A week after an islandwide power outage left thousands of O'ahu residents in the dark, computer repair technicians are still seeing a steady flow of customers coming in with damaged computers.

The problem? Fried computers that likely were damaged by power surges when the electricity was turned back on.

Repair shops are seeing more people than usual with equipment that was left useless following the outage. Some people said they delayed repairing their computers until after the holiday, some used a second or third computer as backup, while others found out just recently that their computer is no longer working.

At Super Geeks, general manager Todd Kingman said December is typically a slow month for repairs, but in the days following the Dec. 26 blackout, business has more than tripled.

"The beginning of the week was definitely busy — phones off the hook, people standing in line. It was crazy," Kingman said. "As the week has progressed, people are still discovering that their computers are in fact bad. A lot of people, I guess, just didn't jump on their computers right away and they're noticing days later that their computer is bad."

Kingman said computer technicians across the island experienced a similar surge in business following the October 2006 earthquakes and blackout. He said the most common problem two years ago and again this week has been damaged power supply boxes, which distribute power to the computer. Luckily, he said, the power surge is usually stopped by the power supply boxes and doesn't travel to the rest of the computer.

Some computers, however, suffered damage to the mother board, hard drive, processor or other parts and often may not be worth repairing. Kingman said if the estimates reach $400 or $500, it's sometimes better to get a new computer than repair a damaged one.

Phillip Lau, owner of Royal Data Services, said he also saw a slight increase in customers to his tiny Pauoa shop after the outage. But Lau, who has been in business since 1982, said it's difficult to prove that the power outage and surge is to blame.

"The power supply is the weakest link. We sell them for $35," Lau said. "They're not made very well, so basically any type of spike will take it out. Power supplies are weak and it could be a coincidence."

Kingman and Lau said the most important thing to do when there is a blackout is unplug a computer. They said just turning off the computer won't protect it from a power surge.

Kingman said computer owners also should purchase a battery backup, which costs between $60 and $80. He said battery backups provide a higher level of protection than surge protectors, which he said are "too risky."

"The battery backup is basically a surge protector with a battery integrated into it," Kingman said. "Surge protectors get the large spikes of power, but the battery backups, they get the large spikes and small spikes. The small spikes hit the battery and won't let it past that."

Lau also agreed that most surge protectors sometimes don't work for sensitive electronic equipment, such as computers and high-definition televisions.

"Turn it off and unplug it, or make sure your surge protectors are shut off because the surge protector really doesn't help anything," Lau said. "They can cut off in so many nanoseconds, but the surge sometimes is faster than that."