Just a helpful little hint to the electrically challenged...

[amyc75]

Make sure that the outlet in which you plug your battery actually has power running to it before thinking that your battery has bit the bullet...just a helpful little tip from an idiot. I have an old house in which the light switches power both the upper and lower sockets...plugged my eGo twist into the wall and flipped off the light...four hours later flipped on the light to go pick up said batt and not a blink...nothing. So make sure that before you email your vendor as to how to proceed that you're not an idiot...like me. Yes, I actually did this yesterday. You should have seen me trying to replace my shower head prior to that...my BF got quite a laugh.

 

[gthompson]

Don't bring this up.

I had a computer I thought had died. Took it to my friend who repairs computers and left it. He called me back later and said, "there's nothing wrong with your computer, is there power to the outlet"?

 

[fourthrok]

I did that with a Pizza Pizzazz. Plugged it in to make pizza and nada happened. Tried another outlet (on the same wall) Nada. Tried a reset. Nope. Figured it was dead. Put it in the "storage room" and ordered another one. Two days later...after the new Pizzazz had arrived we figured out the the circuit breaker had tripped on the kitchen island outlets. DOH! Nothing wrong with the first Pizzazz at all. At least we could afford getting another one then. And now we have a spare in case one really DOES die.

 

[MorpheusPA]

Been there, done that. I now use a power bar that has a nice, lighted switch on it. If the switch isn't lit, there's no power to the outlet.

Now let's discuss what happens when I forget to turn the power bar on and although there's power to the outlet....

 

[Susaz]

IT support 101: is it connected to the outlet? I always check the light is first green, then when screwing the battery turns red.

Something funny happened with my expresso machine a year ago. I just brought it in, plugged, put it to work and suddenly the house's light blink hard. I stop it, check everything, and start it again. This time, all lights go out. My first thought was "it blew the circuit". But all circuitry was right. IT WAS A GENERAL BLACKOUT IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD!!!

 

[mare ze dotes]

That is funny. My Comp support cousin sez,"many problems have been solved by just restarting."

 

[DJ RyckRak]

Ha-Ha
( I've done online support- and still have plugged things into dead outlets)

 

[onry]

when i worked at a computer shop that what we would call an eye dee ten tee error ( better done like this for those arent familiar with the fraze I D 10 T )
when someone would forget something wasnt plugged in

 

[cocacola31173]

Once I thought my computer monitor was shot...It would power on but was just black. Got my neighbor over there to fix it and turned out my little one had messed with the display controls on the side and turned off all the brightness! DOH!

 

[bobbybilly]

When I saw the thread title I knew I had to check it out since I'm as electronically (and mechanically) challenged as a person can be. I don't remerber ever doing that particular thing, although I'm challenged memory wise so maybe I have and just can't remeber it. Thanks for sharing and hopefully if my charger dies I'll remember to check that prior to throwing it away.

 

[Patrick H]

I think of myself as fairly intelligent, somewhat knowledgeable about electricity, and mechanically inclined. That said, I do dumber stuff than this on a daily basis..

 

[Richie G]

To a MUCH lesser degree, this reminded me of an email that circulated around 1996...

Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect CustomerSupport employee with a caller:

"Ridge Hall computer assistant; may I help you?"

"Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."

"What sort of trouble?"

"Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away."

"Went away?"

"They disappeared."

"Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."

"Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"

"How do I tell?"

"Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?"

"What's a sea-prompt?"

"Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?"

"There isn't any cursor, I told you, it won't accept anything I type."

"Does your monitor have a power indicator?"

"What's a monitor?"

"It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?"

"I don't know."

"Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall."

".......Yes, it is."

"When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?"

"No."

"Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable."

".......Okay, here it is."

"Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer."

"I can't reach."

"Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?"

"No."

"Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?"

"Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle - it's because it's dark."

"Dark?"

"Yes - the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window."

"Well, turn on the office light then."

"I can't."

"No? Why not?"

"Because there's a power outage."

"A power... A power outage? Ah, Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?"

"Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."

"Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from."

"Really? Is it that bad?"

"Yes, I'm afraid it is."

"Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?"

"Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer."

