Computer hardware user stupidity.

[Abstract Hero]

Whether it be breaking something you've been working on because you were over aggressively installing it or frying a part because you lacked brain cells at that moment everyones had a face palm, cursing, case kicking, baby punching moment or 2 where all **** breaks loose.

I want to hear about yours because I've made a few today and it will make everyone who's done it feel a tad bit less stupid to see who else has and what they did.

I'll share 2.

1.
Trying to snip a zip tie I nicked a p4 power wire and almost went through almost rendering my psu useless.

- Off topic dog nail clippers (with the round cutting area) are THE BEST for zip ties. Cut loose ends super clean and can cut off even the tightest ties. -

2.
In a moment of laziness and being a tad bit overzealous i tried rotating a fan into a different position while it was running. It got my thumb at 4500rpm, cut it pretty bad, swung on the final screw and broke a fin while biting away at my heatsink.

So lets hear them.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Years ago, I put a motherboard in a case. I didn't put standoffs on it. I fried the board.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

When I was younger, about 13 I decided to touch my heatsink to see how hot it was, needless to say, my thumb got caught in the fan, busted a few blades, and ripped my thumb nail off.

My most recent but accidental accident was when I was working on a computer, we 97F outside, no telling how hot it was inside, and I was sweating a lot, well, I was over the motherboard with it on probing something with the multimeter and a drop of sweat landed on the mobo, bye bye mobo -.-



Never work on a PC when drenched -.-

 

[Abstract Hero]

My most recent but accidental accident was when I was working on a computer, we 97F outside, no telling how hot it was inside, and I was sweating a lot, well, I was over the motherboard with it on probing something with the multimeter and a drop of sweat landed on the mobo, bye bye mobo -.-



Never work on a PC when drenched -.-

Lol I've always worrried about that one. I almost had it happen with my blood luckily it landed on my hand not the gpu.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Blood? I'm not going to ask...

 

[Abstract Hero]

Blood? I'm not going to ask...

haha just when i cut my finger on the fan nothing extravagant.

 

[kmote]

Bent a rear IO shield (motherboard, not expansion slot) in frustration once. Years later I rebuilt the old machine in a new case straightening out the shield before I did (yes I keep bent IO shields).

Once I was holding a fan in my mouth when it started up. I don't remember how it happened.

Once I dropped a screw into a (brand new at the time) tagan PSU. I was only about 75% sure it was in there so I was hunting around on the floor as well. I didn't want to open it up and void the warranty, nor did I want to switch the PSU on in case it was in there. After probably 2 hours I was about to give up and assume I has lost the screw on the floor when I saw it wedged in there. Must have taken another hour to get it out.

Once, I removed an HDD cage that was vented with circular holes about as wide as my thumb and I was holding it in one hand whilst doing something with my other hand. For no reason I can remember, I decided to toy with the cage by spinning it around on my finger. Big mistake. The inside of the hole was very sharp indeed and the cage cut me cleanly right around my finger.

I was overclocking a computer a few years ago and the overclock didn't take. I rebooted the machine but the screen stayed blank. I rebooted again and still nothing, so I start panicking a little bit. It probably only took a few minutes (but felt a lot longer) to realise that the monitor was stuck in standby mode, I switched the monitor off and on again and hey presto. I must be getting old, because that one feels quite recent but I know it wasn't because the monitor was my old CRT

 

[Abstract Hero]

I hate when the simple things get the best of me lol

 

[Slaymate]

Before cpu's came with Thermal Protection I know I burnt up at least a dozen Athlon XP's and I've permanently disabled even more video cards. When trying to remove memory heatsinks I've pulled more than just a few of the chips off of several sticks. I've damaged so much stuff it's depressing to think about it all.

 

[PositiveKaram]

My older brother was building his computer a few years back, he had the PSU PLUGGED INTO THE WALL while installing the Motherboard (You know where this is going). He plugged the power pins into the Motherboard and fried the sucker.