"Here, fix it."

I was chatting with a friend, who is a "computer guy" at his company. We were exchanging "computer guy" stories. He was telling me about how people walk up to his desk and, although he's busy doing something, they'll ask for some computer help. Usually something not work-related or important.

I was telling him how one student brought her computer in for me to fix. She didn't bring any of the CDs that came with the computer, or any information (such as serial numbers), or even a screw driver to open the case. She said "I figured that since you know a lot about computers, you'd have all the tools to fix them." redundant note: I'm a TEACHER! I imagine someone walking into an anatomy class, "Great, you guys are going over the abdomen... I need my appendix removed."

Anyway, I tell her that I'll look at it during my lunch. I find a screw driver, open the case, and WHOA! I find a lot of dust bunnies, a GOOD handful. Plus, about thirty or so cockroaches, two of which were still alive. One big, meaty one was encrusted to the motherboard. It looked like the board was trying to digest the roach. The inside of this case was disgusting. I could tell someone once spilled some liquid (I pray someone spilled some liquid) inside the case a while back. The fan was so full of dust and grime and "stuff" that it almost couldn't spin.

End of story... I tell her I couldn't do much except clean it out, tell her to add some memory, recommend some tips (clean out every six months, uninstall some programs, etc..) and wish her well. I cringe when she says "Okay, if I have any problems, I'll bring it back." I tell her there's not much I can do, but to call the manufacturer to see if she had purchased the extended warranty, which means they will have to service it, FOR FREE. She liked that idea.

It's been about three months and she hasn't brought it back (me happy), so I guess either it's working, or she got the manufacturer to fix it.