[techtalk] kmail issue...can't send ..ARG!--fixed!

[Jamie Walker]

sara korhonen wrote:

> I've many times thought of writing a book about the subject, I'm a master of
> doing stupid things, which I mainly explain by the fact, that I've learned most
> of the things that I know from someone, not by myself, which leads to a
> situation, that I don't understand why somethings works as it does, but i know
> that if i do something, it works somehow. So then I do stupid things. But of
> course, people who learn everything by theirselves do also stupid mistakes while
> learning, but the difference is that I'm supposed to know something, because I
> know something else and always these doesn't match.

I'll go for the stupidity record - back when I was working hardware
repairs, I had a machine in where the job sheet reported a
non-functioning keyboard. I plugged it in and sho'nuff, the keyboard was
completely inoperative.

Figured the motherboard was faulty so went out the back to grab another
one and we don't have any. Damn. Get the nearest equivalent, then spend
several minutes trying to find serial/parallel connectors for it (some
of you will know there are two different standards for the connector
cables, and this one was the ONLY one that used the different type). I
fitted the new board, and like a fool went to the trouble of plugging in
ALL the cards and cables and stuff instead of just PSU, CPU, video card
and RAM.

Keyboard no go. Anyone less stupid than me might have figured out the
obvious by now, but I was suddenly struck by the nice, shiny polished
little DAMNED KEYLOCK SWITCH on the front of the case.

Rummaged around for a key to fit it, turned it, and lo, no more
"Keyboard error" messages in POST.

The only consolation I took was that I wasn't the only idiot. The
customer had locked their keyboard and then totally failed to realise
that this was the problem. Our phone support didn't think to try the
obvious. And then one of the guys at our support counter didn't think to
try it when he spot checked it either...

Anyone with a better tale of stupidity than this?

-- 
Email: jamiew at clear.net.nz
Phone: +64-21-870-425
  ICQ: 5632563
or shout loudly

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