Redford's Small Computer Adventure!
<div class="IPBDescription">The adventure is small, not the computer</div>You can't tell it from here, but I am currently typing this from the other side of the room, on my new carpet. In fact, we got the entire upstairs re-carpeted today. That was a small adventure in itself since we had to be constantly moving stuffs around my upstairs today. It was also quite non-eventful. This short story is what happened with my computer after this. Since it was detatched from everything (so to speak) I opened it up and gave it a going over with a dustrag and the portable can of air known as "my lungs". After I was done I closed it up and we got everything moved onto the desk and plugged it in. Nothing. I was confused and worried because I had a problem with my old computer. Which is to say, I plugged it in and nothing happened, which is what was happining right now.
I give things the once over, and try diffrent power outlets to no avail, it starts up for a moment, begins to access the boot, and then just suddenly stops. Then I notice somthing intresting - the power light isn't blinking on when I plug it in, and the HD light isn't flashing. I look around near the power switch inside, and BINGO! There is a loose noodle cable! HA HA. HA. I use a flashlight, find a probable suspect, and plug it back in. My computer starts. And then, it bombards me with 10 "windows has recovered from a serious error" messages from when I tried to power it on without a hard drive.
Lessons learnt:
1. Windows error reporting can range from "annoying" to "totally freaking useless".
2. I need to dust my computer more often.
3. I am a total wuss when it comes to inhaling dust.
I give things the once over, and try diffrent power outlets to no avail, it starts up for a moment, begins to access the boot, and then just suddenly stops. Then I notice somthing intresting - the power light isn't blinking on when I plug it in, and the HD light isn't flashing. I look around near the power switch inside, and BINGO! There is a loose noodle cable! HA HA. HA. I use a flashlight, find a probable suspect, and plug it back in. My computer starts. And then, it bombards me with 10 "windows has recovered from a serious error" messages from when I tried to power it on without a hard drive.
Lessons learnt:
1. Windows error reporting can range from "annoying" to "totally freaking useless".
2. I need to dust my computer more often.
3. I am a total wuss when it comes to inhaling dust.
Comments
Tell us about your carpet!
The DVD drive in my parents' computer died. We had no idea why, just stopped working. So we yanks it out of the compy, and not knowing what else to do, we opens it up. Turns out there was a spider's nest on the circuit board. "im in ur computerz, webbing ur circuits!"
Optical drive? Say that reminds me...
The DVD drive in my parents' computer died. We had no idea why, just stopped working. So we yanks it out of the compy, and not knowing what else to do, we opens it up. Turns out there was a spider's nest on the circuit board. "im in ur computerz, webbing ur circuits!"
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I was having trouble getting/staying online a while ago. The modem would sync up. So I was messing around with stuff, just because. I opened up the jack, and it turns out that there was a tiny little spider living inside. It had corroded one of the connectors with some acid stuff. After a speedy eviction and cleaning of the jack (which involved scrubbing the connector with a sandpaper-like metal thingy until it shined again), my connection is working just fine.
[EDIT:] I'm disappointed in you, lolfighter. I never thought you'd lower yourself to a 'in ur base' joke. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />
Perform threadromancy and I'll KEEEEEL you.
Also, the new carpet is brown and is giving off new carpet fumes, which I have been breathing in allelejjoido oa dsdijaji suw uadsaoxnasandd njsjadld adsl.
Hmm, Windows reporting recovery when you tried to boot without a hard drive connected...
Now, unless that isn't the only drive in the PC, Windows wouldn't boot, because the drive wouldn't either be powered, or hooked up to the IDE/SATA connection. No power = no drive. No data connection = drive not detected/used.
Errors would appear to be from BEFORE you did anything...
Oh Catfjord, what had you done to that poor OS? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />
Protip: Those cans of compressed air actually work a lot better than your lungs, especially if you're allergic to dust.
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Note: Tipping them upside down and spraying them is really cool. Try spraying it into a cup of water for extra awesome.
[EDIT:] I'm disappointed in you, lolfighter. I never thought you'd lower yourself to a 'in ur base' joke. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />
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Hey, if <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/article/3040/tue-dec-19" target="_blank">Scott Kurtz</a> can do it, so can he. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
The story was that you blew air into your computer?
Please tell stories from the war or something grandpa <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
Addendum to said tip previously mentioned. Do not tip them upside down and spray onto skin for extended periods of time.
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Additonal addendum: Don't spray them upside-down into the computer, either, unless you're rather cavalier with the parts.
--Scythe--
Yes.
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redford the adventurer! he moved all the way across ... his bedroom.
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Made my day x-D
The DVD drive in my parents' computer died. We had no idea why, just stopped working. So we yanks it out of the compy, and not knowing what else to do, we opens it up. Turns out there was a spider's nest on the circuit board. "im in ur computerz, webbing ur circuits!"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
On an animals-in-places-they-shouldn't-be note I bought a new-to-me car about 6 months ago and the heater smelled kinda funny. I thought nothing of it because it had been sitting a while and the whole car was a little funky at first.
Several weeks later I take it to Speedy to get it's oil changed. The mechanics at Speedy find a dead squirrel on the radiator and graciously offer to remove it. Unfortunately for them the ants in the antnest that had colonized the squirrel were none to happy about their suggested move.
The guys at speedy were still stomping ants and running around looking for a can of RAID when I left. Serves them right for replacing my Mom's windshield wipers several times without asking.
edit: There's a 'd' in windshield