[iWrite]

This is a Friday the 13th thread: What is the worst thing that has ever happened to your Powerbook?

I remember that the worst thing that's ever happened to one of my Powerbooks was an incident that happened to my G3 Powerbook Pismo 500Mzh.

My spouse was vacuuming the living room and vacuumed too close to where the Powerbook AC adapter cord was and it was sucked up by the vacuum...since the Powerbook was up on a little stand next to the sofa it was pulled off the stand when the AC adapter cord was sucked in by the vacuum...the Powerbook was pulled off of the stand and landed on the floor on the edge of the open LCD. I saw the entire thing happen -- felt like it happened in slow motion with me yelling "NOOOoooo!" like I was under water.

It was working perfectly before this happened and then when it hit the floor the LCD snapped off and was dark.

I was sure that the system was ruined.

I powered it back up and those few seconds before the familiar chime of Mac OS starting up were some of the longest in my life.

Then, all of a sudden the LCD flickered on and I saw that happy Mac smiley face staring at me. I was SO relieved.

What a terrible experience, though it could have been MUCH worse.

I'm sure some of you have much worse horror stories than that, though.

[killer_735]

Not a powerbook, but close..happened to a friend of mine last year.

iBook+bong+people with reduced motor skills=no more iBook.

just glad it wasn't my ibook or my hand that spilled it.

Seriously, though..it wasn't much water, but the whole thing was fried..wouldn't even boot.

[Lebensmüde]

Originally posted by iWrite:
This is a Friday the 13th thread: What is the worst thing that has ever happened to your Powerbook?

I remember that the worst thing that's ever happened to one of my Powerbooks was an incident that happened to my G3 Powerbook Pismo 500Mzh.

My spouse was vacuuming the living room and vacuumed too close to where the Powerbook AC adapter cord was and it was sucked up by the vacuum...since the Powerbook was up on a little stand next to the sofa it was pulled off the stand when the AC adapter cord was sucked in by the vacuum...the Powerbook was pulled off of the stand and landed on the floor on the edge of the open LCD. I saw the entire thing happen -- felt like it happened in slow motion with me yelling "NOOOoooo!" like I was under water.

It was working perfectly before this happened and then when it hit the floor the LCD snapped off and was dark.

I was sure that the system was ruined.

I powered it back up and those few seconds before the familiar chime of Mac OS starting up were some of the longest in my life.

Then, all of a sudden the LCD flickered on and I saw that happy Mac smiley face staring at me. I was SO relieved.

What a terrible experience, though it could have been MUCH worse.

Are you sure your name really isn't John Manzione?

[parsec_kadets]

Well I think the worst won I ever heard of was that one woman who left it in her oven. I know there were pics posted in this forum a few months ago. Long story short, even though the screen and keyboard were mostly melted the thing still booted up and worked perfectly.

As for my worst experience. I had my Ti in my back pack one day with just one of the straps over my shoulder. Well, the buckle came undone and the backpack fell on to the sidewalk. The Ti was dented, but it worked perfectly. Actually, it was asleep at the time. I just opened it up and everything was fine. I don't think I even rebooted.

[chrisutley]

Brand new PowerBook Ti 400, one-hour after getting it I'm passing by it with a dinner plate (fork on plate). Suddenly the fork (a very thick and heavy silver fork) goes sliding off the clean plate, and it's headed for my brand new PowerBook!

As I try to reverse the direction of the fork by tipping the plate back in my direction, somehow I accelerate the fork's momentum and it jumps off the plate and then ... oh the humanity. As it lands end first on the keyboard, two keys come flying off and then the prong end falls towards the display (AHHH!). What first appeared to be a dropplet of fluid or some food, turned out to be a chip in the display.

A few months later a stupid cat would knock a 16 oz. cup of water over onto the keyboard while it was running. Four long days later the PowerBook would boot, but a hissing sound when the AC was plugged in would never go away. I described all of this in an eBay auction, and I was 100% up front about everything that happened to it. Despite the abuse the machine took, I was able to get $1400 for it and ended up buying a 667 DVI.

