Whats the oddest thing you've found in a PC?

[Sylos]

So.... Following a highly disturbing rattling noise emanating from one of my Desktops I took the side off my case to be met by the highly shocking scene of a shrew hanging around in my HDD caddy area fiddling with one of my case fans. Needless to say it was hastily removed!

So I wondered what other weird and wonderful things people have discovered on opening a PC?


Cheers!

[newbie-user]

Found a lizard soaking up the warmth.

[winh8r]

I once opened a tower to find all the instruction manuals and the install discs inside the case. The owner had put them there because she didn't want to lose them.
Never found anything alive inside one though, but I have seen a few "dust monsters" that if left unattended could possibly have mutated into life forms. :p

[haqking]

a black racer snake about 3 foot

[Sylos]

@winh8r - I hear you on the dust monster front - I have hair problems due to cats in the house - dust and hair monster hybrid - highly dangerous.

@haqking - is that your snake or a serpent of unknown origin?

[haqking]

@winh8r - I hear you on the dust monster front - I have hair problems due to cats in the house - dust and hair monster hybrid - highly dangerous.

@haqking - is that your snake or a serpent of unknown origin?

no not my snake, it was in florida, i actually found knight anole in there too but the snake was more interesting ;-)

There were no expansion covers on the case. (not my machine, it was a small business operation out in the boonies)

[Sylos]

no not my snake, it was in florida, i actually found knight anole in there too but the snake was more interesting ;-)

There were no expansion covers on the case. (not my machine, it was a small business operation out in the boonies)

Yeah I think my rodent shawshanked its way in through one of the water cooling holes (I dont liquid cool - yet).

Gonna have to block off the old water cooling holes methinks. I cant believe I have to vermin proof my damned PC! Freeloaders - get your own rig!

Had to google knight anole - quite a cool looking lizard (when its not perched on your heatsink).

[KiwiNZ]

Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing. We were checking a consignment of 500 desktops from Dell when one of the boxes seemed light. We opened the box and yes it contained a desktop PC. We lifted the PC from said box and found it to be very light, upon opening the case we discovered that it was just that, an empty Desktop PC case no internals what so ever.

It did however have the best power consumption stats for the entire shipment.

[haqking]

Yeah I think my rodent shawshanked its way in through one of the water cooling holes (I dont liquid cool - yet).

Gonna have to block off the old water cooling holes methinks. I cant believe I have to vermin proof my damned PC! Freeloaders - get your own rig!

Had to google knight anole - quite a cool looking lizard (when its not perched on your heatsink).

yeah they are pretty common in south florida, though an invasive.

It is quite funny when the cold winter snaps come through as they go unconscious and drop from the trees randomly...LOL

They can be vicious biters if they wanna be, but i prefer snakes overall.

Peace

[Sylos]

Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing. We were checking a consignment of 500 desktops from Dell when one of the boxes seemed light. We opened the box and yes it contained a desktop PC. We lifted the PC from said box and found it to be very light, upon opening the case we discovered that it was just that, an empty Desktop PC case no internals what so ever.

It did however have the best power consumption stats for the entire shipment.

Is that what people mean by 'lightweight desktop environment'? ;)

[Sylos]

It is quite funny when the cold winter snaps come through as they go unconscious and drop from the trees randomly...LOL


Peace

Raining lizards, isnt that a sign of a coming apocalypse or something?

[QIII]

A computer gremlin (which had been causing havoc for about a week) getting shaken down by a leprechaun (that I think had been bothering my grandfather.)

A colleague found an electrocuted mouse once when someone asked him to check out a computer that wouldn't turn on.

[Linuxratty]

I had a mouse living in my old Compaq..So mouse turds. I finally caught her in a basket and put her in the neighbour's unused shed so she'd have a safe place to live out her mousey life.

[lykwydchykyn]

a black racer snake about 3 foot

My IT career would have ended right there.

The worst I've ever personally found was a lot of dog hair (animal shelter), which isn't so bad except the outside of the case was quite sticky and tinted yellow. :(

[Lucradia]

The weirdest: A burnt soundcard that still works.

Most wonderful: Someone removed the plastic casing around a PNY card to give it more air.

