Step-by-Step Computer Destruction

Unixrevolution writes "Dan's Data has an excellent article on how an enterprising user (or repair tech) can easily destroy their computer. Most of us don't destroy nearly enough hardware, so this should be helpful."

Meh

[JayBlalock]

That's nothing. Anyone who's worked tech support before has heard (or, heh heh, DONE) worse. I'd be REALLY impressed if he could give us directions on destroying an IBM Model M keyboard. I've had mine for a decade and still haven't managed to even dent it.

Very incomplete...

[AchilleTalon]

no reference on HOW TO use a magnet to erase some useful data on chips.

Defenestrate

[Sphere1952]

It's one of my favorite words.

so old

[Alien54]

I guess it was time for someone to put the site out of it's misery. Easiest way? Link it from SlashDot.

reminds me of a description I saw once:

• It makes the cutest little "poof" sound when it goes up in smoke

another one bites the dust

Unplug the fans.

[miradu2000]

My favorite way is to unplug all the fans from the computer, and watch the temperature rise -before smoke comes from inside.. muhahaha. This works better on a 100+ degree day when the heat cannot dissapate that well.

destroying an imac with a sledgehammer (video)

[htmlboy]

i had the opportunity to take a sledgehammer to a burned-out imac for work this summer. the footage was used in a commercial for the dorm cable channel reminding students that they can get help for their computers before they get aggravated enough to take a sledgehammer to them. but the full video's kind of boring (and a big download), so here's the footage of the smashing:

http://tuxedo.housing.uiuc.edu/~ckuehn/imac.mov [uiuc.edu]

if anyone's curious, it felt pretty good.

Re:My own story...

[Anonymous Coward]

I did the same thing with a Pentium 233MMX. The machine was not booting so I took everything down to the MB, video card, memory and a hard drive. This was not exactly bare-bones, but some MBs won't boot without video, an attached IDE device or memory. They won't even POST in some cases. It still wasn't booting so I replaced the CPU with a known working one. I didn't attach the fan because it was only for a quick test. As soon as I popped it in and powered on, fully intending to turn it off after three or four seconds, the phone rang. Two minutes later I smelled something odd. No smoke though. Oh s****! I immediately powered off the machine.

The stupid part? I tried to remove the CPU with my fingers. I managed to lever the processor out and hold it for maybe two seconds before the smell of burnt skin and that wonderful, searing sensation reached my brain. The burn hole on my fingertips was the worst pain I've ever felt.

He forgot one of the best ways

[CyberDruid]

Make one of the many funny possible mistakes involved in installing the CPU fan:

1) Put it on 90 degrees wrong, so that most of the CPU core is left uncooled (have a friend who did that)
2) Use loads and loads of cooling paste (it must be there for something, right?)
3) Apply the enormous amount of force necessary to fasten the hooks, but apply it unevenly so that the underlying CPU cracks. (the most common way to destroy your computer when building it yourself nowadays, according to my favorite computer store)
4) When applying said force, slip with the screw driver/tool of choice and redesign your motherboard (another classic)
5) Attach the power cable to the wrong connector. Preferably some random jumpers. Alternatively become so proud of succesfully getting the damn thing hooked on, that you forget to plug the insignificant little cable in.
6) Become intimidated and decide to try to run the computer without it. Smile smugly when it turns out that the computer indeed can run without it. For a while. (have a friend who did that too)

Removing processor while on

[menscher]

Yes, it's true, folks. Once when trying to destroy an SGI Indy, I pulled out the processor while it was powered on. Naturally, the machine hung. Screen just kept displaying what it had been displaying. Unfortunately putting the processor back in didn't make it immediately come back to life. It needed a reboot for that.

I felt like such a failure.

Re:Meh

[R2.0]

I guess you didn't have the model with drain holes.

Yes, IBM saw us coming.

Here's one they forgot

[multiplexo]

Have someone install a networking card on the motherboard thinking that it is a modem because it has an RJ-45 jack on the back and the phones on the PBX all have RJ-45 jacks on them as well. Power up the system, plug the "modem" into the PBX system. Watch the motherboard start to act badly as it tries, valiantly but in vain, to absorb AC from the phone system through a 10BaseT jack. Have the user complain all day long that their computer is acting funny. Go upstairs and look at it and ask why they have two networking cards and why one is plugged into the phone system. Have the user's co-worker, who thinks he knows something about computers, and who wants to get into the user's panties, explain that he found this "modem" and installed it on her machine so she could dial-out. Explain to the user and to her co-worker that he just installed a network card, that modems don't have BNC and 15 pin AUI connectors on them, prove this by removing the "modem" and showing them the 3COM ethernet logo on it. Explain that the phone system has AC current running through it to power all of the pretty red and green LEDs on their phones. Have the user's motherboard replaced because the AC from the PBX has fried it. Explain to the user and her co-worker that you won't come upstairs and fuck things up in purchasing if they promise to refrain from fucking up their computers.
Oh, and the best part of this one was where the user told me that she had data on her computer that was "absolutely irreplacable" and that I just had to fix it. When I asked her if she had backed her data up she said "no" and I replied "Well, then I guess it really is 'absolutely irreplacable'."