Failed Rule #1...

[Nashida]

I like to say I'm decently tech savvy. Came in handy at a training presentation I was at Monday, when the presenter was having trouble with her Win 8.1 laptop.

So when I went in the next day and couldn't turn on my classroom's computer, i was baffled. Everything seemed to be plugged in, cables weren't frayed, but the tower wouldn't fire.

My boss comes in, plays with it. Nothing. Two coteachers come in. Still nothing.

4 hours later I'm rearranging things on my desk as my preschoolers go down for rest and I hit the side of the plug strip behind the monitor, when all of a sudden the screen flashes. Curious, I press the button on the tower. Computer fires up without a hitch. Had no clue there was a power button on the plug strip.

My groan was so loud one of my kids asked me if I had a belly ache.

[Ironclad Alibi]

When all else fails, make sure it's plugged in and turned on.

[AdamAnt316]

You're far from alone in that regard. Here are a few folks who forgot that "It works better if you turn it on" in some brilliantly stupid ways.......

[Sparklyturtle]

Is Rule #2 "Make sure you haven't plugged anything into itself? I did that once. Couldn't figure out why the switch box to move me from one computer to the other (I'm sure there's a name for this, but I don't know what it is; someone please enlighten me) wasn't working. After a half hour of plugging and unplugging I got the brilliant idea to follow all cables to their sources. That's how I found out that I'd plugged both ends of one of the cables into the switch box instead of into the computers. Oh, well.

[workerbee222]

Back in the day, my father-in-law used to repair TV sets. His method of allowing people to save their dignity was to tell them to unplug the TV, turn the plug 180 degrees and plug it back in. That way they didn't have to admit someone had unplugged the TV to plug in something else.

[Silent-Hunter]

Couldn't figure out why the switch box to move me from one computer to the other (I'm sure there's a name for this, but I don't know what it is; someone please enlighten me)

That is a Keyboard-Video-Mouse or KVM switch.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Back in the day, my father-in-law used to repair TV sets. His method of allowing people to save their dignity was to tell them to unplug the TV, turn the plug 180 degrees and plug it back in. That way they didn't have to admit someone had unplugged the TV to plug in something else.

Back then, the prongs on the end of the plug that went into the receptacle were the same width, so that method would work fine.

With most items nowadays, one prong is slightly wider than the other. More modern electrical outlets are that way as well, so that the plug can only go in one way.