Why doesn't anything work?

Haha... My stuff just works, usually. Except at the office, where it needs to work, and therefore doesn't. And always at the least beneficial time...like the copier breaking when I need to process 3 tax returns.

 

a really good and entertaining read! but yea, i live in constant fear of something about to go wrong. its too random.

i have a maxtor drive which gives me worries sometimes. if my fans change speed a little i notice the noise and i get all edgy.

not that anything has happened...but thats the point. its random. i might wake up tomorrow and it simply wont boot, then i have a whole week finding out the problem.

 

I was thinking about writing a column along the same lines... not had a good month with hardware this month - can't wait for July to end...

 

Haha...why, what blew up on your end, biggles?

 

things just not working as they should do... long story

 

ive had a few hdds completely corrupt randomly after turning off my computer and ive had to buy new ones so i can load XP again and get my mechine to work.
my front usb ports cannot be connected to my mobo otherwise my computer will not boot.
oh and the best of all...
the caps on my motherboard decide to start leaking when i dont have enough money to buy a new motherboard (damn epox and thier year of bad caps) so im stuck with out a pc for my 3rd week.

oh and i also have a chronic issue with windows(2k) deciding it doesnt want its system files anymore and automatically deleting them so i go from 200+ files down to 20 or so and i cant turn my computer off till i find someother hd to run it on and remove everything and reinstall. but i think everyone has had windows probs like that

 

My keyboard occationally holds a letter untill I press that key again (usualy during CS matches)

My arcade machine though easily within my WAPs range refuses to see it though it can see the next door neighbours wifi. My laptop when positioned ontop of my arcade machine can see both, with strong signal on mine and a weak signal from the neighbour.

My DVD-RW has to be threatened with the words "I'm going to RMA this peice of sh*t" every few months... it'll make 4 or so coasters in a row then after the threat it works flawlessly (I have no idea why, but I find threatening technology with a technition always seems to help)

My microwave's LCD has gone dodgy, only showing a few segments of the display. I could fix it but I'd risk the microwave gremlins going into somthing deeper. (of all the troubles I've had with that microwave, a slightly dodgy LCD I can cope with.)

My TV has lost the ability to store channels, unless I open the little flap slightly, then magically it works. (no buttons or sensors on the flap.. just pixies, clearly)

Oh and I have a 512 stick of DDR on the side that only seems to work in one motherboard. all other boards refuse it see it.. I've tested it, it works flawlessly.

 

To their credit Logitech is sending me a whole new Dinovo keyboard and mouse set. It seems the USB part of the receiver has blown. Kind of strange but the only thing not working on my original set is the mouse. They are great cause they let you keep the defective set - in my case just the receiver is bad so the mouse, keyboard and media pad all work.

 

The problem migth be that we take a working suystem as an opportunity to add more hardware and screw things up.

I liek to have two working boxes if at all possible so when I screw one up I can al least look up what I need to do on the net!

 

The one I loved was when I went over to my brother's house to set up a wifi network so that the (233mhz celeron :|) computer in my nephew's bedroom could go online to pbskids and nickjr

damn usb wifi dongle
damn usb support for windows 2000
damn other stuff

1.5 hour - fresh 2k install on old celeron machine from my brother's office
-went perfect
15 minutes - trying to get the drivers for the usb wifi dongle to work
-didn't work - the drivers on the cd were F^(#ed -
30 minutes - finding and downloading drivers off the internet for the no-name generic usb wifi dongle
-Worked. They were a pain to find, but I got it to work. The driver install program said I needed a reboot, but I was online without one. In fact, I couldn't connect to the base station downstairs, but I could connect to the neighbors access point accross the street - no problem. Yeah - I'm done.
10 minutes - reboot
1 minute - complete total windows crash
10 minutes - reboot
1 minute - complete total windows crash
10 minutes - reboot safe mode
15 minutes checking stuff out
-everything looks ok
10 minutes - reboot
1 minute - complete total windows crash

10 minutes cigarette, beer, deep breaths

1.5 hours - re-install windows
20 minutes - double check everything -
10 minutes - install the internet driver for the generic POS usb wifi dongle (Uh - lucky for me I had burned it to a CD when I was moving from the computer with internet access to the one I was working on....)
10 minutes - reboot
1 minute - complete total windows crash

