matthewmartin•9d agoProlific Poster

That one Tuesday that nearly made me quit the desk for good

Last summer I had a client bring in a 10 year old Dell that was so full of malware it took me 3 hours just to get the bootable USB recognized. Finally got it cleaned up only to find the motherboard was fried from a bad PSU surge. Has anyone else had a single machine fight you that hard for a whole shift?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_taylor478d ago

My buddy had the exact same issue with a 5 year old laptop that just wouldn't die but also wouldn't work right lmao. It's funny how we keep throwing time at old tech when a new one would cost like two hours of labor and save us the headache forever.

anthony_campbell889d ago

Hold up though, a 10 year old Dell probably has a standard desktop PSU, not a laptop battery. Most power surges from a bad PSU will kill the PSU itself first before they reach the motherboard. That fried motherboard was likely already on its way out from age, not the surge. And that machine probably should have been retired years ago anyway. Wasting 3 hours on a bootable USB for a 10 year old computer is more a sign of hardware failure than malware. If the USB won't boot, check the BIOS settings or try a different port before assuming it's the virus's fault.

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young.nora8d ago

People do this with everything, not just computers. I've seen guys spend a whole weekend patching a ten year old mower deck with sheet metal and pop rivets when a new one from Tractor Supply is $150. Same with cars, dishwashers, you name it. There's this weird pride in keeping something barely running when the time and frustration spent fixing it adds up to more than just replacing it. Makes you wonder if we're just addicted to the feeling of fixing things, even when it makes no sense.