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Everyone on this forum seems to know what they're talking about, but let's face it, none of us are all-knowing. So what are your all-time greatest PC stuff-ups?
In my time I've built around a dozen PCs from scratch, and upgraded and repaired many more - so I like to think I know quite a lot about hardware (and the delightful world of IRQs), but I've dropped the ball in embarrassing style several times along the way.
Private humiliation no. 1: build a PC; turn it on; get 'bizaare' POST messages re keyboard error...spend two hours pushing power switch and ranting about a fried motherboard (ahem)...realise that 'keyboard error' may have some significance...swap keyboard with a better keyboard...get the same error message...do further ranting...have brain wave...swap mouse and keyboard around...PC works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
Private humiliation no. 2: install a Geforce 3 card; push power button; nothing happens...shout and swear about stupid, supposedly AMD-approved PSU...look accusingly at various fuses...hit front fascia in despair - and hear a delightful click...push power button; power goes on; everything works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
So that's my story. Nothing wrong with getting stuff wrong that you know nothing about, of course. But when you take a certain pride in your knowledge...well, it's soul-destroying. Fess up, people.
In my time I've built around a dozen PCs from scratch, and upgraded and repaired many more - so I like to think I know quite a lot about hardware (and the delightful world of IRQs), but I've dropped the ball in embarrassing style several times along the way.
Private humiliation no. 1: build a PC; turn it on; get 'bizaare' POST messages re keyboard error...spend two hours pushing power switch and ranting about a fried motherboard (ahem)...realise that 'keyboard error' may have some significance...swap keyboard with a better keyboard...get the same error message...do further ranting...have brain wave...swap mouse and keyboard around...PC works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
Private humiliation no. 2: install a Geforce 3 card; push power button; nothing happens...shout and swear about stupid, supposedly AMD-approved PSU...look accusingly at various fuses...hit front fascia in despair - and hear a delightful click...push power button; power goes on; everything works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
So that's my story. Nothing wrong with getting stuff wrong that you know nothing about, of course. But when you take a certain pride in your knowledge...well, it's soul-destroying. Fess up, people.
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*Waits for Luke to mention a certain DDR DIMM*
I don't think I've had any really stupid guwuffs with PCs, apart from buying an HHD with the selling point "It was rained on, but it'll all be ok, honest guv".
Oh, actually...
I once screwed over eject of my CD-ROM. Basically, it wouldn't, despite it not being mounted and many calls of "eject -r". Annoyed at the prospect of losing 6 days' uptime, Luke suggested I remove the power to it and then plug it in again, resetting the CD-ROM.
So I did.
It unplugged OK, and after about half an hour of trying to plug it back in again, it suddenly connected and probably tripped a breaker. The PC promptly died with a very unhealthy sound. I twas OK in the end though, no damage. I hope.
I don't think I've had any really stupid guwuffs with PCs, apart from buying an HHD with the selling point "It was rained on, but it'll all be ok, honest guv".
Oh, actually...
I once screwed over eject of my CD-ROM. Basically, it wouldn't, despite it not being mounted and many calls of "eject -r". Annoyed at the prospect of losing 6 days' uptime, Luke suggested I remove the power to it and then plug it in again, resetting the CD-ROM.
So I did.
It unplugged OK, and after about half an hour of trying to plug it back in again, it suddenly connected and probably tripped a breaker. The PC promptly died with a very unhealthy sound. I twas OK in the end though, no damage. I hope.
Er, mobo? Apart from various screwdrivers in to them ,and forgetting some stupidly obvious jumpers, I can't remember any..yet to screw my BIOS..
Oh yes, the infamous gf2 out the window..that's still working, sitting in a box in the corner somewhere..I really shouldn't be allowed to work with such expensive equipment, heh.
Oh yes, the infamous gf2 out the window..that's still working, sitting in a box in the corner somewhere..I really shouldn't be allowed to work with such expensive equipment, heh.
What about the mobo and the window phil?
It is, I'm known for getting very stressed when PCs don't work when they should, after this much experience with them I guess I should know better..
1) When I was about 7, playing with the 286 in my room and trying to free up some space on the pitifully small hdd. I'd deleted all the files in a directory (believe it was lemmings), so when I did a dir/w I got:
Directory of C:\games\lemmings\
[.] [..]
