I was an apple tech for a time. With iPads that were out of warranty (basically go buy a new one or GTFO) and exhibiting a certain display issue, I would take it in the back and slam the thing on a counter at a certain angle. Worked every time for that particular problem.
this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2025
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Asklemmy
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why and how did that work, how hard were you slamming it, I am presuming not hard enough to break glass, but than, what would such a slam do? I am going to presume these were LCDs, and maybe the the liquid crystals would have gone too cold, and maybe by smacking, you somehow freed them or something. I would like to know more.
I had a similar thing on an old crt monitor. The screen would start to flicker badly after a while, and 8 year old me found if you banged the side, just right, it would keep working for a couple of hours.
Turns out the circuit board had some dry solders on it and when I hit it on the side where the board was, it got the connection back for a while.
Pretty sure it was a loose cable. They're basically giant iPhones and I saw similar issues on those. I should also mention said counter had an antistatic mat on it to soften the blow.
Stopped using the PC for a week. Came back and an update came out and everything was good. Sometimes theres nothing you can do.
First things first: if people call me they really have a problem and 9 times out of 10 it is not their fault. But, me standing next to the machine while they reproduce the problem "fixes" it about half the time.
Seems like random glitches that only last a minute or two.
Okay but I am actually good with tech and actually do my due diligence and this still happens to me sometimes and it's embarrassing!
PC knows when the alpha is about to wreck their shit if they don't behave.
Lots of percussive maintenance going on around here, but one that sticks in my mind was testing some of the first 486DX PCs in 1990. One particular specimen from Compaq would only boot after hard power off by taking the lid off and tapping the CPU with a screwdriver. Worked fine after that.
Smacked the shit out of our old CRT TV, worked!
I smacked my calculator in middle school, it somehow worked too
That's where the phrase "out of whack" came from. You just needed to give it a whack.
I have revived multiple computers and my mom's windshield wipers with concussive application of a rubber chicken.
That sentence was going rather predictably right up until the last word. Well done.
I have possibly the dumbest workaround to anything in history
bindntr=CTRL,C,exec,hyprctl activewindow | rg -q "class: Wfica" && ( sleep 0.02 && hyprctl closewindow class:alacrittyclipboard ; alacritty -qq --config-file ~/.config/alacritty/alacrittyclipboard.toml --class 'alacrittyclipboard' --title 'Office 365 Desktop (SSL/TLS Secured, 256 bit)' -e sh -c 'sleep 0.03 && xclip -o | copyq copy - ; copyq clipboard | xclip -i' ) & ( sleep 0.2 && closewindow class:alacrittyclipboard )
windowrulev2 = float,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
windowrulev2 = stayfocused,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
windowrulev2 = noborder,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
windowrulev2 = noanim,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
windowrulev2 = noblur,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
windowrulev2 = opacity 0,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
windowrulev2 = maxsize 1 1,class:(alacrittyclipboard)
allow me to explain this monstrocity... the clipboard in citrix workspace is broken in a stupid way
it doesn't update the system clipboard unless you move focus away from the window... and out of focus windows can't update the clipboard for security reasons... this makes it so that if I hit ctrl c when citrix is open it opens a terminal window that's tiny, invisible and steals focus that essentially forces the clipboard to work.
nonsense hack, but it works
For several years my pc would only turn on while at a 45degree angle, not on its side and not upright but tilted 45degrees. After it turned on I could put it back and it'd be fine.
Eventually I moved and the pc ended up upside down and shaken, I put it down and a screw fell out of the psu. Problem solved!
D:
Definitely just poking a stick inside a printer
Sticks were maybe the first human technology and we've yet to top it to this day.
Had a dvd player that would skip all the time even if it was a brand new dvd. Got pissed off and threw it at the wall. Girlfriend plugged it back in a couple hours later and it never skipped again.
You scared the poor little guy.
The irony of that is after I threw it I screamed "You have one fucking job! BE a dvd player!"
I did this with a google home mini. I could not get it to work correctly, got mad, threw it at a wall, and put it in a box.
A few months later I found it, plugged it in, and it works perfectly. Except the strange rattle if you shake it haha
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