[roelforg]

Windows 3.0 and a magnet (not in the same pc, yes it trashed the hd)

[Lucradia]

In-between:

Windows 98 on a Zenith 386 Monochrome laptop (No ethernet, no wi-fi, no COM Port.)

^ This did not boot of course. Forever loading screen.

[roelforg]

The weirdest: A burnt soundcard that still works.

Most wonderful: Someone removed the plastic casing around a PNY card to give it more air.

Someone gaming on a pc where the cpufan was broken and you could hear the cpu fry.
After cooling it down and replacing the fan...
The cpu still worked!
Logs indicate it has been running for 0.5hr at 100+ degree....celcius!
Take that amd!

[blithen]

I have no cool stories. :< All run of the mill stuff, dust monsters etc. Nothing as cool as a snake. :P

[MG&TL]

Not anything as exciting as the above, but I found some spiders in one (like a family, quite cute really-I left them in), and four AA batteries. Mercifully they didn't touch the motherboard.

[roelforg]

In-between:

Windows 98 on a Zenith 386 Monochrome laptop (No ethernet, no wi-fi, no COM Port.)

^ This did not boot of course. Forever loading screen.


That win 3.0 machine is from 1992-1993, still boots if i hook up a keyboard (ps/1 2121 2mb ram 40mb hd intel 80386sx::: only way of data transfer: 1.44 floppy and buildin modem (i dunno if the modem works)),
the machines white color hasn't even started to fade!!! Pure quality! (and it has a cdman game that's impossible to pass lvl 4 on easy mode)
(it's whiter then most on record on google)

[wolfen69]

@winh8r - I hear you on the dust monster front - I have hair problems due to cats in the house - dust and hair monster hybrid - highly dangerous.



Try to keep your pc as far off the floor as you can. Keeping your computer on the floor is the worst place.

The craziest thing I've found is bugs and dust monsters. Nothing extraordinary.

[roelforg]

Try to keep your pc as far off the floor as you can. Keeping your computer on the floor is the worst place.

The craziest thing I've found is bugs and dust monsters. Nothing extraordinary.


It's more effective to keep the floor away from the pc ;)

Weirdest: Mac osx............….......on a pc (no fruit) :shock:

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

Many years ago, I found my grandchildren had been stuffing coins in the floppy disk drive of one computer as if it was a piggy-bank.

I also received a computer for repair from a relative that was infested with Cockroaches. When I took the side off of the computer, the Cockroaches came out and scurried in all directions in the room. It wasn't just a few of then. It was something like 20 of them.

[Lucradia]

Weirdest: Mac osx............….......on a pc (no fruit) :shock:

http://www.hackintosh.com/

[CharlesA]

Try to keep your pc as far off the floor as you can. Keeping your computer on the floor is the worst place.

The craziest thing I've found is bugs and dust monsters. Nothing extraordinary.

Try getting Siamese hair out of a heatsink.. OMG.

I am so happy my new server case has air filters on it.. so much less dust gets inside that it isn't even funny.

[alexfish]

a Microsoft programmer covered in dust , just managed to stop the tom cat washing him down.

[wolfen69]

Try getting Siamese hair out of a heatsink.. OMG.


Sounds like fun! But what may be even worse, is when someone is a chain smoker. My friends pc was covered on the inside with tar and nicotine. Tons of sticky goop on the heatsinks.

[CharlesA]

I've heard that is terrible. Glad I haven't had to try to clean a PC out with that gunk in it.

[wolfen69]

Glad I haven't had to try to clean a PC out with that gunk in it.

I didn't try and clean it, (thankfully) I just sold him my smoke-free desktop pc that was better than his anyway. I was moving and have a nice laptop ,netbook, and android phone, making the desktop pc expendable.

[Bandit]

Sounds like fun! But what may be even worse, is when someone is a chain smoker. My friends pc was covered on the inside with tar and nicotine. Tons of sticky goop on the heatsinks.


I've heard that is terrible. Glad I haven't had to try to clean a PC out with that gunk in it.

It is.. I will not ever touch one. I even heard that some PC Stores will not even cover their warranty or repair one if it is. I think it even voids some manufactures warranties or repair agreements.

