capnq is in trouble, and may need our help

[Possum]

Our old pal capnq has been the victim of a hardware upgrade gone horribly wrong.

Here's what he posted in the forum for our PBW game -

Hey, everybody,

yesterday I attempted what should have been a minor hardware upgrade. I botched it so badly that I'm going to have to ask for professional advice on whether the computer is salvagable. (I'm posting this from the public library.)

If my computer can be fixed, I should be back online before Kaspar gets back. If it can't, I'll probably have to get a replacement player for the Mi-Go.
capnq


What a prince, eh? To actually bother going to the library and informing us wtf was up, in the middle of a nightmare like that.

So, anyhow, that's all the information I have atm, but I'm sure poor cappy is hurting real bad right now.

Argh, losing your bawx....I shudder to think what that would be like.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Well, I don't know much about hardware, but if I think of any relavent suggestions...

[Ed Kolis]

What exactly did he try to upgrade, and how did he botch it?

[President_Elect_Shang]

The biggest problem seems to be not grounding yourself. Maybe he did that and fired the motherboard or CPU.

[Fyron]

Not grounding yourself is one of those urban legends...

[Renegade 13]

I know for a fact that I fried the motherboard in my computer about a year ago due to messing around with the guts while on the carpet (static electricity). I know, I know, a stupid thing to do, but I'm good at doing moronic things from time to time http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Possum]

Like I said above, guys, that's all the information I have.

I was hoping he might have posted here, but no luck, eh?

[Atrocities]

It is possible that he simply got saddeled with busted hardware. I cannot count the times that I have bought components that were bad or failed shortly after purchase.

Especially components made or have parts included in them that were made in china. They simply do not hold up.

[President_Elect_Shang]

You might think it is urban legend but I have worked on enough electronics to know that it is a fact. If you don’t discharge by touching something first you could arc with an object that has a charge; such as a computer, or a floor lamp with a 20 dollar circuit card. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif First hand experience. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Randallw]

bugger. When I clear the dust out of my computer I sit it down on the carpet and take the side off before blowing air into it. I did the same thing when I insalled the DVD burner. Mind you the carpet is not very thick.

[geoschmo]

Static electricity frying pc boards is definetly not a myth. But it's one of those things that's inconsistant enough that you could go your whole life and never fry a board if you were a little lucky. Because of this many people that tinker around and build computers as a hobby think it's a myth because it's never happened to them.

Almost nobody that does it for a living things it's a myth though, because the more of them you do the better your chances of having it happen to you.

[MrToxin]

Well, I happen to be a giant computer nerd...I'll help if I can, when we find out what the problem is.

[Fyron]

Do you people regularly operate on live computers?

[Phoenix-D]

It doesn't need to be live, Fyron. Just bad luck in where the spark hits.

[Possum]

Imperator Fyron said:
Do you people regularly operate on live computers?



Oh heck yeah, Fyron http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

What I really like to do is put on long fuzzy socks, shuffle across the long shag carpeting in my living room, insert my p3n0r in the electric socket, and then grab the motherboard with both hands...

[MrToxin]

Imperator Fyron said:
Do you people regularly operate on live computers?



Well, yeah...no point in operating on dead ones unless you're performing an autopsy.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

"Screwdriver"
"Wrench"
"Pliers"

"Oops"

[rdouglass]

People don't realize that just walking across a carpet on a dry winter day, you can build up several thousand volts easily. Even the tiniest of sparks (from your hand to the doorknob perhaps) carry at least 500 volts. A spark travelling across a 0.5 mm gap requires 2850 volts. (Yes, that's 1/2 millimeter.)

Static electricity *can definitely* damage electrical components regardless of whether they are 'live' or not.

[Puke]

Possum said:
What I really like to do is put on long fuzzy socks, shuffle across the long shag carpeting in my living room, insert my p3n0r in the electric socket, and then grab the motherboard with both hands...



i suddenly feel dirty, knowing that someone else might be doing this at the same time as me. assuming my local socket is clean, im pretty sure diseases cant be transmitted over our electrical backbone, but the thought is still creepy.

[President_Elect_Shang]

Puke said:
...im pretty sure diseases cant be transmitted over our electrical backbone...



I had no idea you sick-o’s were doing this too. Now I have to call my doctor and schedule a full checkup. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/mad.gif

[Possum]

ROTFLMAOASTC!

You'll note Fyron still hasn't replied. I....don't think I've ever seen anyone have the last word with him before...

ANYHOW, back to (semi)-serious matters.

capnq has posted again in the PBW forum for our game. Here is what he had to say -



Well, the good news is that the computer is probably salvagable. The bad news is that if I can't fix it myself, the friend who offered to help will be out of town until at least January 2nd.

I'm poking around here at the library for some technical references.




So, as you can see, still no details on just where he put his shillelagh...

[capnq]

I'm baaack! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif I appreciate everybody's concern.

The short version of the story is, I was just trying to add some RAM and replace a dead CD-ROM drive.

By the time I was finished screwing up, I had to format the hard drive, replace the replacement CD drive, and reinstall Windows.

I didn't actually break any hardware. My biggest mistake turned out to be blindly following the instructions in Windows Help without thinking through the effects of what they suggested doing.

I'm slowly reinstalling stuff as I find I need it. Before the crash, I had about 400M free on the HD; ATM, I've got over 3.25G free.

In the week I was offline, my Inbox accumulated 192 e-mails, of which only 18 were not spam.

It's sooo good to be back! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Spectarofdeath]

Wow, damn, I just installed more ram and a new DVD drive at the exact same time, I think I installed it on the 20th. Glad I didn't run into any problems. That just boggles my mind that we did the exact same thing at almost the exact same time.

[Possum]

Welcome back, bro.

[Thermodyne]

Some things never change. Feels just like I was never away http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[TurinTurambar]

Well, your disfunctional family wishes you a hearty welcome back anyway! Where did you go? Out for Holidays?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Welcome back, have some cheese!

[Caduceus]

I had a rocky couple of minutes when I put a new hard drive in a few weeks ago. I always say to myself that I don't really have a whole lot on my home computer that I care about, but then I realize how much I rely on it when I get home.

[Atrocities]

I didn't actually break any hardware. My biggest mistake turned out to be blindly following the instructions in Windows Help without thinking through the effects of what they suggested doing.



Been there, done that. Last June. Gotta love Microsoft's.... MicroSHAFT help services.