>

What you did Amy, pales by comparison. Feel better? =)

To be fair, snopes.com busted this as myth but it's still pretty funny and I bet it *could* happen.

 

[Bucky Goldstein]

sounds like a problem between the seat and the keyboard

 

[amyc75]

My power cord to my laptop died shortly after the battery had run its course...so my sweet man ordered me a new cord. He brought it over, hit the start button, nothing. This was during an intense final two weeks of the last semester when I had papers and clinical packets galore due...so, like a trooper, he went home and grabbed his laptop for me to do my paper. Wasn't until the next night when he was fussing around with it that I realized that the power strip I had had them plugged into was not switched "ON". Ahem. I'm usually looking for zebras whilst missing the horses galloping through my living room, apparently.

 

[amyc75]

sounds like a problem between the seat and the keyboard

most definitely!

 

[Susaz]

My power cord to my laptop died shortly after the battery had run its course...so my sweet man ordered me a new cord. He brought it over, hit the start button, nothing. This was during an intense final two weeks of the last semester when I had papers and clinical packets galore due...so, like a trooper, he went home and grabbed his laptop for me to do my paper. Wasn't until the next night when he was fussing around with it that I realized that the power strip I had had them plugged into was not switched "ON". Ahem. I'm usually looking for zebras whilst missing the horses galloping through my living room, apparently.

Something like that happened to me too... In an old notebook, the power source hooks up to the cable that goes into the outlet. That cable to the power source has a switch. Most power sources don't have an indicator led, so you have to grab the tester and measure. Nothing was coming out, still there was continuity, meaning the cable was ok. I racked my brain trying to figure it out when it dawned on me... The switch on the power source incoming cable wasn't fully plugged in. It worked as a charm after that.

Mind you I'm a production engeneer, previous to the IT career, but electricity eludes me...

 

[Dreddsparc]

I work in an automotive parts store. Of course we sell a lot of car batteries. Over the last few years I have seen no less than 4 people come in, slam a battery down and proclaim (sometimes loudly) 'You sold me a bad battery!'.

Now this is entirely possible as sometimes things can go wrong in manufacturing, so I always go for the tester that hangs on the wall close to the counter and move in for a closer look. First (and usually last thing I end up checking) is that the little black plastic cap that covers the negative terminal during shipping is removed (needs to be off to test it now doesn't it , and what I usually always find is clamp marks! I'll then ask the customer 'Did you remove this little plastic cap before you clamped down the negative terminal?'

Well, there is usually a blank stare at first, then a look of totall disbelief and finally a sheepish and very quiet 'uhh no, plastic cap?'. All this is followed by varying levels of repeated apologies (depending on how angry they were and how much noise they made about it at first).

Anyway.. the whole thing ends, everytime with me telling them it's no big deal, those caps are easy to miss and it's not everyday you have to install one. And closing with a friendly 'You're not the first, and wont be the last' usually does the trick to lighten the mood a bit.


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[Susaz]

when i worked at a computer shop that what we would call an eye dee ten tee error ( better done like this for those arent familiar with the fraze I D 10 T )
when someone would forget something wasnt plugged in

Worse yet... One day my desktop tower wouldn't start. I fussed inside it almost for an hour when it dawned on me... I hadn't turned the UPS on... BTW, I'm an engeneer by trade and a PhD in computer science from Stanford

 

[DJ RyckRak]

Or....
You can do as I do,
Battery dead on lawn tractor, get the charger...where is the charger ???
Hunt for charger for 4 hours- scre# it, go buy another battery charger.
Charge battery, all is fine....two weeks later trip over 'lost' battery charger.
Repeat with so many other missing item.
(wife wonders why I have so many duplicate things)

 

[Jarski44]

Or....
You can do as I do,
Battery dead on lawn tractor, get the charger...where is the charger ???
Hunt for charger for 4 hours- scre# it, go buy another battery charger.
Charge battery, all is fine....two weeks later trip over 'lost' battery charger.
Repeat with so many other missing item.
(wife wonders why I have so many duplicate things)

I have the opposite problem, I will search for 6 hours to find a $2 tool or part.