Embarassing installation faults...that others should avoid!

[Woodchip]

Excellent post. I have just about replaced the whole PC before booting the MB up on the box it came in. All worked fine. When I removed the new motherboard that was not functioning I found the extra case mount standoff. I did not have any problem until I installed another card and pushed down on the PCI slot which caused the short. I was just at the verge of ringing up an expert for help. Would have looked like a real pro if they had found the problem. Especially with all the gear from the lets get a new one and see if it is that process of elimination that I have just gone through.

[evasive]

Ah yes and let's not forget the occasional screw that gets trapped between your motherboard and the casing when replacing a harddisk. Always triple-check if you are suddenly short of screws...

[Mi An]

It's not exactly an installation fault, but it was dumb, and others should avoid it.

It was late, a recipe for disaster in and of itself. I had just downloaded FreshDownload (that or another download manager) so I could do one last thing before collapsing for the night. It installed, and then requested a restart. This, naturally, pissed me off. There's nothing in my machine that needs to be mucked with by software as simple as a download manager that would require a post-install restart. I hit the okay button, and then realize I'm too tired to wait for the reboot and then still finish my to-do list. But I don't want to wait for the reboot to turn off my laptop either, and I get a little madder. I press the power button, while the machine is prepping for a restart, and hold it till the machine powers off sans the shutdown.

Apparently, that's a bad time for a manual shutdown. Afterwards, no boot, bluescreen flash right before restart-cycle, and my windows CD can't even recognize the partition for a repair install. Fortunately, KNOPPIX can read the partition, and I rescued my data, but it can't write to it, and there appears to be no hope of repairing the ever finicky NTFS filesystem. I'll have to reformat and just be happy that I got my stuff back. Since I didn't have time to recover the stuff until now, I've been without my laptop for more than month.

The moral? It's not about safe booting, it's about anger. Your computer can sense anger, and even if it isn't directly focused at the machine itself, it can take it personally. If you feel your temp rising, go the extra mile and show your friend how much you care: break out that can of imported compressed air or turn up your PCs favorite Sinatra mp3. When you're good to puter, puter's good to you. When you're not, it can quickly reduce you to tears and the fetal position.

[finch960]

haha how about leaving one too many spacers (it was the only non-metallized hole), and in (apparently) the worst spot possible.

it created a short circuit and started smoking the instant it powered up!

the chip burnt a hole right through the PCB on a non-important area.

luckily i find out the mobo is defect anyway .

[Pette Broad]

If you are using one of those cases that comes with multiple fans, lights, etc, make sure that you don't double connect one of them to the PSU. It sounds improbable but its actually possible to link 2 or more fans to each other and then connect them both to different connectors from the PSU

When you install a motherboard just check that none of the springy pieces of metal on the backplate get trapped in the keyboard, mouse or Network connector. I spent 30 minutes the other night figuring why my mouse wouldn't go into the PS/2 port

Pete

[Pette Broad]

Always triple-check if you are suddenly short of screws...

Jeez, I always have loads of them left over

Pete

[tedybear]

When you install a motherboard just check that none of the springy pieces of metal on the backplate get trapped in the keyboard, mouse or Network connector. I spent 30 minutes the other night figuring why my mouse wouldn't go into the PS/2 port

Pete

Pete: Glad I'm not the only one that does that LOL. Mine always seem to get stuck in the networking ports LOL...

S-

[evasive]

The plastic part of any PS/2 connector can get trapped in there too and if you are using a replacement it doesn't fit either...

[Pette Broad]

The plastic part of any PS/2 connector can get trapped in there too and if you are using a replacement it doesn't fit either...

Yes, sometimes that little plastic lug on the PS/2 connector comes off inside the port and its completely impossible to get it out. You have to snap off that lug in every other mouse you wish to use with that board. Guess I've seen that three times now.

Pete

[Kingy]

I did this after my psu blew itself up. I went to replace the PSU with a newer one when i realized that the case i was using was far to small for it to fit.

So i spent most of the day (this is when i didnt no much about building computers) putting everything into another spare case i had lying around. Booted the computer up was working fine. For some reason (stupid stupid reason) i left the side of my case off just so i could pretty much look at my proud work. The front of this newer case had usb ports connected so it had a few wires going through to the motherboard.

Eventually (this was bound to happen) my toes started playing with this wire for the usb ports.. and then when i finally realized what the hell i was doing i quick smart got my toes out of the inside of my case only to rub the wire along the bottom of my exposed circut board of the HDD. Before i realized what i had done the computer switched itself off. I thought thats weird so i turned it back on and very quickly the room filled itself with a very nasty smell of "your an idiot and fried something".

Believe me... LESSON LEARNT