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The user who taught me to stop assuming the problem is hardware
Had a guy bring in a Dell Optiplex last month, said it was constantly crashing. I immediately started swapping RAM and checking the PSU. After about 2 hours and $150 in unnecessary parts, he casually mentioned it only crashes when his kids play a specific game. Turned out to be a corrupted graphics driver, not a component failure. He was an older IT guy, just sat there watching me work. When I finally asked what he thought, he said 'you always try the expensive fix first, don't you?' That moment made me rethink my whole diagnostic process. Now I always ask about software before cracking open the case. Any of you ever get humbled by a customer who knew more than they let on?
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wood.uma18d ago
That "expensive fix first" approach is such a trap.
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cole_murphy18d agoMost Upvoted
Read an article the other day where this contractor was bragging about putting in a top of the line water heater for a family on a budget. The next week they had to call him back because their roof was leaking and ruining the brand new unit. Putting all your money into one shiny thing just makes the other problems worse.
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