What is the scariest experience you have had on a computer?

[Moliphino]

My laptop died about a month before my college graduation. Absolutely terrible timing.

 

[RamblingMad]

Back in the 90s, my lab computer at university would crash when I would press print. Yep, Word and Windows really sucked back then. Screwed up one of my papers.

 

[JaxDad]

I have an external hard drive I used to backup files and store photos. One day, several years ago, it just locked me out. It wants a BitLocker password that I never created. At the time, I didn’t even know it was a thing. I’ve found many others on the internet to whom this has happened, and several proposed solutions, but none that have worked for me. I’ve lived fine without those files, but I would still like to get to some of them.

 

[JLTraveling]

This one ties into the Sierra thread. I was playing Phantasmagoria late at night. It came on 7 CDs. Completed disc 6, got a prompt to enter disc 7. Swapped discs, went on with the game. A few minutes later, it crashed. Had to reload from my last save, which meant going back to disc 6. Played on from there, right through where I should have had to switch the disc....but I didn't get the prompt! Game kept right on going without the last CD. It's a really scary game, and I freaked out!

I literally shut down the computer and wouldn't turn it on again until I called tech support. The tech was as surprised as I was, but his best guess was that because I had started chapter 7 before the crash, there were likely bits of data from that playthrough on my computer, even though I had to reload.

So I went back to the game. Eventually it asked me for disc 7, but way later than I would have expected. So weird!

 

[NotUrsula]

That would be the time my work computer monitor (an old CRT) suddenly erupted in flames. (Yep, not a euphemism; it really happened. Luckily there was a wall-mounted extinguisher about 10 feet away, so I was able to put it out quickly.)

 

[bcla]

Had a couple of liquid spills that totally destroyed the electronics within seconds. That's why I look at people working with computers next to a cup of coffee or water and shake my head. I've seen what happens.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Decades ago...I'm talking Windows 98...I electrocuted myself. I saw some dust or something around the power button on the monitor and I stuck a metal paperclip in the space to try and fish it out. ZAP.

Nothing too serious, but it was enough to shake me up. How dumb can you be?