When your computer breaks....

What do you or would you do???

Do you try to save yourself the time it takes to fix it, have it repaired, or do you just go out and by another one?

I gotta say, I think I've got a good run, so far I have only had two computers completely break down on me. The first one I replaced with a new laptop but then the hard drive broke a few weeks ago and I'm still in the process of fixing all of it (battery doesn't work, sound doesn't seem to be working well either). I wasn't ready to get rid of it, so I didn't buy a new one.

How about you guys?

i have spares and a phone and if all of those fail i have a man in switzerland I can call who can make my posts for me

I had a computer break down on me once, so the thing I did was to have it fixed. Now, if it's not possible, I'd have to get a new computer.

I can solve most problems I encounter. Otherwise, I have edczxcvbnm help me out. If push comes to shove, I will get a new PC/laptop, but I am good at making them last. I am usually prepared to get new hardware when the time arrives.

I had some OS issues recently. I was pretty frantic, nothing I did worked, so I did something previously unthinkable. I switched to, dear God... Linux!

:crying2:

Thankfully I have never had to worry about my computer breaking down, BUT there was a time at school where I dropped it off somewhere to get special software installed. They said it would take about 3 hours, and my classes were done, so there was nowhere for me to go. I couldn't do homework, because that would involve the computer. I had no idea what to do with myself for the 3 hours, until finally I decided to watch CNN for an hour, then play games on the PS2 for a bit, and then watch stuff on ESPN.

Ultimately, I came to realize that I am joined at the hip to my computer. I fear for my sanity.

I haven't had my desktop computer break on me in... forever.

I am a smurfing wizard when it comes to fixing my computer when it bitches out. Thankfully, I can google the solutions on my phone, otherwise I'd be screwed.

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Originally Posted by G13

I switched to, dear God... Linux!

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ONE OF US
ONE OF US

Anyways I have spare computers that I use while waiting for parts to come in. I actually have software issues more often than hardware ones, but it's happened.

Same as Pike. I have a few spares lying around. Although at one point my failserver's power supply just went kaput because a transistor melted. I had to buy a new 1000 watt, and rearrange my whole stack of computers because the failserver was on the very bottom. 'Twas not a fun day.

There's no such thing as your PC just breaking... If a piece of hardware breaks, I replace it. If my operating system is fuxed I reformat. Which I actually did just yesterday.

Well if a piece of hardware in your PC breaks and renders your PC unusuable, the PC is kind of broken :p, until the piece that stops it is replaced.

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Originally Posted by Shlup

There's no such thing as your PC just breaking

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Originally Posted by Tigmafuzz

Although at one point my failserver's power supply just went kaput because a transistor melted.

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Hmm.

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Originally Posted by Shlup

If my operating system is fuxed I reformat.

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I hope you meant "reinstall."

I just reformat my monitor if my pc dies, but it only works if i overclock my psu

If something breaks, I fix it. If something on someone else's computer breaks I fix it. I hate them all with the passion a thousand monkeys have for flinging their trout about.

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Originally Posted by edczxcvbnm

If something breaks, I fix it. If something on someone else's computer breaks I fix it. I hate them all with the passion a thousand monkeys have for flinging their trout about.

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So THAT'S why you bring the monkeys over when you help me out!

(SPOILER)To be fair, no one from our group has asked you in a long time to my knowledge. We have learned from the master! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

I've never had a desktop computer break on me. Ever. I still have a 200mhz Gateway from 1996 that runs perfectly.

Honestly if my desktop computer broke now I'd probably just make due with my smartphone, because I'm hardly ever near my desktop long enough to use it anymore, and when I am all I do is web browse and listen to music, which I also do on my phone.

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Originally Posted by Tigmafuzz

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Originally Posted by Shlup

There's no such thing as your PC just breaking

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Originally Posted by Tigmafuzz

Although at one point my failserver's power supply just went kaput because a transistor melted.

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Hmm.

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Thank you for elaborating on my point. Your power supply broke, so I'm assuming you replaced that one piece of hardware for your computer.

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Originally Posted by Tigmafuzz

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Originally Posted by Shlup

If my operating system is fuxed I reformat.

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I hope you meant "reinstall."

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I can't tell if you're assuming I meant I reformat the operating system, or you're playing dumb to be an ass. I'll spell it out then: I reformat the drive, then reinstall the operating system.

Well if you put it that way, cars never break either. Or anything else in the world. My wall didn't break, the bricks just stopped sticking together.

When a computer part stops working, it's cheaper to replace that part than buy a whole new machine. When a part of a car breaks, it's usually cheaper to repair that part than buy a whole new car (especially if you do it yourself). I suppose a whole computer can break if it exceeds the speed limit in the rain and wraps itself around a tree.

Your wall analogy doesn't work--a wall isn't made up of many components where one is easily replaced; if a wall crumbles, you have to repair the entire wall. If my oven breaks, I don't have to remodel my kitchen.

P. sure you guys are talking across one another here.

I'm not doing trout. I'm insightful and generally perfect and Mirage's analogies are stupid.

Basically it's the difference between seeing a machine as a whole or as the sum of its parts--the latter is clearly the superior viewpoint.

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Originally Posted by Sephex

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Originally Posted by edczxcvbnm

If something breaks, I fix it. If something on someone else's computer breaks I fix it. I hate them all with the passion a thousand monkeys have for flinging their trout about.

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So THAT'S why you bring the monkeys over when you help me out!

(SPOILER)To be fair, no one from our group has asked you in a long time to my knowledge. We have learned from the master! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

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You forget about family and there has been stuff in the last year with friends as well. I will never escape all of your vile clutches!

Yeah the wall analogy was pretty dumb.

Anyway, I disagree. Cars can break, and computers can break too. Any item that is dependent on smaller building blocks to operate in the way that was intended can be "broken" if one of the important components inside it breaks. Your computer, as a device, is not functional if the RAM blew up. Why is it not functional? Because the RAM blew up.

At what treshold would you start calling a computer broken, anyway? The CPU, motherboard and RAM is broken, is the computer broken now? What if every component butthe PSU is broken, is the PC broken now? What if every component is broken, is the PC working, it just needs new RAM, motherboard, HDDs, video card, PSU, screen, chassis and keyboard? Do you have some sort of number of internal components broken treshold that things need to exceed before they are broken? Sounds kinda arbitrary to me.

If you have above average electronics skills, you could manually repair a broken capacitor inside your PSU. I would be able to fix that if I had access to the right component and a soldering gun, so PSUs aren't broken if a bunch of capacitors blow either. If my fancy new monitor (or TV, for that matter) breaks, I would be able to repair at least half of the potential issues within it if I have access to the right panel, cold cathodes, inverter, main circuit board or power transformer. If i woke up tomorrow and turned on my monitor and the only thing that happened was that I got a blue power LED lighting up while my secondary monitor worked, my monitor would be broken, even if it is easily repairable. After the component was replaced, it would be non-broken again.

oh honey, pornmonster-1 isn't broken, he's just sick. he'll get better once we have a cathode transplant done on him in the garage. pornmonster-2 is however ready for the long burial at the chinese electronics dump.