[CharlesA]

It is.. I will not ever touch one. I even heard that some PC Stores will not even cover their warranty or repair one if it is. I think it even voids some manufactures warranties or repair agreements.

I've heard of that as well and I totally believe it. Smoke makes a mess out of electronics (among other things)

[haqking]

This isnt my pictures but looks cool

http://kalyan-city.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/real-living-snake-found-hiding-inside.html

The snake i found (black racer) was about 3 foot long and they are fast little beggers too

[KiwiNZ]

I am very pleased that we do not have snakes in New Zealand.

[haqking]

I am very pleased that we do not have snakes in New Zealand.

Well no terrestial ones, dont you get the odd sea snake visit here and there, the sea krait and yellow bellied, now they are 2 you dont want to get bitten by ;-)

Ive been bitten twice now

Once by a water moccasin which didnt do to much damage i was lucky.

And once by a Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake, it was a dry bite (no venom) i was very lucky with that one.

My buddy got bitten by a juvenile water moccasin and had 9 vials of antivenin at $1500 per vial along with extra care a sweet bill of nearly $20,000

I love snakes

[KiwiNZ]

The occurrence of sea snakes here are very very rare, only if the currents from Australia are favorable which is next to never.

We do not have any dangerous creatures here.

[haqking]

The occurrence of sea snakes here are very very rare, only if the currents from Australia are favorable which is next to never.

We do not have any dangerous creatures here.

yeah i heard that, its one of the reasons i dont like living in the UK is the fact we dont have anything particularly dangerous.

as my grandad used to say "dont go meekly through life only to arrive at death safely"

Which is why i used to love swimming in the mangroves of the florida everglades and tromping through the murky waters chasing after a scurrying water moccasin atop the water

I used to be a wilderness guide in the everglades incase you thought i was just crazy ;-)

Peace

[KiwiNZ]

yeah i heard that, its one of the reasons i dont like living in the UK is the fact we dont have anything particularly dangerous.

as my grandad used to say "dont go meekly through life only to arrive at death safely"

Which is why i used to love swimming in the mangroves of the florida everglades and tromping through the murky waters chasing after a scurrying water moccasin atop the water

I used to be a wilderness guide in the everglades incase you thought i was just crazy ;-)

Peace

It was nice to know when on exercises and one was sleeping under a Hoochie no nasties were going sting, bite or otherwise make life uncomfortable.

[QIII]

I don't have problems with cigarette smoke around my computers. I use smokeless. But if you want to see a mess, I sometimes miss the spitoon.

[Sylos]

I don't have problems with cigarette smoke around my computers. I use smokeless. But if you want to see a mess, I sometimes miss the spitoon.

I got an old sony TV from a friend who smokes a lot (I smoke too but rarely in the house on girlfriends orders). It was silver - originally. I wish I had photos of it to show. He used to keep an ashtray about 6 inches in front of it IIRC. The brown staining was disgraceful. My girlfriend spent hours trying to clean it off as she couldnt stand the sight of it.

Oddly, when I did smoke in the house all the time I never saw any sign of nicotine build up in my PC - But that was an off the shelf job with few ventilation grills and I used to keep it on the floor. I suppose it would be a lot worse with my new case which is predominantly mesh ad if I had it on a desk next to me.

[haqking]

It was nice to know when on exercises and one was sleeping under a Hoochie no nasties were going sting, bite or otherwise make life uncomfortable.

ahh well yeah thats true for me too when i was on salisbury plain in the UK on ex, but i spent 6 months in brunei, 6 months in french guyana, and belize.

Pretty much everywhere i have ever slept had something that could kill me in my sleep, including my previous marriage ;-)

Peace

[mips]

I didn't try and clean it, (thankfully) I just sold him my smoke-free desktop pc that was better than his anyway. I was moving and have a nice laptop ,netbook, and android phone, making the desktop pc expendable.