Being young and stupid, I tried to delete these too, with "del ..". I ignored the warning, and promptly deleted the entire contents of the hard drive, not knowing that it referred to everything below that subdirectory. Oh dear.
2) I'll throw this in for my mate, as he did it to my hardware..inserted cd in to 5.25" drive and repeatedly hammered it until it was impossible to get out. Cheers for that Will =P
3) Finish fitting nice new XP1600, chuck hsf on, power on..oops. Never "chuck" a hsf on to a cpu, wasn't attatched properly and quickly fried the chip. Damn. Got it RMA'ed anyway, no physical damage to the chip they could find.
4) Proper example of me being stressed while working with PC - finally finishing off building this box, inserted the drive in to the bays on the front (antec sx1030b).
Except my DVD drive wouldn't fit.
So I got a hammer.
The rail's a bit bent, and the eject button doesn't work any more, but the drive still reads DVDs (fairly impressively, heh), so I just have to rip the thing open with my hands when I want to use it..
All I can think of for now, I'm sure there will be more..
1) When I was about 7, playing with the 286 in my room and trying to free up some space on the pitifully small hdd. I'd deleted all the files in a directory (believe it was lemmings), so when I did a dir/w I got:
Directory of C:\games\lemmings\
[.] [..]
Being young and stupid, I tried to delete these too, with "del ..". I ignored the warning, and promptly deleted the entire contents of the hard drive, not knowing that it referred to everything below that subdirectory. Oh dear.
2) I'll throw this in for my mate, as he did it to my hardware..inserted cd in to 5.25" drive and repeatedly hammered it until it was impossible to get out. Cheers for that Will =P
3) Finish fitting nice new XP1600, chuck hsf on, power on..oops. Never "chuck" a hsf on to a cpu, wasn't attatched properly and quickly fried the chip. Damn. Got it RMA'ed anyway, no physical damage to the chip they could find.
4) Proper example of me being stressed while working with PC - finally finishing off building this box, inserted the drive in to the bays on the front (antec sx1030b).
Except my DVD drive wouldn't fit.
So I got a hammer.
The rail's a bit bent, and the eject button doesn't work any more, but the drive still reads DVDs (fairly impressively, heh), so I just have to rip the thing open with my hands when I want to use it..
All I can think of for now, I'm sure there will be more..
Everyone on this forum seems to know what they're talking about, but let's face it, none of us are all-knowing. So what are your all-time greatest PC stuff-ups?
In my time I've built around a dozen PCs from scratch, and upgraded and repaired many more - so I like to think I know quite a lot about hardware (and the delightful world of IRQs), but I've dropped the ball in embarrassing style several times along the way.
Private humiliation no. 1: build a PC; turn it on; get 'bizaare' POST messages re keyboard error...spend two hours pushing power switch and ranting about a fried motherboard (ahem)...realise that 'keyboard error' may have some significance...swap keyboard with a better keyboard...get the same error message...do further ranting...have brain wave...swap mouse and keyboard around...PC works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
Private humiliation no. 2: install a Geforce 3 card; push power button; nothing happens...shout and swear about stupid, supposedly AMD-approved PSU...look accusingly at various fuses...hit front fascia in despair - and hear a delightful click...push power button; power goes on; everything works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
So that's my story. Nothing wrong with getting stuff wrong that you know nothing about, of course. But when you take a certain pride in your knowledge...well, it's soul-destroying. Fess up, people.
In my time I've built around a dozen PCs from scratch, and upgraded and repaired many more - so I like to think I know quite a lot about hardware (and the delightful world of IRQs), but I've dropped the ball in embarrassing style several times along the way.
Private humiliation no. 1: build a PC; turn it on; get 'bizaare' POST messages re keyboard error...spend two hours pushing power switch and ranting about a fried motherboard (ahem)...realise that 'keyboard error' may have some significance...swap keyboard with a better keyboard...get the same error message...do further ranting...have brain wave...swap mouse and keyboard around...PC works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
Private humiliation no. 2: install a Geforce 3 card; push power button; nothing happens...shout and swear about stupid, supposedly AMD-approved PSU...look accusingly at various fuses...hit front fascia in despair - and hear a delightful click...push power button; power goes on; everything works...assume foetal position and sob with happiness.
So that's my story. Nothing wrong with getting stuff wrong that you know nothing about, of course. But when you take a certain pride in your knowledge...well, it's soul-destroying. Fess up, people.
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