nora10•22d ago

Got a call about a server that wouldn't boot in a hot supply closet

I was at a small law office downtown, and their main file server just gave a black screen with a blinking cursor. The closet was so warm I could feel it. I pulled it out, opened it up, and found a thick layer of dust on the CPU fan. After a careful clean with compressed air and reseating the RAM, it posted on the first try. What's the weirdest place you've had to fix a computer?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_james22d ago

Honestly, that just sounds like a Tuesday. Weirdest place was probably a half-finished basement crawl space, fixing a point of sale terminal for a bakery. It was next to the sump pump and I had to dodge a pretty angry looking spider. At least your closet had a door.

parker_bell22d ago

Our old office had a server rack in a converted janitor closet with no AC vent. We stuck a cheap box fan blowing across the front grilles as a band-aid. It bought us six months until they ran a proper duct. For that law office, tell them to at least get a louvered door or a vent fan. Heat kills drives faster than anything.

terry_shah1722d ago

Been there. For a quick fix, get a cheap vent fan kit from a hardware store and cut a hole in the closet door. Long term, they need a proper AC duct or a small wall mount unit. That heat will cook the power supply next.