can damage PC's.

Depending on what cut the power it can deliver very dirty power into your house.

A surge protector should protect you from this, but not all are fast enough.