Aradan Kir wrote:not sure if surge protecting power supplies cope with lightning strikes, but might be worth looking into...
Yes, they're supposed to do that. Not all of them will, though. Look for UL, ETL, or CSA ratings, as any licensed by these groups (says on the packaging) should be good enough. And not all power strips are surge-protected at all - some are just extension cords. If it doesn't say surge protection on the package, it's not surge protected! I'm not sure if homeowner's insurance will compensate you fully if your computer wasn't on a surge protector in the first place. But if it
is running with protection, they should cough it up.
Also, if you
were on a surge protector, look at that unit's documentation (you did keep it, didn't you?), there may be a warranty or guarantee you can take advantage of. APC advertises a
"lifetime equipment protection policy" and a "lifetime data recovery warranty" on almost all, if not all, of their products. Props to you if you can get both warranty reimbursement and an insurance check.
Also, the better ones also surge protect your modem conncetion (phone, DSL, or cable) and in some cases can do the same for Ethernet. Even better are UPC bricks, which are a battery so you can power down your unit properly when your house loses power. They're really not that expensive.