What to check on PC after a power outage?

[JohnnyGui]

Hello guys,

So I just bought a brand new PC and while I was in the main menu of a game (GTA V) someone caused a power outage, thus cutting the power to my PC.

After turning the electricity and then my PC back on, I did the following to check if there are any problems:

1. Run checkdisk on my SSD; says there are no problems and 0 bad files
2. Run "/sfc scannow" from the command prompt: it found no integrity violations
3. Run CrystalDiskInfo to check S.M.A.R.T data for my SSD: Health is at 100% and all the parameters that I should worry about have a raw value of 0 (no errors).

Do these tests show that there is luckily nothing wrong with the PC? Or is there anything else that I should check in addition to these tests, like running a thorough "chkdsk /r" command or a RAM diagnostic test for example?

I might be exaggerating but it's a brand new PC that I don't want to wreck from the start.

 

[clutchc]

You're fine. Unless you have incredibly dirty power in your area, that is a normal occurrence that modern PCs are designed to handle. I've lost count of all the times I've lost power while on my PCs. You are plugged into a good quality surge suppressor-type power strip, right?

 

[Giroro]

Honestly if it turns on, then more often than not you will be fine.
I've had power surges from lightning damage computers before, but either they wouldn't turn on because of PSU damage or the modem got fried. Always use a good surge protector.
If you lose power while in the process of saving a file, sometimes that file can be damaged or corrupted but that is pretty much never going to break your computer - more like something annoying like lost work. So I guess you can load up GTA V and make sure your progress is still there - which it will be because you were only at the menu.

If you still want protection from power loss and possible data loss in the future, then try an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which is basically a surge protector with a battery built into it.

 

[JohnnyGui]

You're fine. Unless you have incredibly dirty power in your area, that is a normal occurrence that modern PCs are designed to handle. I've lost count of all the times I've lost power while on my PCs. You are plugged into a good quality surge suppressor-type power strip, right?

Thanks for your fast reply. My PC is connected to a power strip indeed. But I don't know how to check if it's surge-protected. Also, what do you mean with dirty power?

Honestly if it turns on, then more often than not you will be fine.
I've had power surges from lightning damage computers before, but either they wouldn't turn on because of PSU damage or the modem got fried. Always use a good surge protector.
If you lose power while in the process of saving a file, sometimes that file can be damaged or corrupted but that is pretty much never going to break your computer - more like something annoying like lost work. So I guess you can load up GTA V and make sure your progress is still there - which it will be because you were only at the menu.

If you still want protection from power loss and possible data loss in the future, then try an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which is basically a surge protector with a battery built into it.

Thanks for the advice. Just out of curiostiy, could a power outage also damage the RAM memory since it was occupied when it happened?

 

[JohnnyGui]

Btw, I read that my PSU (a Coolermaster Lite 700) has several features to protect against power outage (OCP/OVP/SCP/OPP/OTP) but I'm not sure if these features are sufficent to an extent to protect my PC.

 

[clutchc]

Only continued use will tell if you have any damage, which I highly doubt. Butit depends on how clean your area's power is. Wild voltage fluctuations, spikes, brown-outs, electrical 'noise', surges...
Most U.S. cities don't have those issues, but if you live in certain "other" cites, the power can be very dirty.
Find out if you have a surge protector power-strip. If not, it is recommended that you get one. And not necessarily a Wally World special, either.

 

[JohnnyGui]

Only continued use will tell if you have any damage, which I highly doubt. Butit depends on how clean your area's power is. Wild voltage fluctuations, spikes, brown-outs, electrical 'noise', surges...
Most U.S. cities don't have those issues, but if you live in certain "other" cites, the power can be very dirty.
Find out if you have a surge protector power-strip. If not, it is recommended that you get one. And not necessarily a Wally World special, either.

I live in the Netherlands and it's highly improbable to have dirty power with the things you mentioned.

One question though regarding the power outage that I experienced because I'm not sure if it was a surge or not. The power outage occurred when someone connected a device in the kitchen and then the fuse caused a short circuit (and thus the power outage) to prevent a high current running through the house. Does this mean that there was no surge to the PC but merely the power going off?

 

[clutchc]

Oh, you're referring to a local power disruption. In your residence. I thought you meant an area-wide power outage. That's even less likely to cause any issues for you. It sounds like a simple circuit overload, and the fuse/circuit breaker did its job by interrupting service. No sweat. I wouldn't spend another moment worrying.

 

[JohnnyGui]

Oh, you're referring to a local power disruption. In your residence. I thought you meant an area-wide power outage. That's even less likely to cause any issues for you. It sounds like a simple circuit overload, and the fuse/circuit breaker did its job by interrupting service. No sweat. I wouldn't spend another moment worrying.

That's a relief to hear. Thanks a lot for your info!