Is it best to turn off your computer during a thunderstorm?

yes, i always do

you're right.

It depends on where your house is;)

Yes, this is true. The only way your computer would be safe is if your surge protector had the jules to protect your computer...also, your modem must be protected and you should have a full battery to keep your computer running. The safest bet though is always to turn it off.

It is always a good idea to turn it off to play safe..but at least have a surge protector and possibly a back up power supply in case you want to stay on the computer during a thunderstorm

I would recommend it, unless you want your computer fried!

Yea x.x you should always do that.

it will not "short out" your computer but it can damage it - especially if the lightening hits close to your system - voltage can inductively couple on the lines...power supplies today are built to handle lightening if it is not too close. A surge protector will definitely help - as long as it can cover the power requirements of the system. Surge protectors use things called Metal Oxide Varisters (MOVs) that will help from voltage spikes - lightening, for example. another thing to note - believe it or not, your electronics including TVs, radios, computers, printers, etc are all susceptible to lightening issues since the power switches are usually only rated to about 5000 volts - lightening can get as high as 100,000 volts - which menas that even though the power is off...the device can still be damaged... get a good surge protector to help with keeping your investment saf-er.

Not to just echo everyone else, but I figured that an actual experience may help to show you: One of my friends had a computer, with a surge protecter, and left it on during a storm. And guess what? It got fried. He doesn't know anything about computers, so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I can tell you that it doesn't work anymore.