your computer has been damaged because you unintentionally relied on an expired surge protector to shield it during a heavy thunderstorm. It turns out that utilizing an expired surge protector is effectively equivalent to not having one at all.
Surge protectors function by employing metal oxide varistors (MOVs), which are resistors that depend on voltage and are prone to deterioration. They can fail over time or with repeated usage. Generally, these elements protect your devices by absorbing and directing excess voltage from electrical surges or other voltage irregularities (AI might even be causing some of these outages). However, your surge protector is considered expired once its MOVs have been fully depleted. Fortunately, there are clear indicators you can look for to establish whether your protective device is no longer functioning as intended. Functional surge protectors usually feature a status light indicator to confirm they are working; otherwise, their LED indicators may be off when they ought to be lit, or they could display a color different from what is usually expected.