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Hardware Hacking

Journal jawtheshark's Journal: I'm going to stop helping people with their computers 14

Journal by jawtheshark

I took the machine of a friend of my sister to repair. Turned out the power supply was flaky, and he knew it. Since I wanted to continue to reinstall the machine, I took one of my power supplies and hooked it up "alongside" the case if you know what I mean. After all, the machine was nicely cabled and I didn't want to mess it up, and he is definitely capable of replacing it himself.

Today, I was satisfied with the installation and I decided to remove my power supply and hook up his defective one. Then happens, what had to happen... These stupid modern graphics card need a power supply connection, and wiggling off the connector, I touched a capacitor with my fingers and it snapped off. Fuck! Note that the capacitor was on one of the worst possible places next to the connector: exactly where you'd touch for fastening the connector. This is -of course- an AGP card, and a limited edition platinum edition one. Nowhere in hell am I going to be able to replace it.

I think, that from now on, I will abstain opening anyones computer. This will set me back couple of hundred euros, simply because of bad luck and because I like to help people. I should have stopped working on that computer the day that the power supply gave up. It's not that I can't handle hardware, but I have no insurance for such mishaps.

Software, no problem... Hardware? Go to a computer shop or do it yourself. The worst is, I feel bad about it.

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I'm going to stop helping people with their computers More

I'm going to stop helping people with their computers

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  • No good deed goes unpunished. Hope you can find the replacement without taking too big of a hit. I'd feel bad about it, too. Even if he should have been doing that part himself, and the design is stupid, when you're the one on the scene, it's your hit no matter what.

    • when you're the one on the scene, it's your hit no matter what.

      I know, that's why I need to take the blame. I already transferred money from my savings. My wifes birthday is upcoming, I have this to repay, and my current account is not in that good standing. The timing just sucks big time. Expenses always seem to come in big bundles.

  • It might be worthwhile taking a soldering iron and replacing the cap. Certainly won't cost you any more than a new card...
    • True enough, except the cap connectors are really broken. I would have done that, but I don't even have a millimetre playroom. I'd have to buy a new cap, and I really don't know enough about electronics to do that. :-(

  • I usually sheepishly look away when people think/expect me to be their personal computer genius fix-all. It saves you time and money and stress like the one you're dealing with now.

    It's not that I don't want to help them, it's that I don't want them to screw up my free time by dumping me between their junk all day.

    • I wish I could be like you. Well, tonight we installed his new card. Showed him around, explained him the Admin/User difference and even demoed Ubuntu (doesn't work accelerated with his new graphics card though)

      I understand completely.... I'm just a dumb sucker that can't help it. I just loathe it when people have a bad PC experience. It doesn't have to be.

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