Needless to say that PowerBook was cursed from day one, either that or the owner was very stupid. I'd like to think the former but...

My 667 DVI (knocking on wood) has yet to be harmed in over 6-months, so I dunno what to say.

[cube-dude]

Actually guys, the worst PowerBook accident would be buying a PC instead.

[iWrite]

Funny!

Reminds me of:

"Dude, you're going to h*ll -- er, I mean you're gettin' a Dell."

[Mastrap]

Not a PowerBook accident but I had a cat that loved sleeping on a 19" monitor. I had to kick her off one day because her tail was in my way. She waited until the evening and then pissed all over the keyboard.

I put it in the dishwasher and it was fine again.

[djjava]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Not a PowerBook accident but I had a cat that loved sleeping on a 19" monitor. I had to kick her off one day because her tail was in my way. She waited until the evening and then pissed all over the keyboard.

I put it in the dishwasher and it was fine again.

the cat or the keyboard?

[juanpacolopez]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Not a PowerBook accident but I had a cat that loved sleeping on a 19" monitor. I had to kick her off one day because her tail was in my way. She waited until the evening and then pissed all over the keyboard.

I put it in the dishwasher and it was fine again.

My cat seriously thought about jumping up on top of my closed TiBook the other night.... I watched her sitting there ready to pounce. I could just see her (non de-clawed) front paws taking gouges out of my sparkly titanium paint job.

She jumped in the air and was greeted with my hand grabbing her and tossing her about 3 feet across the room. It was almost like a parently instinct to protect my Ti

[mosch]

Originally posted by iWrite:
This is a Friday the 13th thread: What is the worst thing that has ever happened to your Powerbook?

I left my first PB12 sitting on the second floor balcony railing, which sat above a brick patio. It apparently wasn't quite as well balanced on that railing as I thought it was, as it lept to a death which involved much shattering, breaking, bending and denting.

Fortunately my second PB12 has suffered no injury beyond a cup of coffee which managed not to kill anything.

[Evinyatar]

I once bought a Pismo from a friend who had spilled beer over it. The thing was working fine when I got it, except for the FireWire ports. Then, only a few weeks after I had got it, the thing refused to boot entirely. When I opened it up I noticed a big spot of copper corrosion under the motherboard. My guess was that it was slowly corroding as I got it, and died as a result of the beer spill. Good thing I got my money back tho
I got my PowerBook 540 from another friend who sent it flying to the floor after tripping over the powercord. The right hinge broke off. I fixed it though, and it works great now, except for the batteries.
I wonder if my TiBook will be just as rugged... probably not

[romeosc]

Glad I have Safeware insurance on all my PBs!

I once dropped a PB5300c down a flight of stairs onto the marble floor. It still worked but case was in 4 pieces..... Safeware replaced it!

[hibbacross]

I was not me, but does anybody remember that guys whose sister took his Ti book and through it across the room? He posted pics and the the thing was in like 3 pieces. That was some crazy stuff.

[mixtup]

There was someone who posted on these boards about tripping over the AC cord. Only that the cord did not detach from the PB or the wall, and the notebook went flying.

My TiBook is okay for now (just three weeks with it), except that I tossed it in a bag and did not protect the screen from the keys and now I have key marks.

[squish]

I was driving and Ti was in the passenger seat. I came to a sudden stop and the powerbook (in its bad thank god!) went rolling into the glove compartment and onto the floor. It wasn't damaged!!!

[icruise]

No! These stories are horrible! (Keep 'em coming! )

I've never really had any problems like this with my powerbooks -- about the worst thing is losing the rubber feet on *all* of them, including my new PB12...

[iWrite]

You know, I still have a set of Pismo feet? Yep, I do. Those things are probably worth something!

I was in the Apple Store about a month ago and some poor b*stard was in there because he tripped over the ethernet cord on his Powerbook (how DO you do that anyway?) and it ripped the back off of his system.

They were telling him it was, like, $1000 to fix it.

