As a computer consultant, I get to see all kinds of computer problems.  And since I've been in the industry for 27 years (Since 1977), I've pretty well seen them all.  Or so I thought.

True story:  I've actually seen a computer with two floppy disks jammed into the drive to the point that the drive had to be replaced.  Apparently when the computer said "Put in Disk 2" it should of been more specific.  (True story.)

I've seen a lot of times that the client would explain everything they are doing and you would walk them through this thing and that thing only to give up and go on-site.  When you get there you find out that they didn't actually have the printer cable hooked up, but they swore up and down they did cause they had it plugged into the wall.

Many times you'll find a computer with PEBKAC or ID:10-T errors.  Sometimes you'll find a customer that you just want to... ok, well.  You get the idea.

But in all of my years, I've never seen THIS.

A woman went out to a local computer store to buy a computer that her family wanted her to get so she can e-mail them. The sales person told her that they would deliver the computer, set it up and give her some pointers on using it.  If she had any problems later all she had to do was call their "Technical Support" they would talk her through it over the phone or come back to her house to find the problem. The sales person asked her if she wanted to purchase 2 years in-house warranty, the woman said yes.

A few months went by, she was getting good sending and receiving mail and checking the other web sites with only one call to tech support until one day -- She called tech support.

SUPPORT: Hello, technical support how can I help you

LADY: Last night my computer started making a lot of hissing noise at me so I shut it down. This morning when I turned it on the computer started hissing and cracking, then started smoking and a bad smell, then nothing.

SUPPORT: I will have a technician come over first thing this morning, just leave the computer just like it is so they can find the problem and fix it or change it out with another computer. Give me your address; phone number and the technician will be there just as soon as they can.

When the technician got there, the lady showed the technician where the computer was, said what happen to it, this is what the technician found wrong.