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elwoos
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2052 Posts |
 Posted - 2005-02-18 : 07:58:02
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| A place I used to work had a running gag where if you went on leave you would come back to find something 'strange' had happened to your computer.One new guy decided he could get around this by taking his hard drive out. Needless to say it took him a good few days to get his machine working when he got back.Have also tried changing and renaming the icons though it takes a while.On a MAC it is possible to hide the waste bin (you used to need it to eject a disc) which was also quite entertainingAnyone else have any other tricks and tips (Can you tell it's Friday afternoon here!!)steveAnd how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. |
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spirit1
Cybernetic Yak Master
11752 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 08:13:11
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1.take a printscreen of your desktop. add it as the background pic.delete all icons from desktop.set taskbar to hide.  2.take the machine with you.3.bolt the casing down.Go with the flow & have fun! Else fight the flow  |
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robvolk
Most Valuable Yak
15732 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 08:17:53
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| One of my favorites from high school (20+ years ago) was our computer science teacher insisting he had to use the good Apple II computer...64K RAM, color graphics, color monitor. We were forbidden to use it...so we decided to pop the RAM chips out of it. He spent a good day or two trying to figure out why it wouldn't work, then finally swapped it with one of the lowly 8K monochrome Apples (cursing and grumbling the whole time) Of course when he put the good one off in a corner we put the RAM back in and fired it up. Yeah, it's a lame story, but popping RAM out is still a good way to bring a computer to a halt. Problem is the damn BIOS messages will probably tell you exactly what's wrong these days.(P.S. - our teacher found out we got the computer working again and took it back. I think he figured out the RAM situation, so next time we popped off the main fuse on the motherboard. You'd be surprised how entertaining it is to watch a teacher curse an Apple II computer) |
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elwoos
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2052 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 09:47:01
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| Spirit, must admit I have thought of your first one before but never got around to doing it. You can also do the same with a login screen though Microsoft have spoiled that one a bit with the CTRL + ALT + DEL malarkey. You can have some fun with the mouse and keyboard settings too OR wire the sound up to someone else's computerAnd how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. |
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JimL
SQL Slinging Yak Ranger
1537 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 15:27:32
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Note only do this to someone with a strong heart and you may have to replace the power supply after ward.1. Power down computer at the power switch or unplug. Disconect all power leads from the drives.2. Take a 100 ufd dialectric capacitor and double fold the wire leads.3. push the leads into the 12V socket from the power supply reversing the polarity.4. leave the power sitch off or unplugged.The idividual sould figure out that the power switch is off and flick it on. The result will sound like a gun shot.Yes I hated the idividual I came up with this for. JimUsers <> Logic |
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MichaelP
Jedi Yak
2489 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 16:23:51
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| I usually turn their speakers up to the max, and then send them an e-mail so that I can hear the world's loudest DING! noise.Michael<Yoda>Use the Search page you must. Find the answer you will.</Yoda> |
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MichaelP
Jedi Yak
2489 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 17:24:55
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| One moreTaking out people's mouse balls and hiding them, or just putting tape over the hole where the balls goes.Michael<Yoda>Use the Search page you must. Find the answer you will.</Yoda> |
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spirit1
Cybernetic Yak Master
11752 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 17:43:14
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| ok with what kind of people do you folks work with???i never wanted to anything even remotly similar to this to anyone. Go with the flow & have fun! Else fight the flow |
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rockmoose
SQL Natt Alfen
3279 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-18 : 17:44:00
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schedule this on the victims computer:' CDEject.vbs, Version 1.00' Eject all CDROMs'' Needs Windows Media Player installed'' Script posted by Christoph Fricke on the' microsoft.public.de.german.scripting.wsh' newsgroupSet oWMP = CreateObject("WMPlayer.OCX.7")Set colCDROMs = oWMP.cdromCollectionif colCDROMs.Count >= 1 then For i = 0 to colCDROMs.Count - 1 colCDROMs.Item(i).Eject Next ' cdromEnd Ifedit:Set oWMP = Nothingrockmoose |
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eyechart
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3575 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-19 : 04:26:58
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| set their home page to www.tubg...nevermind...-ec |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-19 : 05:32:41
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| We had a client whos IT department had enormous problems with Windows 95 on their network, when it first came out. Back then large corporates had IT policy best described as "anarchy". Many of their users had Win95 at home and they started bringing their copies in and installing them on their Work PCs. This caused so much havoc on the corporate LAN that it was made into a Gross Misconduct offense (don't know if that translates - it means you can be fired on the spot). Anyway, my client asked me for a Win3.1 screen saver image depicting Win95 desktop so that IT would do their nut when they saw the PC!Once upon a time I changed the AUTOEXEC.BAT (rememeber those?!) for the head of department for a client (old chap, never quite got the hang of computers - "It says 'OK to continue [Y/N]?' - Of COURSE I want to continue" Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Hehehehe!)I put a "Water deteced on Drive A" program on his drive, changed the AUTOEXEC.BAT to run it on 1st April, and then re-instate a clean AUTOEXEC.BAT and delete the EXE.So ... on 1st April he calls IT support: User: My computer said I had water on drive AIT: Really?User: Yup, but I think its OK, it then said it was doing a spin-dry cycleIT: Did you try rebbooting?User: Yup, it didn't do it again ...Kristen |
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Merkin
Funky Drop Bear Fearing SQL Dude!
4970 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-19 : 08:30:01
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I like your style Jim, those caps make a very satisfying noise  I used to freak out our (MCSE) network guy at a company I worked at. I'd use xp_CmdShell on the database server to send him NET SEND messages saying stuff like "Critical Hardware Failure" and watch him run for the server room.We wasted half another guys day by sending him NET SEND messages in a loop, 100 at a time Damian |
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TG
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
6065 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-19 : 10:45:11
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| Ahh yes...the system messages are a classic. When a new operations guy would start, I would begin by sending realistic system warnings, then critical failure messages, and finally something like "Catastrophic system failure is imminent. Leave the building immediately!" I love to see it as realization finally sinks in.Before the 'computer practical joke' war starts to escalate, one of favorites to get things going is to change the mouse orientation slightly. The "user" looks like they are failing a sobriety test when they try to use the mouse (complete with "body english" to try and help alter the direction of the cursor).Be One with the OptimizerTG |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-19 : 10:58:14
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| A RightHanded Colleague of mine used to set his mouse to LeftHanded, which he had learnt to use with his right hand, so that when people came to use his workstation when he was out they soon gave up.Then there was the ANSIART that you could do on BBS's in the old days. Full screen, no border. Great for a BSOD - had people rebooting their computers without questioning that it was a fake screen!And "This message contains a hidden game. Press the appropriate Control-Alt key combinations to start the game" So people held down Control and Alt and then worked along the keyboard trying Q, W, E,R, T, Y, ... DELETE <g> Modern windows is no fun with its "Do you want to ..." confirmation dialog boxes :-(Kristen |
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Andraax
Aged Yak Warrior
790 Posts |
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elwoos
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2052 Posts |
Posted - 2005-02-21 : 07:04:25
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| Some friends of mine setup some speakers under a colleagues desk with a voice filter to make it sound quite deep and added echo. They were hooked up to a mic at the other end of the room. Every now and again you would hear things like "MAKE TEA" etc. The guy they did it to never seemed to even notice that it was happening which made it even funnier.Their boss had a sort of sub office and one day he called one of them in to tell him off, while this was happening they were mooning at the guy that was being told off through the window. He started laughing which infuriated the boss even more.Anyone ever tried changing the keyboard settings? You can have fun with the Dvorak layoutsteveAnd how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. |
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Tricks and Tips