Computer euthanasia...

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csims said:
Too bad there are no urban myths about computers. :(
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Well, there is the rumor that newer high-speed CD/DVD drives will cause defective media to shatter, throwing shards through the computer and causing massive damage. A few tiny taps with a hammer or a few seconds in a microwave could create a dozen AOL CD fragmentation grenades. Unfortunately, this would leave physical evidence. Not to mention risk damaging the operator.
 
Get a paper clip and short out some of the pins on the ATX molex connector. In do that it will short the psu and then plug it into the board and watch the machine toast. Furthermore it will look like and accident with the PSU and you will be on your way to a new system. You could aslo try smearing thermal grease in the molex conectore for the psu. Try sticking something in the PSU to stop the fan and let the PSU blow a capacitor and burn *SNIFF* *SNIFF* thats the smell of victory.
 
HRslammR said:
couldn't ya just start a format and yank the power cable out? that's gotta cuase some slippage of the platters. AND overclocking, volting like crazy.
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You'd just end up with an unpartitioned drive. The way hard disks operate is essentially that they spin their platters and when they reach speed, the actuator arms with the read/write heads skim along just above it, riding on the cushion of air. If power is lost, the drive reverses the polarity on the motors, which turns them into generators. It them uses the power gathered from slowing the platters to move the heads off of the platters before they lose their air cushion and slam into the platters.

So, in short, simply unplugging the power while the drive is reading/writing will not cause permanent damange to the hardware (thankfully...man, I'd probably have been screwed a multitude of times if that were the case).

For more info, you can always check out HowStuffWorks. It's still looking to me like flashing the BIOS is his best bet. Hell, if he wants to go overboard, he could probably flash the optical drive and maybe even the video card while he's at it. :) Overvolting and blocking fresh air from entering the case might also be a good way to do it, depending on the capabilities of the motherboard, and the resilience of the components
 
troycheek said:
Well, there is the rumor that newer high-speed CD/DVD drives will cause defective media to shatter, throwing shards through the computer and causing massive damage. A few tiny taps with a hammer or a few seconds in a microwave could create a dozen AOL CD fragmentation grenades. Unfortunately, this would leave physical evidence. Not to mention risk damaging the operator.
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Doesn't work.

My friend had a cd shatter in his drive, all the shit stayed into the drive, took him a while to clean it all out, but no damage.

BIOS flash seems to be the only thing thatll work without physically damaging the computer.
 
Simply shake your box very hard. Now be sure to shake while it is writing to the
harddrive. If you shake properly the stylus will scratch the platers and that hard drive
will be toast. Good luck.
 
Wow so much creativity.

I like the bad bios flash.
Overclocking things to hell then leaving it at that speed seems good too..
Shorting ports seem to not damage much...

How about just picking up the computer and thumping it down? Its bound to damage something.

What about duct tape? A bit of tape on the PSU, a bit more on the back vents... some on the front... It should cause some heat and failure.. when it finishes, remove the tape.

A nice simple one... bend some pins on the vga out.

If that fails, doesnt most power supplies not have protection on the 5v line? Short 5 with gnd and see what the psu does.

Ah the joys.
 
hmmm.... preheat oven to 500 degrees, set to bake. when the oven is warm place in the oven for about 30 means. turn it over multiple times to ensure all of the melted lead for the leads drains and drips all around the case. when done use a temp probe to ensure it is thoroughly cooked through. when done let it cool on the counter for about 20 minutes. :D
 
Milez6 said:
hmmm.... preheat oven to 500 degrees, set to bake. when the oven is warm place in the oven for about 30 means. turn it over multiple times to ensure all of the melted lead for the leads drains and drips all around the case. when done use a temp probe to ensure it is thoroughly cooked through. when done let it cool on the counter for about 20 minutes. :D
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minor problem with that, lead melts at 620 degrees, but plastic is another story...
 
REMEMBER GUYS! he can't do anything PHYSICAL to the computer... So all those "put it in the oven or freezer" don't really apply...

Seems the man hasn't posted in a while...
Perhaps that's a sign of success!

If not, bad bios flash is excellent idea, although it might be physical since you actually unplug it. Furthermore, make sure your wife doesn't find out about bios-replacement chip sites....

Maybe spill something on it?

Prime95 with a heater right next to it, with huge ass voltages?
 
Well, not sure if anyone has mentioned this, and, neither am I sure that it'd work... but


take a paperclip/similar metal implement to the PSU fan (and any other fans you can get access to), Duct tape over all other vents. Cover in various insulating implements (perhaps just cover with large sleeping bag/similar implement). Turn PC on, and let run for a few dozen hours in the attic.

