“What could possibly go wrong?” is a question many of us have learned to avoid asking, especially at work. And it’s no different for tech support folk.
These girls and guys are trained to handle all sorts of issues, from minor glitches to massive malfunctions, and they often carry out their duties by figuring out the problem, finding a solution, and then fixing or replacing it. But every now and again, the tech gurus come face-to-face with the stuff nightmares are made of.
Some of the cases are so bad that they’ve made it into a digital Hall of Shame known as Tech Support Gore. The online community claims that “You will cringe to the brink of passing out after a few minutes looking at this subreddit.” And a quick glance at the page reveals exactly why. From multimillion-dollar servers being mistreated to humidifiers placed on top of important equipment, there’s horror lurking at every corner.
Bored Panda has put together a gory list of the best posts from the page for you to scroll through when you need a distraction from your own bad day at work. May they serve as a reminder to look after your tech carefully because, clearly, a lot could possibly go wrong.
We also have some advice on how to prolong the life of your gadgets and equipment so that you aren’t the source of more stress for tech support workers. You’ll find that info between the images.
#1 DIY Audio Cable Adapter
Image source: _Username-Available
We’re living in a digital world, and many of us have various tech devices and gadgets at our disposal. But contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a matter of purchase, plug and play — at least if you want your stuff to last…
A lot of tech support worker nightmares can be avoided if people (users/owners) took better care of their equipment. As they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
One of the most obvious ways to prolong the life of your tech equipment is to clean it regularly and properly. “Keep cans of clean compressed air around and blow out laptops, routers, Wi-Fi access points and so on,” advises Peter Gregory, who is a Forbes Technology Council expert. “Don’t keep equipment such as modems on the floor, where they will be subject to greater amounts of dust. Invest in quality surge protectors and UPS systems.”
Gregory says that keeping equipment clean, well ventilated and supplied with clean power are the most important habits for making sure your electronics last.
#2 Why My Mother Bord Not Work
Image source: I-am-redditer
Guy Courtin from Tecsys Inc. suggests investing in some electronic wipes. “It’s always good to regularly wipe down touchpads, keyboards, screens, phones, tablets and so on — just because you are the only one using something doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be kept clean!”
Courtin adds that you should also remember to turn off your devices, not just put them in “sleep” mode. “Clear that cache and allow the device to power off,” he says.
#3 Customer States, Replaced Thermal Paste And A Few Days Later Stopped Displaying Any Image Out
Image source: Dannymarr95
Claire Rutkowski from Bentley Systems agrees. She told Forbes that the best thing you can do for your computer (and your mental health) is to turn it off every night.
According to Rutkowski, this stops all applications running in the background and clears the cache, and it often stops buggy software issues from creating bigger problems later. “A daily startup and shutdown routine also helps the environment, and most importantly, helps you develop a ritual that separates work life from home life,” she says.
#4 Vet Office Asked Why Their Server Was So Loud. They Had Cut A Hole In The Cabinet For Airflow, But The Resident Kitty Found It
Image source: Minute_Illustrator_5
#5 “Some Of My Keys Aren’t Working. I Don’t Know Why”
Image source: Eira_airE
Your family, colleagues and friends might not like the next tip, but many experts advise against allowing other people to use your equipment. Especially if you need it for work.
“A work-issued device is exactly that: a device for work. Don’t give it to your children to play Fortnite or to a relative to check their emails. Why? Because they could use the device in a way that puts both you and your employer at risk,” warns Jeff Shiner from the Forbes expert panel. “Resource-intensive, non-work-related actions will have an impact on the device’s long-term performance.”
Shiner strongly suggests keeping your personal life on a personal machine, and lending that one to someone else at your own peril.
#6 User States Fan Making Funny Noise
Image source: daedalus9973
#7 Some Kid At My School Somehow Managed To Do This…
Image source: Miserable_Gate_272
Storing your equipment properly is also a must. Who hasn’t had the nightmare of a cracked or scratched phone/tablet screen? Congrats if you’re among the few who raised your hand.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) advises using both a screen protector and a case on phones and tablets, as well as avoiding keeping your personal tech in extreme temperatures.
“High heat can cause permanent damage to the battery, while freezing temperatures can cause performance blips or even data loss,” explains the AAA site. “Never leave phones, tablets, or computers in direct sunlight or hot cars: Temperatures can spike to over 100 degrees inside a vehicle on a sunny, temperate day.”
