Hardware

Convicted of endangering their computers?

By · July 9, 2007, 1:09 AM PST · billdetwiler

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  • Plants need water--most computers don't

    Just because you can take your laptop into the bathroom, doesn't mean you should. Unfortunately, users often ignore common sense and place expensive computer equipment in harms way. From soft drink spills to duct-tape fixes, these users are support calls just waiting to happen. I recommend they all be convicted for endangering their computers.

    Posted by Bill Detwiler
    Section Editor, TechRebuplic

    Sure, a few plants add a nice Zen quality to your workspace, but this user is ignoring the first rule of mixing computers and vegetation--don't put the plants above the electronics. Water runs downhill.

    © Webshots - emily_ak

    © Webshots

  • Computer desk or garbage dump?

    By hiding the computer under a mountain of trash, this user is cleverly protecting it from would-be thieves. I can hear the user asking a support tech "Is grease in the power supply a bad thing?"

    © Webshots - jipjob

    © Webshots

  • Watch where you sit

    This user is letting her computer "air dry" after a friend spilled a beverage on it. Although the spill is bad enough, my favorite aspect of this picture is the laptop's precarious position on the desk chair. I would hate to see this ThinkPad become a $1,500 seat cushion. Luckily, the user has applied an overabundance of colorful stickers to the machine's top that will alert passers by.

    © Webshots - nikiwfu

    © Webshots

  • Sink full of keys

    This hungry user spilled Ramen noodles all over her keyboard. Hopefully she'll be able to put all the keys back together again.

    © Webshots - audder100

    © Webshots

  • Peach-flavored laptop

    This user spilled peach schnapps on her laptop. What's funny about her situation is that she's following her friend Katie's advice for "tent drying" the machine. How did Katie know what to do? She spilled hot chocolate on her Dell laptop, and Dell Support suggested this very technique. This user should have learned from her friend's mistake and not kept open containers of schnapps around her laptop in the first place.

    © Webshots - katelyn928

    © Webshots

  • Duct tape wiring job

    Undeterred by a broken power cord, this enterprising user mended the cable with duct tape. I'm a huge fan of fixing problems with duct tape, but not exposed wires. She should have replaced the power cord or, at the very least, used electrical tape. I see call to tech support in her future, or the fire department.

    © Webshots - jaxx121

    © Webshots

  • Death by fruit punch

    Another case of a keyboard cut down in its prime by a careless spill. The keyboard functioned for a short time after the spill, but quickly gave up the ghost.

    © Webshots - midolm

    © Webshots

  • Kids and Dell Dimensions eat mac and cheese

    Although not as serious as a liquid spill, solid food can still gum up CD drives, power switches, and ports.

    © Webshots - eyesclosedtight377

    © Webshots

  • Some spills have a sliver lining

    This user reported getting "a new, better computer for free" because of the spill that lead to this drying session. I wonder who footed the bill for the replacement--the retailer, the vendor's warrantee, or an insurance plan.

    © Webshots - onelovetmc3

    © Webshots

  • Waiting to chase the mouse

    Nothing improves a laptop's performance more than cat hair! Heck, I doubt this laptop is going to last long enough for the hair to be a problem. This laptop is sitting so far over the edge, a sudden move by our sleepy feline could send the machine onto the floor.

    © Webshots - mere8414

    © Webshots

  • Bathroom laptop

    I saved the best for last. Yes, laptops are portable computers you can take almost anywhere, but come on! The bathroom is a veritable mine field of laptop dangers--water, hard floors, soap, slippery surfaces. Did I mention the water? This user may get lucky and never have an accident. But my cynical side knows better. This ThinkPad will likely end up in pieces on the ceramic tile or fried in the sink.

    Submitted by fritchbitch

    © Webshots

Plants need water--most computers don't

Just because you can take your laptop into the bathroom, doesn't mean you should. Unfortunately, users often ignore common sense and place expensive computer equipment in harms way. From soft drink spills to duct-tape fixes, these users are support calls just waiting to happen. I recommend they all be convicted for endangering their computers.

Posted by Bill Detwiler
Section Editor, TechRebuplic

Sure, a few plants add a nice Zen quality to your workspace, but this user is ignoring the first rule of mixing computers and vegetation--don't put the plants above the electronics. Water runs downhill.

© Webshots - emily_ak

© Webshots

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By Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop support specialist in the ...

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