Actually easy to clean. Spray with simple/clean green, let soak for a while and then hose off. Blow off excess water and let dry for 48hrs in a warmish place like a window sill.



yeah i heard that, its one of the reasons i dont like living in the UK is the fact we dont have anything particularly dangerous.

as my grandad used to say "dont go meekly through life only to arrive at death safely"

Which is why i used to love swimming in the mangroves of the florida everglades and tromping through the murky waters chasing after a scurrying water moccasin atop the water

I used to be a wilderness guide in the everglades incase you thought i was just crazy ;-)

Peace

Then you will love Africa, danger around every corner.

I have seen crocks on the golf course and bathing on the beach once. Saw hippos on a golf course and one on the beach (biggest killer of all mammals in Africa). Saw leopard prints in a bunker once following buck prints. So besides the snakes in the rough golf can be an exciting game here.

Then we have plenty of mambas, adders(vipers) & cobras and a few spiders that cause horrible necrosis.

Also a few lethal things in the sea besides sharks if you are allergic like me.

Life is good :biggrin:

[haqking]

Actually easy to clean. Spray with simple/clean green, let soak for a while and then hose off. Blow off excess water and let dry for 48hrs in a warmish place like a window sill.




Then you will love Africa, danger around every corner.

I have seen crocks on the golf course and bathing on the beach once. Saw hippos on a golf course and one on the beach (biggest killer of all mammals in Africa). Saw leopard prints in a bunker once following buck prints. So besides the snakes in the rough golf can be an exciting game here.

Then we have plenty of mambas, adders(vipers) & cobras and a few spiders that cause horrible necrosis.

Also a few lethal things in the sea besides sharks if you are allergic like me.

Life is good :biggrin:


yeah always fancied Africa, its on my radar for the future.

I have a big love for the dinosaurs of our planet crocs and gators from florida, would love to see the african crocs, they only grow to about 13 feet in South Florida.

with 20+ different species of crocodilian there are a few to see yet ;-)

Would love to swim wandering if there a hippo in the water...LOL

Love spiders too.

Plenty of places to go and see yet, all on my bucket list.

[mips]

I have a big love for the dinosaurs of our planet crocs and gators from florida, would love to see the african crocs, they only grow to about 13 feet in South Florida.

Would love to swim wandering if there a hippo in the water...LOL


Nile crocodile gets pretty big but you get bigger ones like the saltwater crocodile in australasia.

You are not sane, would not like to be wandering if there are hippos in the water and usually if there are hippos there could be crocks [-o<

[haqking]

Nile crocodile gets pretty big but you get bigger ones like the saltwater crocodile in australasia.

You are not sane, would not like to be wandering if there are hippos in the water and usually if there are hippos there could be crocks [-o<

yeah overall the salties are larger and the OZ ones as a general rule, though the 2 largest ever over 20ft or something (certified that is) i think one was a OZ and one from Indonesia.

There is a uncertified stat from the NIle of 36ft but no statistical evidence.

trust me ive handled with help a 10 ft american saltie and they are strong enough, let alone 20 ft.

But i think we have gone off track here, as you are not likely to find either a gator/croc or hippo in your PC....LOL

Though a baby croc or gator is quite possible but unlikely

Attached is a pic of me floating along side a nice croc, i used to call him croczilla as he was one of the largest around on a regular basis.

And another floating behind him with my feet up as we shared a sunrise together....LOL

[zombifier25]

The oddest thing? A 32MB graphic card.

[Paqman]

yeah overall the salties are larger and the OZ ones as a general rule, though the 2 largest ever over 20ft or something (certified that is) i think one was a OZ and one from Indonesia.


I've seen one about that size at a croc farm in Oz. He was called Goliath and was missing a leg and an eye. He just sat there while all the others were fed, and when we asked the bloke giving the tour what he was up to he said:


We don't know. He hasn't moved in about a week. We're not sure if he's dead or if he's just waiting for one of us to get close enough

Impressive animal in a primeval, homicidal kind of way.

[haqking]

I've seen one about that size at a croc farm in Oz. He was called Goliath and was missing a leg and an eye. He just sat there while all the others were fed, and when we asked the bloke giving the tour what he was up to he said:



Impressive animal in a primeval, homicidal kind of way.

LOL yeah they are pretty cool.

They can go for months without food and will often sit in same spot doing nothing for days on end, often look dead, can be deceiving.