All time computer screw ups - Post yours!!!

[digi187]

Thought this would be a nice thread to start.

I was wondering some of the all time biggest screw ups people have done on their computer. Hardware or software!

 

[Mears]

I installed McAfee Anti-Virus...

 

[crab]

you should search...

 

[Total Refected Power]

del *.* in DOS about 12 years ago! Oopss.

 

[shiznut123]

I fryed 2 K6-2 500mhz systems with my static body.

 

[digi187]

my all time boner was formattig a floppy from dos... forgot to put format A:

so basically i formatted my c drive...

 

[madmacks]

i dropped my fairly new cdr drive on concrete, still worked for awhile but eventually died.

 

[DougK62]

Sat on my (at the time) brand new PentiumII processor. Doh!

 

[urameatball]

most major screw up is getting hooked on computers

spent maybe 10K in new parts and upgrades .

stupid me and my expensive hobbies

 

[johnjohn320]

Installing a program onto C:/Program Files (In other words, on top of, not in).

It overwrote every single program installed on my computer.

 

[digi187]

johnjohn: ouch. How did you do that

 

[johnjohn320]

diji: Actually, it was pretty simple---for the install directory I put C:/Program Files and it never asked to create a new folder and just started installing. D`oh!

 

[Pompadorean]

ON a CUSL-2 Mobo i believe it was, i connected a ribbon cable for the usb cable in the wrong place. I turned on the computer and a different cable connected to the usb cable started smoking! this would'nt hvae been so bad if it were at home when noone was watching but i did this during a computer class i have Everyone made fun of me for about two weeks Luckily the computer still worked but that wire no longer has insulation on it

i hate that motherboards manual, its so vague on everything. I love my ABIT KT7 manual

 

[TommyWDetroit]

I opened my box to remove everyting so i could cut a blowhole. After, I put everything back in correctly. (so I thought at the time) Turn on the computar, it starts to post ok, untill it tries to detect my hard drive. It puked out all sorts or errors, so I open the case back up and look at everything trying to figger out what the hell was wrong. 2 days later, I still havent figgered it out. A friend comes over and looks inside and goes "Oh, theres your problem". He disconnects the ribbon for the hard drive, flips it and plugs it back in. Turn it on and woosh.
You all may now smack me to death.
EDIT: Crappy spelling.

 

[LIBERTYorDEATH]

I installed windowsME for a friend..I will never forgive myself for trashing the machine with that redmond virus.

 

[yos]

Plugged extra power cord to the other side of a sound card by accident...
turned on the machine... sparks fly... and smoke comes out of the case...


oops... good thing it was under warrenty...

-the Yos

 

[yobarman]

A long time ago i got an email on AOL with an attachment that I knew was a virus. For some unexplainable reaon, I downloaded it and opened it.

I ended up formatting my HD and reinstalling win98. I lost over 30 hours of mp3s and months worth of graphics work.

 

[Pastore]

I ripped out a PCI NIC while the machine was still on... Needless to say that slot is no longer functioning....

 

[BMdoobieW]

I tried to replace my original Gateway rebaged USR ISA modem with a prime perifs 56k PCI modem. Couldn't get it to work. So put the Gateway modem back in and but it is messed up now. Also tried to upgrade it to 56k using stuff from Gateway's website. That might have been the prob. Now the hardware issue is causing the computer to boot up real slow, etc... This is my parents' computer I'm talking about and I'm not home so I can't try fixing it for them

 

[TonyG]

Installed Window Me.
That or finding Anandtech forums.