Most Hated Hardware!

[Technoid]

In the tradition of the recent "most x hardware"

Whats your most hated hardware?

[Ant]

I had a Canon laser printer, one of those Windows printer jobbies (I know crap but at the time all I could afford). It used to infuriate me, wouldn't take up paper if there was more than one sheet in the feeder, constant papers jams etc etc. I ended up getting so mad with it I kicked it and smashed the front it, never worked at all after that but it was very satisfying

[Kaj]

That must be my cellular phone.. Every time when that piece of crap runs out of juice, I recharge it (so far, so good) but after recharging it, I switch it on again. Then, it happens: it resets itself a couple of times, keeps on searching for the network (thus partly depleting the batteries again), resets soms settings and renders itself useless for it's purpose: calling someone when I need to.
The same thing happens when I switch the damn thing off in a theatre or hospital; when I switch it on again, the whole story repeats itself.

That wouldn't be a problem if the problem would occur every time I switch it on, because I could simply go back to the store I bought it from, and let the warranty do it's work. But nooo, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.

This lame piece of hardware is a Sony CMD-CD5, and the only reason I didn't replace that thing is that, when it works, it works good.
No problems whatsoever with reception, sound quality or the controls; the reset-thing is the only problem, but it's quite annoying.

[Jake]

Canon LPB-460?

Hi!

I had the same printer as you Ant. Hated it? YES!

But I didn't break it though. I managed to figure out what caused the paper jam problems. The rubber rollers that grapped the paper would quickly get "smoothened" by the paper fibres and would then stop working.

It could be fixed by cleaning the rollers with window cleaner as the microscopic layer of dust on the rollers would then be removed. The surface would then be rough again and the sheet feeder worked.

I had to do this about once every three months. Pain in the butt!

I had to part with it, as the Windows Printing System was not supported by Win2k. Canon could not bother to support this OS. Fools!

Bought me a HP Deskjet 840C. This printer is amazing! It's cheap in ink and prints in colour! It's also btw. autodetected by Windows XP and the driver is automatically installed. Goodbye driver disks!

Anyway, I would like to use this opportunity to wish all MURC'ers a very merry Christmas.

Regards,

Jake

[Bohrn]

had a cyrix processor once, before I knew better. Also a VXPro (Fake Korean VX) chipset motherboard. Both sucked hard.

had a winmodem that I didnt know WAS a winmodem. Crap.

thats about it for stuff that really stood out.

[Jon P. Inghram]

I was playing Counter-Strike on the local RR server when I encountered the infamous speedhack for the first time. I had been growing rather tired of the horrific ease at which people (if you want to call them people) could cheat and go about ruining a game for others, and when I saw some loser log in, fly to the other teams spawn in mere seconds and mow everyone down almost instantly (he was also using a wall hack and auto-aim). I decided that I had had enough of Counter-Strike, and took the CD and tore it in half by hand; give it a try with an AOL CD, it's very refreshing.

[The PIT]

Abit KT133a Raid guarenteed to crash at least 12 times a year.
Anyone want it?

[mdhome]

Just about everything I buy ends up with me spending huge amounts of time trying to resolve problems. My current problems lie with games hanging on my ecs5a motherboard (coupled with G400 and SB live). My previous bitch was when I overclocked one of the classic 300mhz celerons to 450. It took me months to get it right until I upped the voltage. Worked like a dream afterwards.

regards MD

[The PIT]

Slightly off topic

Our Gas boiler that decides on occainsion to do an impression a distantly parked lorry and wakes you up with a low level drone that goes on and on like it did this morning.
Our Fridge freezer which also makes a racket my mother wanted a frost free model. Major mistake even she hates it and her hearing isn't very good. Took her two months to admit it though.

[Technoid]

My most hated hardware was a USB-->NIC adapter that caused BSODS!
Nowdays I have 3COM's in my boxe's

[The PIT]

How about realtek network cards. I had a couple that couldn't cope with a processor over 900mhz. Now running on 3coms.

[Dilitante1]

I reiterate my absolute disgust for the Lexmark 1000 printer I have fought with for several years (and recently retired until a flaming death can be arrainged)


one sour pickle 8D

[Johnny Ray]

Wow. This is easy:

1) Diamond Stealth 64 Video VRAM. What an expensive, heaping POS. I think the collective wisdom at this site could write better Win3.1 drivers.

2) Turtlebeach Daytona PCI soundcard. My first PCI soundcard....the worst sounding card ever.

3) My old gray-scale HP scanner. A 3 series. Got so fed up with it I carried it out to the garbage.

4) USR "Pro" modem. This was a recent purchase. Gets tired if it stays connected more than 15 min. Other modems don't have this problem on the same phone line.



Hardware I've really liked:

1) My Aureal SQ2500 Vortex2 soundcard. It finally gave up the ghost

2) My Matrox G200 and G400Max. Still using the G400 in my Linux box.

3) My Klipsch Promedia speakers.

4) My IBM buckling spring keyboards!! The one I'm typing this on was made in '92

5) Sony GDM400 monitor. I like flatscreen Trinitrons.

[Kaj]

Today, my CMD-CD5 fell out of my hands, and it dropped on the corner of the flightcase I keep the CD's in for my radioshow.
The phone itself survived and is still capable of calling, but the jog-dial and the built-in enter-key (very necessary if you want to change settings, browse your telephonebook, make a SMS or just to confirm something) is toast.

So I'm going to buy a new one the day after tomorrow, and crush the CMD-CD5 with a sledgehammer.

[SteveC]

Very tough battle here!

Contender number 1:

<B>IBM MWAVE</B>

Contender number 2:

<B>PC CHIPS</B>

I think it might have to go to a vote..... maybe IBM's MWave is worse though. I wish I knew how IBM managed to make a device that the only way to fix it if it ever stops working is to use the Aptiva restore CD Why can't they make drivers that work for it?
And PCChips - why oh why oh why have such a big (?) company never heard of QA???!!?!?!?!!!!!