Showerthought: The weirdest fix I ever did was for a computer that only crashed when the cat walked by

This was about three years ago at a house call in Springfield. The client swore her desktop would blue screen every time her big orange cat, Marmalade, strolled past the tower. I thought she was nuts, but after watching it happen twice, I noticed a tiny spark from the back panel when the cat brushed against it. The case's rear I/O shield had a bent tab making contact with the motherboard, and the static from the cat's fur was just enough to trigger it. Straightened the tab with some needle nose pliers and it never happened again. Has anyone else had a repair that sounded crazy but had a simple, physical cause like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_zara1mo ago

Ever fix a printer that only jammed when a specific person was in the room? I felt like a tech exorcist.

rileynelson1mo ago

My buddy had a copier that hated his boss, @the_zara, it was pure office ghost story stuff.

xena_fox3923d ago

The real culprit was probably the static from the cat's fur more than the bent tab, that's a grounding issue waiting to happen.