10 minutes - another smoke and start another beer.
15 minutes - uninstall driver and reboot
-Everything (except stupid little generic no-name usb wifi dongle) works
30 minutes - google more drivers and other problems.
-No luck

10 minutes - good healthy theraputic swearing
15 minutes - re-install driver, reboot
1 minute - complete total windows crash
15 minutes - uninstall driver and reboot
-Everything uckingfay works. except for the usb wifi dongle
1 hour - solid, no kidding, a complete hour - google problems with this usb wifi dongle - finaly find something in some message forum and then a link back to one of the 3 companies selling this device manufactured by cheap taiwaneese sadist demons in hell -

-known bug - windows 2000 will not boot if this damn thing is plugged in.
-Fixes (I was so happy when I saw this link) -click-
-unplug dongle before booting - then plug it back in after windows is loaded.
That's when I just about lost it.

This computer is for my 4 year old nephew. (Now 5)

I begged my brother to let me go buy something from linksys but he refused to let me spend any of my money - I was helping him out after all. (He also refused to spend any of his money.....)

Temporary solution - computer always on.
Permanant solution - my brother returned the usb dongle and bought one from d-link. I came over and spent about 20 minutes getting it to work a week or two later.



That's all.

 

ohhh thats what u call a moan

 

I've had the same kind of issues with the iomega 120gb external drive i got for christmas. It works great at school, but as soon as i plug it into the firewire at home then one day it works flawlessly, and stays that way for quite some time, until i install MCE 2005, and then POOF! gone again. Samething with my ti4200, worked great under xp pro for tv out, install mce and BAM! won't even see the connection.

[EDIT]
Turns out the drivers for mce only support the fx series and up. Should've checked.
[/EDIT]

 

I think PC-hardware/software attracts a little nano-virus, wich messes things up. But in all honestly, I have alot less trouble with my macintosh. I know its a big cliché and granted there is alot less hardware/software choice.

But still, I love my powerbook and the smooth way everything works and interacts.

L

 

You're touch of death back in force then, eh? I keep telling you those wolly undies cause too much static

Chris, your first 3 paragraphs are a Freud-fest. First two are about not being able to get things up, the 3rd is about how things hang, and finally this:

needs me to say nothing else.

 

User error tbh

 

@bindi,
That is just so wrong...I can't read it any other way now...

And computers run on smoke...when you let the smoke out, they don't run anymore.

 

And the car's a VW.

I'm frequently amazed at the tales of woe from people who've cracked their cores fitting heatsinks, pulled capacitors off boards while plugging in a molex, installed popular software that won't run for them, got viruses, deleted important files...

The computing world is full of ham-fisted incompetents. Thank God they aren't plumbers or builders.

ps: My chair behaves like Chris's but I put it down to age and playing with the knob too much.

 

This thread is really just turning into smut now!

 

so i get a fat contract and decide to do a little shopping with the deposit.

1. buy 2405fpw +1905fp lcd's

2. UT04 doesnt run very well off the old fx5700 @1920*1200

3. order 6600gt

4. all games +6600gt cause restart

5. support says its a power issue

6. antec says its a power issue

7. get new power supply

8. doesnt work, same issues

9. try to hook up old 5700 while i rma the 6600gt

10. 5700 decides to not support native res of 2405fpw

11. meanwhile dell sends me another monitor that i didnt want

12. and charges me for it.

12. dell wont pay to ship back the other monitor, even though i didnt order it. they insist i pay shipping.

13. bank account on hold while i dispute

14. no new components work correctly (except power) and its doubtful now that my antec tp550eps was ever at fault.

 

My ever faithful Brother HL-1440 has for some inexplicable reason just given up the ghost. Whenever I switch the poor thing on it initiates an incredibly complex, and frankly stylish, symphony of flashing LEDs that either indicate something amazingly unfathomable is going on or it is it's attempt at communication having developed sentience. Work is still very much ongoing to map this outstanding display of LED showmanship into what one might reasonably consider to be a loose interpretation in the English language.

Meanwhile my Griffin Powermate that once exhibited a tempremental nature rivalling any entity, human or otherwise, from the latin quarter has now developed a nasty case of narcolepsy, i.e. you turn it on and it turns off.