With some good luck, you otta fry the PSU, and only that... leave the rest of comp salvagable (assuming you might want to salvage it.... )

Though, I reserve the right to be wrong, and may not work... (220 volt to a 110 powersupply, and bios flash will both probably work really well)
 
troycheek said:
Well, there is the rumor that newer high-speed CD/DVD drives will cause defective media to shatter, throwing shards through the computer and causing massive damage. A few tiny taps with a hammer or a few seconds in a microwave could create a dozen AOL CD fragmentation grenades. Unfortunately, this would leave physical evidence. Not to mention risk damaging the operator.
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Its an untrue urban legend. But if you can put a CD on somethign to spin it fast enough to explode it like that.. it can be a deadly weapon. Like a grinder.

They did it on Mythbusters, I think on Discovery Channel, one time.
 
They are all wrong. Just take a screwdriver, and unscrew the scews on the back of the PSU. Good chance is that it's not supported by anything else, it will fall inside, knocking off prescious capacitors and integrated circuits in it's wake.
 
Why dont you just sell the computer?
Im sure someone on ebay would have a use for it...
 
good idea except for the fact that it won't work. You'd need a magnet strong enough to tip the earth over to do that.

Brando457 said:
or take a magnetic to teh side of teh whole computer and you'll kill all the electronics (make sure its a strong magnet)
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Or, you could start flashing the BIOS, and restart in the middle of it... although I'm probably the 100th person to suggest that.
 
I think he just abandoned the thread and has already won his raptor via the bios flash.
 
i had an old compaq, threw it in the bonfire. sparks flew that night. (cutting wrists) :D
 
Darth_Fluffy said:
Or, you could start flashing the BIOS, and restart in the middle of it... although I'm probably the 100th person to suggest that.
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better, out of 137 posts you are the 136th to propose it (1st post being the question...)
 
I'm really getting tired of reading this thread, mainly because people say the same stuff over and over, or just say something that doesn't follow the rules

But something makes me just keep clicking it. Damnit.
 
jgoewert said:
Excuse me for this, but this contest with your wife is sounding suspicious and hoakey.

By not opening it, you wouldn't be breaking a little silver tape strip seal on the side that voids your warranty that every pc manufacturer puts there. Also, your wife gave you complete permission to trash it in any form, yet you can't leave physical evidence on the outside of the box, like putting an axe through the side of the case, or major internal evidence, like iron filings inside.

It's like you are attempting to break it in a manner that you could return it under warranty, but not in a way that is easilly fixable. This would be so that the tech at CompUSA/Best Buy couldn't just stick your restore CD in and get it back online.

It all points to a fraud to get the company to compensate you in some way for the warranty so that you can get a new, updated PC.

I mean, it would be better to not trash the machine and give it to charity or a friend. Your planning on destroying it to an usuable state anyhow which means that you get $0 from it. By donating it to charity, you would get the same $0. This would solve your problem as the PC would be gone, but someone else gets some use out of it and you would be free to get a new PC.
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Actually, no it's not hoakey at all. I have decided to donate the thing to my mom's elementary school so they can donate to some needy family. My wife was so impressed that she decided to get my the Dell 19in Ultrasharp and the raptor for my birthday in January.

Also.... HOLY CRAP!! I leave for a few days and when I come back there are 8 fuckin pages of responses!?!?! That's amazing. I put this same thread on bit-tech and got like 15 total responses, most off topic.

So I donated it. That's no fun. My boss did tell me to do the BIOS flash trick on my crap-ass computer at work. He wants me to prove that would actually work. I have to wait for my new PC to come in though. No, my boss is not a computer person, I'm the "tech" of the office, even though I'm a cold fusion programmer. Course everyone are Social Workers with no idea what SQL Server is. They think COld Fusion is something that hasn't been invented yet, and prolly won't be.
 
RogerX said:
Oh and by the way...

There was no P3 433MHz.
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Well, p3 450.. or something like that... geez man, details details... :)

And, for the record, I would never do something to ruin someone elses computer. I work too hard to earn the things I have. I know most people do as well. I find no joy in ruining other people's property. I'd hate to have that happen to me, so I don't do that shit. This was a legit bet. Yes, I can afford the raptor on my own, but this was more fun. And like I answered before, my boss is wanting me to try the BIOS flash interruption on my work PC after my new one comes in just to show him how well it works.

But how were you supposed to know that about me. You know nothing about me, so I undersdtand your skepticism and I commend you for it. That normally would have been me, looking at it in retrospect.
 
IronChefMorimoto said:
Regardless of whether or not this guy is a troll, he basically got a shitload of you to demonstrate that you have aboslutely no forum discussion etiquette and/or reading abilities whatsoever. How many of you out of 5 pages of replies actually FOLLOWED THE GUY'S RULES in your solution?

Even if he's a troll, he did the forum a favor and exposed a whole helluva lot of you who don't take time to read the background of a thread before replying to it. :p

IronChefMorimoto
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Never even thought of it that way. Good lookin' out man.
 
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