Here is a followup to my last cockroach story:

http://computer-aid.com.au/blog/2007/05/15/cockroaches-in-the-power-supply/

Customer calls, saying the power supply I installed about 7 weeks ago has failed…

I’ve got a pretty good idea why it failed, so I’m sure it won’t be a warranty replacement.

When I get there, I can see she (or someone else) had tried to fix the PC… loosely fitting side panels would no longer fit together nicely, the power supply has already been removed, and all the cables plugging into the motherboard had all been unplugged… as well as 4 screws securing the mobo to the case… luckily there were another 4 screws that were not removed.

And of course cockroaches.

Lots of them.

Lots and LOTS!

Last time, there were few inside the case (most were outside). But this time there was a nest in there.

I flip the case over and drop it onto the table (from a height of 1 or 2 cm), but few fall out…

Customer has no insect spray… so I can’t kill them off either.

Most are clustered around semi-enclosed spaces (like the small gap between the back of the parallel port, and a bank of capacitors about 1 cm away.

Anyway, I plug in a new power supply (just the 2 mobo connectors, to be sure it will start, as I don’t know if the PC has been damaged), and the PC fires up. Except it doesn’t boot, since the HDD has been unplugged. So far, so good.

I set about plugging in the HDD, CDROM, front usb. I come unstuck with the front memory card cable… the cables are not labeled, and its difficult to know where the plug goes (and I don’t really want to peek too closely at the mobo… many months ago, I discovered that some cockroaches could fly!… usually towards a flashlight I’m holding!)

I leave the unknown plugs, until I can get a mobo manual (and until the cockroaches are exterminated). I “adjust” the case, so that the panels will fit properly again, Check that windows xp starts correctly, them I’m outta there!

but I must return eventually 🙁