Blackout

Updated: 02/07/2022 by Computer Hope
Utility workers fixing electrical power lines

Alternatively known as a power outage or power loss, a blackout describes any situation with no power. When a blackout occurs, the home, office, or school has no power, which causes any powered device without a battery or generator backup to stop working.

Tip

If your area experiences frequent blackouts, we recommend purchasing an SPS (Standby Power Supply) or UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) for your computer and other essential equipment to help prevent damage and corruption.

Computer problems after a blackout

After a power outage, it's not uncommon for computers that are not protected to experience problems such as being unable to boot or turn on. If your computer is not powering on after a blackout, follow the steps below.

Brownout, Power failure, Power terms, Rolling blackout