#8 Don’t Put A Space Heater Under Your Desk
Image source: lundah
#9 Customer Stated The Hdmi Disappeared
Image source: Tommy10606
Many of us are guilty of hitting “remind me later” when prompted to update software, or not updating at all. Then we wonder what went wrong…
Experts say keeping our gadgets’ software up-to-date ensures they operate optimally and also helps prevent problems like incompatibility and viruses before they occur.
“Most modern devices provide over-the-air software updates,” says Steven Hau from Newfire Global Partners, adding that these are often free. “Enterprises with mobile device management may force OTA updates; however, many devices require the owner to initiate the update.”
#10 You’re Supposed To Release The Latch First. Also, Don’t Use A Crowbar
Image source: mugoloo
#11 Tech Support Did This
Image source: Beoni_eu
#12 Our Pos Hardware Caught On Fire Over Night And Destroyed The Shop
Image source: TinyTransportation96
Staying up to date matters, and many of us forget to (or are unaware that we should) update the firmware on any routers and access points used for wireless access at home. Doing so helps to not only improve the performance of your device but also extend its life and increase security.
“For cable modems, power cycling should suffice, as it will ‘phone home’ for upgrades,” says Shoreline.io’s Anurag Gupta. “You’ll likely need to upgrade access points manually using supplied software from your vendor,” adds the expert.
#13 My iPhone 5s On Life Support, What Do Yall Think?
Image source: dungeons191
#14 Capacitator Explodet
Image source: Titana_Crotu
#15 I Present You Dp Cable Used In Industrial Testing Environment. This Poor Thing Had Hundreds Of Connection Cycles. Still Worked Fine With The Advantage Of Going Really Easily With The Rough Spots Worn Out LOL
Image source: NutPotential
Jason Carolan from Flexential suggests having separate networks at home: one for work, one for personal use and a third for smart devices.
“By keeping private data on a separate Wi-Fi network, any compromise of a smart device will not give an attacker a direct route to your company’s data,” he warns. “Using a VPN is also recommended when you’re connecting for work.”
#16 We Promise Everything Is The Same As Before. We Don’t Know Why Our Internet Is Down
Brand office employees swear they left everything exactly the same before cleaning and organizing the room.
Image source: WhiteF1re
#17 My Multi Million Dollar Schools Server Rack
Image source: TechnicalAsk3488
At some point, your electronic devices might decide they’re done working and living, or you may want to upgrade.
“Don’t just throw your old device into a drawer,” says Taylor Dixon. The senior technical writer with iFixit.com suggests rather looking for other ways to use them, or donating or selling them. If none of these are an option, recycle responsibly. You can do this through the manufacturer, a box store recycling program, or an e-waste recycling center.
#18 A Friend Just Sent This To Me From Her Work
Image source: TitanMaster57
#19 Cleaning Out A Second Hand Gpu, Yummy
Image source: Blazedragon12345
#20 How Do You Do This????
Image source: Repulsive-Buyer-4183
#21 The WiFi Is So Hot
Image source: K3dare
#22 Opened “Brand New” Cpu Cooler To Install In Friend’s PC
Image source: dzonbyrek
#23 Student States: “I Was Curious”
Image source: A_Totally_Random_Guy
#24 Customer Told Me His Phone Wasn’t Charging
Image source: awdev1
#25 So You Think You’ve Worked On Some Dirty Computers Before, Eh?
Image source: stormcomponents
#26 My Mp3 Player’s Battery Wouldn’t Charge So I Grabbed A Random Battery And Made It Fit
Image source: DumbTacoMan
#27 Server Room From My First Hospital Job
Image source: Lgfxx
#28 “Not Booting, Makes A Loud Sound When Powered On.”
Image source: fuchsnudeln
#29 This Was My Customers Solution To Her Broken Laptop Hinge
Image source: rxtechrepair
#30 Dell Returned My Laptop After “48 Hours Of Stress Testing.” This Is The Temperature At Idle
Image source: Financial_Owl135
#31 Coworker Said She Would Only Accept An Official Apple Mouse So I Dug This Out Of Storage And Left It On Her Desk
Image source: MayaIngenue
#32 They Said “It Won’t Stop Printing”
Image source: Hackerharp
#33 So Nice Of The Customer To Remove Their Data For Me!