He was arguing about it ----->

He left because he couldn't afford it. I'm sure HIS drive home was nice ----->

[DVD Plaza]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Not a PowerBook accident but I had a cat that loved sleeping on a 19" monitor. I had to kick her off one day because her tail was in my way. She waited until the evening and then pissed all over the keyboard.

My cat recently decided ditch in the top of my laser printer would be a good kitty tray, and filled it up with more urine than I've ever seen a cat piss before. Unfortunately in the process she also sprinkled tiny drops over my old 15" PowerBook - luckily it was closed at the time, and my 17" PowerBook which was dangerously close was not touched!!!

[iWrite]

This is turning into "Worst Cat P*ss Accident?" thread!

[icruise]

Which confirms my suspiscions that cats are the devil incarnate!

[Lebensmüde]

Originally posted by Icruise:
Which confirms my suspiscions that cats are the devil incarnate!

And which is why all misbehavin' felines should be forced to spend the rest of their 9 lives as musicians in a punk band:

Punk Kittens

(I thought you cat lovers on this forum might appreciate this...)

[Crusoe]

Originally posted by mixtup:
There was someone who posted on these boards about tripping over the AC cord. Only that the cord did not detach from the PB or the wall, and the notebook went flying.

My TiBook is okay for now (just three weeks with it), except that I tossed it in a bag and did not protect the screen from the keys and now I have key marks.

That was me, the powerbook is fine but it hyper-extended the yoyo adapter cord and I had to for $100 for a new power adapter. I miss my yoyo style adapter : (

I also installed Bochs and was attempting to install Win2K from CD (which takes about 6 hours) for novelty purposes. I left the install going while I went to bed. The vibration mixed with no feet on my TiBook cause it to vibrate off the desk and onto the floor. It closed the lid, but woke up fine in the morning. CD got scratched to hell somehow (perhaps is was before I don't remember).

[danbrew]

As the operations officer for my army reserve unit, I was conducting parachute operations with the company in 2001 and had my new PB packed securely in my rucksack. I bring the PB along to write reports in the field and to download images from the digital camera.

After exiting the aircraft at 1500 ft, the clip that secures the rucksack to my gear gave way and the pack fell about 1200 ft to the LZ. The frame on the pack was bent and had to be replaced but the PB worked just fine. Am using it now.

[iWrite]

WW!

[threestain]

Well I managed to scrawl with permanent marker all over the top of my new Tibook on saturday, when trying to send my dad a father's day gift - the marker rubbed off the package. It was the worst feeling in the world when I saw I had massive black marks all over the lid. But they came off with a little alcohol (CK One!). Must be something to do with my birthday being the 13th - unlucky or summit!

[iWrite]

That was a lucky break! At least it came off.

[CMYKboy]

when I was a professor, one of my students, at my direction, had just gotten his new Pismo not 3 hours before. Of course, being a nice guy I'd offered to help him with some mods and tweaks. Walking into his classroom I went over to his desk and set down my 20 oz cup of coffee, then turned my back to talk to another student. In the meantime the student with the Pismo MOVED my coffee and set up his Powerbook. Of course, the spot he moved my coffee to was just in the radius of my turn when I turned back from talking to the other kid and the entire 20 ozs went into the keyboard of the brand-new Pismo.

Of course, instantly I became a certified Powerbook tech...I swear, I spent 5 hours taking that thing apart, cleaning, drying, blowing out with air, letting dry... worked perfectly after an extended drying over a fan that evening. Well, except for the keyboard, but the dishwasher took care of that...

The look on his face WAS rather priceless tho, as that huge pool of liquid disappeared as it seeped thru the keyboard and into the machine below...

[djjava]

Originally posted by CMYKboy:
when I was a professor, one of my students, at my direction, had just gotten his new Pismo not 3 hours before. Of course, being a nice guy I'd offered to help him with some mods and tweaks. Walking into his classroom I went over to his desk and set down my 20 oz cup of coffee, then turned my back to talk to another student. In the meantime the student with the Pismo MOVED my coffee and set up his Powerbook. Of course, the spot he moved my coffee to was just in the radius of my turn when I turned back from talking to the other kid and the entire 20 ozs went into the keyboard of the brand-new Pismo.

