I'm an expert. I own a computer.

[Hippie_Tech]

I had a customer bring in a computer and wanted a NIC installed. He said he had tried to install the NIC himself, but couldn't get the NIC drivers installed.
We physically installed the NIC and hooked up the cables and hit the power switch. Nothing. No sounds, no lights. We then took the NIC out and turned it back on. Again nothing.
We flipped it on it's side and started disconnecting everything to get a better look and check for loose connections. We noticed a little discoloration on one of the chips. Burnt.
We immediately called him up and asked him if he realized it wasn't booting. He said he was aware, but thought it was because he hadn't installed the NIC correctly. When we asked him what he did when he installed it, he told us that when he installed it Windows kept prompting him to install the NIC driver. He didn't know where to locate the driver on the CD so in order to boot without getting the message for driver installation, he decided to try to trick the operating system. With the NIC out of the machine and the case open, he booted into Windows. Once it was finished booting, he physically inserted the NIC into the PCI slot while the machine was running. :eek:
Quick, someone bring me my LART. :D

[Poseidon]

It's takes all kinds. . .
Well at least you can think of it as job security.

[Milenko]

[quote]Originally posted by Hippie_Tech:
<strong>he decided to try to trick the operating system</strong><hr></blockquote>

Sadly, it seems that the OS tricked him into frying his mobo............

[korpse]

Sometimes I am amazed at what people do to their computers. I just don't get why people who have no idea how a computer works try and install hardware themselves. You don't see people who have no idea about cars trying to install a turbo...o well

[Matridom]

[quote]Originally posted by Hippie_Tech:
<strong>I had a customer bring in a computer and wanted a NIC installed. He said he had tried to install the NIC himself, but couldn't get the NIC drivers installed.
We physically installed the NIC and hooked up the cables and hit the power switch. Nothing. No sounds, no lights. We then took the NIC out and turned it back on. Again nothing.
We flipped it on it's side and started disconnecting everything to get a better look and check for loose connections. We noticed a little discoloration on one of the chips. Burnt.
We immediately called him up and asked him if he realized it wasn't booting. He said he was aware, but thought it was because he hadn't installed the NIC correctly. When we asked him what he did when he installed it, he told us that when he installed it Windows kept prompting him to install the NIC driver. He didn't know where to locate the driver on the CD so in order to boot without getting the message for driver installation, he decided to try to trick the operating system. With the NIC out of the machine and the case open, he booted into Windows. Once it was finished booting, he physically inserted the NIC into the PCI slot while the machine was running. :eek:
Quick, someone bring me my LART. :D </strong><hr></blockquote>

I've seen this happen before.. The worrisom part is, if you tried installing the nic BEFORE booting the system, he could claim YOU fried it....(i've seen one guy claim that) I ALWAYS boot the computer before doing ANY work.

BTW, the lusers are bad, the techs sometimes are worse.... I saw one tech FRY the mobo on a subs machine, then tried to make a deal with the sub . I pay half. you pay half.. Needless to say the tech paid for everything..

[Draggar]

[quote]Originally posted by korpse:
<strong>Sometimes I am amazed at what people do to their computers. I just don't get why people who have no idea how a computer works try and install hardware themselves. You don't see people who have no idea about cars trying to install a turbo...o well</strong><hr></blockquote>

But its these people who give stores extra $$$ for their idiocy.

[goinpostal]

User error pays the rent!

[Outcoded]

[quote]Originally posted by korpse:
<strong>You don't see people who have no idea about cars trying to install a turbo...o well</strong><hr></blockquote>

Errr, (think brain think), I'd better say no. ;)

[deseqer]

[quote]Originally posted by Matridom:
<strong>

I've seen this happen before.. The worrisom part is, if you tried installing the nic BEFORE booting the system, he could claim YOU fried it....(i've seen one guy claim that) I ALWAYS boot the computer before doing ANY work.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

I have been burnt on this a couple of times. Now the case does not come off until the system is powered on.

[+Daemon+]

:confused: :eek: :eek: <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[+Daemon+]

[quote]Originally posted by Milenko:
<strong>

Sadly, it seems that the OS tricked him into frying his mobo............</strong><hr></blockquote>

ummmm...1 word!

Microsoft

[KINGofBLEH]

Never try to trick your OS. You will always get burned......LOL


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

:D :D :D :D

[silencio]

LOL. My Dad did this one time with a modem. It was an asus board and the machine never flinched. It actually prompted him for the drivers after he plugged it in. God I wish I had an extra board lying around just to try this myself. :D

High end servers already support hot plugging PCI cards...

[TrackMan]

I plug and play light bulbs. :D It burns your fingers though. :(

[gxavier]

[quote]Originally posted by TrackMan:
<strong>I plug and play light bulbs. :D It burns your fingers though. :( </strong><hr></blockquote>

After a few hundred bulbs, your fingers dont feel a thing!!!

[Outcoded]

[quote]Originally posted by gxavier:
<strong>

After a few hundred bulbs, your fingers dont feel a thing!!!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Or to speed it up, take up soldering ;)

[ilovetheusers]

Yup. I love these guys.

[Fubarian]

I feel better -- I use to have a comp that ran super quiet and I pulled the nic out while it was on (1st time I locked win2k) but didn't fry anything...scared the hell out of me though :D

[FatalException0E]

Yeah, once in a while I'll be working on some weird proprietary machine that just goes into standby when you hit the power button.....then realize that I've been unplugging parts from a machine that's fully booted up.

[Radical Dreamer]

[quote]Originally posted by FatalException0E:
<strong>Yeah, once in a while I'll be working on some weird proprietary machine that just goes into standby when you hit the power button.....then realize that I've been unplugging parts from a machine that's fully booted up.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Th old blue Compukes do that.

[D@ve]

I'm amazed, it's just like when users don't read error messages they just click OK and then phone for support with the opening line "My Computer's got an error"!

[gtiseb]

had one of my users do that to his home machine (i was talking about it in the chat room) last month. comes to see me and tells me he got some more ram for his pic put it in and the pc died and wouldn't start again after that. Long story mad short, I finally realised he tried to stick the ram in while the pc was on and fired his pc's *** to hell.

Here's h is punchline : "you mean you have to turn of the computer before you put the ram in?"

I almost cried myself into a heart attack from laughing so hard!

yeah buddy go change your spark plugs while your car is running.

[Gollo]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by gtiseb:
<strong>yeah buddy go change your spark plugs while your car is running.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

[Quiet Thunder]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by gtiseb:
<strong>yeah buddy go change your spark plugs while your car is running.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Better yet, I knew a guy that once chainged his oil with his car running. It seems he wanted to listen to the radio, and didn't want to drain his battery. I bet you all can guess what happened.... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />