Lightning Strike: Now i have Yellow/Amber solid lights no ethernet

[Storx]

I was in the other room when we had a massive loud/near by lightning strike with just sprinkling rain.. everything in the house shut off for a split second and i heard a pop sound from my computer office. My computer was plugged into an OLD UPS power supply, but the computer was no longer powered on. After a few minutes i started up the computer when the storm passed but nothing, seems the UPS is shot now it wont even turn on itself. After swapping it all over to an old surge protector i had, i noticed the computer case had that distinct electronics burnt smell and when i rubbed my arm against the side of the case when unplugging it.. the case made my arm tingle..

I opened the case, viewed everything and see nothing viewing to be burnt, so i plugged the surge protector in and started up the computer, it boots.... got hung up the first time booting into windows, but i reset it and it actually booted into windows this time.. everything appears to be working fine, but the Ethernet port is no longer working and has a solid yellow and amber light on it. i tried another Ethernet cable with no change.. i have a usb wifi dongle which when i plugged it in works for now.. but thinking the lightning may have wiped out my Ethernet port, but im very confused because the UPS was only plugged in electrically, the ethernet wire was coming from the port on the wall which comes from the main router in the house..

 

[vrumor]

You should find out why you were getting a shock just by touching your PC. Something is grounding somewhere it shouldnt.

 

[Dugimodo]

The tingle could have been anything, check with a multimeter for voltage on your case if you are worried or if it's definitely there.
As for the ethernet port, yep sounds like it's fried. Is it onboard or a separate card? Also try a different port on the router as it could be damaged at that end too.

If lightning is close enough it can induce current into any piece of wire regardless of if it's on or not, think of it as an incredibly powerful radio signal and the wire as an antenna and you might get the Idea. In any case it's entirely possible for an ethernet port to be damaged this way, if incredibly unlucky.

Also while surge protectors can be useful against power faults and UPS's can protect you from sudden power outages neither one can really help much against lightning, it's just beyond their capabilities. A nearby lightning strike can induce very high voltages into things, and a direct hit will blow through anything.

To give you an Idea of the energy involved, the earth cable used on lightning protectors in telecommunications cabinets on the roadside has to be run as near as possible in a straight line to the ground. If it has a bend in it some of the lighting will jump out the corner, through the insulation, through the air to ground, taking the shortest path. Even then those very expensive protectors don't always work and are destroyed in a lightning strike even if successful in protecting the equipment.

 

[InvalidError]

Did you try a different port on the router? If your PC's LAN port doesn't work regardless of what you plug into it, the lightning surge must have found a way in/out of your PC through the Ethernet port, your router and some other connected equipment such as the cable/DSL modem and coax/phone line.

The tingle must be a bad ground somewhere between your PC and utility/building ground. Could be your surge protector, somewhere in the in-wall wiring or the building ground itself.