Of course, instantly I became a certified Powerbook tech...I swear, I spent 5 hours taking that thing apart, cleaning, drying, blowing out with air, letting dry... worked perfectly after an extended drying over a fan that evening. Well, except for the keyboard, but the dishwasher took care of that...

The look on his face WAS rather priceless tho, as that huge pool of liquid disappeared as it seeped thru the keyboard and into the machine below...

if a teacher of mine did that to me... not only would i expect that same service and/or replacement , but I'd expect a big fat A+

[suprz's ghost]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Not a PowerBook accident but I had a cat that loved sleeping on a 19" monitor. I had to kick her off one day because her tail was in my way. She waited until the evening and then pissed all over the keyboard.

I put it in the dishwasher and it was fine again.

if that cat were mine, i would have turned his ass into a mouse pad!

[Jacket]

these stories make me want to cry and keep my PB17 in a static-free rubber room with anti-gravity systems, and sensors that detect fluids before entering..

or something like that.

[juanpacolopez]

Originally posted by Jacket:
these stories make me want to cry and keep my PB17 in a static-free rubber room with anti-gravity systems, and sensors that detect fluids before entering..

or something like that.

Hehe, I wonder how far off we are from some design firm offering the following service:

A custom designed computing environment. You supply the room, we go in and install polystyrene padding on all the walls/floor... an anti-gravity lift system to support your powerbook w/out fear of scratches (from a table) or drops. And, for a limited time only, a full-time security guard who personally strip searches every person entering the room to insure they have no "contaminants" (i.e. fluids). The room even includes retinal scanning access for your added security needs.

Oh yeah, and for a small extra fee we offer a nightly cleaning service whereby every night your powerbook will be METICULOUSLY hand cleaned (including each and every key and all surfaces) w/ a special alcohol-free solution designed specifically to clean the powerbook surface (look out iKlear, here we come!).

[Jacket]

that be something.

even with that.. woudl you feel safe?

[juanpacolopez]

Originally posted by Jacket:
that be something.

even with that.. woudl you feel safe?

Hehe, define safe?

I get a chill every time I walk by and there's a dark spec of dust on my machine I'm so afraid of the paint chipping.

I think with the way some of us love our machines, "safety" is a completely unattainable goal, short of locking the thing in a plexi-glass case and never using it like an expensive baseball card or something.

[Tom Rudderham]

I've yet to damage my Gigabook but all these storys are quite teeth clenching!

[Lebensmüde]

Originally posted by Tom Rudderham:
I've yet to damage my Gigabook but all these storys are quite teeth clenching!

Just hope you never have a cat...

[juanpacolopez]

Originally posted by Lebensmüde:
Just hope you never have a cat...

For REAL.

My cat did a NUMBER on my old ibook... all sorts of hairlines in top.

She tried to get on my Ti once... I don't think she'll try again Just to be safe I put it in a bag for protection whenever I can.

[DeathToWindows]

in regard to the bag:

is the cat in the bag to protect it from you or is the TiBook in the bag to protect it from the cat?

[Jacket]

Originally posted by juanpacolopez:
Hehe, define safe?

I get a chill every time I walk by and there's a dark spec of dust on my machine I'm so afraid of the paint chipping.

I think with the way some of us love our machines, "safety" is a completely unattainable goal, short of locking the thing in a plexi-glass case and never using it like an expensive baseball card or something.

i nearly crap myself when i notice a hair on the LCD that looks like a scratch.. or a spec of something that looks like a dead pixel...

[juanpacolopez]

Originally posted by DeathToWindows:
in regard to the bag:

is the cat in the bag to protect it from you or is the TiBook in the bag to protect it from the cat?

Hehe, the Ti is in the bag to protect it from the cat. Though, to be honest, I'd stuff the cat in there in a second to protect my baby

[iWrite]

Guess we know now why Jobs calls it Jaguar

<smirk>