Image source: eggthottie
#34 I Made A Literal Network Switch To Turn My Ethernet On And Off
Image source: dungeons191
#35 Client Replaced The Thermal Paste And The Laptop Stopped Working
Image source: bbo191
#36 I Never Thought I’d Put Myself On This Sub, But Here I Am Finding My Own PC With The “Please Remove Before Installation” Film Still On After Years…
Image source: Elistic-E
#37 User States: Took It Out Of My Pocket Like That
Image source: shipmcshipface
#38 Neighbour Couldnt Get Sim Card Out Of 5G Router Cause It Was “Stuck”
Image source: dk_sparda
#39 Homie Said He Was Getting His PC Fixed And It Was His “Hard Drive”
Image source: cats_azz
#40 Friend Asked If I Could Fix His PC
Image source: Sensitive_Name5520
#41 “The Power Cable Broke” -Hospital Nurse
Image source: Boyedude
#42 85” TV Fell Off The Wall Last Night
Image source: shootemupy2k
#43 Was Asked To Fix A Colleague’s Laptop And Wanted To Check The Battery
Image source: P4inzOnPC
#44 Someone Asked If This Is Repairable
Image source: Ambitious-Cat5804
#45 “I Just Took It Out Of My Bag And It Was Like That”
Image source: luqezr
#46 Network Switch After A Lightning Strike
Image source: black_chris_hansen
#47 Using A Soldering Iron To Remove Screw
Image source: Some-Challenge8285
#48 “Welp That’s 700 Dollars Down The Drain…”
Image source: Mr_KayZ
#49 Got A Ticket Today. Windows Can’t Find Drive
Image source: GreyWardenDane
#50 System Came In To The Shop With “Accidentally Spilt A Bowl Of Soup Into Top Of Case”
Image source: MysticSmear
#51 Some Dude From The Pcmr Subreddit Has A Nest On His Stick On Ram. How Does This Even Happen??
Image source: Independent-Ball3215
#52 “How The Heck Are You Supposed To Set Those Legs? Keeps Falling Over”
Image source: roadredsa
#53 The Router Was Overheating
Image source: Soviet_Thunder
#54 I Need Somewhere To Set This Candle…. Oh Here’s A Good Spot!
Image source: kjb0419
#55 One Of My Co-Workers Was Eager To Unpack Her New Mouse
Image source: mrfoyl
#56 My Friend Bought A New Monitor Today And Now Theres A Wojack Burned In His Screen
Image source: noisecorehiphop
#57 User Gets Point For Trying
Image source: NotABoyAnAbomimation
#58 Customer Bought A Secondhand ‘Custom Loop’ Cooled PC From His ‘Friend’, Who Mysteriously Disappeared After Getting The Money. Iirc Only The Gpu Survived The Carnage
Image source: User2716057
#59 Does This Count? Discharging A Bosch Ebike Battery Using An Electric Heater
Image source: HIVVIH
#60 Customer Used Washing Up Sponges As Return Packaging, Thought It Was Funny
Image source: [deleted]
#61 Had This The Other Day. In 4 Years Doing It I’ve Never Seen This. Told User To Hold Back On The Gym For A Bit
Image source: shelydued
#62 103°f/39°c Causes Polarizer To Peel Off Acer Monitor At Work
Image source: Augmented-Justin
#63 Fairly New Oled TV At My Dads House
Image source: magic234
#64 If It Works, Don’t Touch It
Image source: TechniCraft
#65 My Homemade Headphones I Used At A Factory For 2 Yrs That Banned Headphones And Had Daily Checks
Image source: Toraadoraa
#66 It’s “Outside Rated” Until It Isn’t
Image source: Sunneh_Delight
#67 Got The New Drive To Fit Boss
Image source: tymp-anistam
#68 Been Wondering Why My Laptop Overheats. Now Curious How It Didn’t Blow Up
Image source: darkk000
#69 All Mac Chargers Have Playstation Support
Image source: Rex-ystem
#70 (Self Shame) My First Attempt At Ethernet
Image source: Brettilicious69
#71 Pic Of My Classmates Opening A Crt (They Didn’t Go Further Than This)
Image source: Icy-Seaworthiness486
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