Normal people and tech don't mix. As is proven by this collection of images from tech-savvy people showing various gadget related misadventures.

These images show all sorts of inexplicable happenings that will likely make you wince, turn away in horror or just have a good chortle.

This is fine

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UsablePizza

If you've ever had problems with a printer, they probably pale into insignificance compared to this one where the printer is seemingly catching on fire while it prints.

Aptly this user has printed out the "This is fine" meme which then burnt nicely. The video makes this even more entertaining.

Safe passwords

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Kerberos42

Passwords are a pain for everyone, but you should always have a secure password and avoid making basic mistakes. Otherwise, you're in danger of having all sorts of headaches.

Worryingly, this use is not only called "user1" but also has a password hint that tells you the password is the same as the login name. This is doubly worse when you learn that the PC belongs to an IT manager.

Wasp nest PC build

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EDD1E1422

One PC repairer was asked by a customer to take a look at their computer which was apparently making a lot of noise and turning off by itself.

Opening it up to investigate they were confronted by this wasp's nest on the CPU cooler. Certainly, a potential source of the issue, though we expect the wasps had a nice warm house.

Lightweight mouse DIY

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Precastpie

Gamers love a good lightweight gaming mouse and there's been a trend lately for those mice to have holes in them to shed weight.

This person has taken it upon themselves to make holes in their current mouse rather than shelling out extra money for a new one. It still works apparently, but it's terrifying.

Cable nightmares

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The_Revolutionary

We've written before about people that create incredibly neat works of art while sorting out server power cables and more.

Now we're showing the opposite. An absolute mess of cables that would likely make any engineer or technician wince.

Dirt is the enemy

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Rennsport_Dota

The user reported that their PC had shut off and then wouldn't turn back on afterwards. The engineer then took the cooling fan off the radiator and discovered this awful mess underneath.

So much dust and dirt that air couldn't possibly get through the radiator in order to cool the CPU.

The printer isn't working

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MirrorlikeTent

At one company, the IT team was called to help with printer issues. They were presented with this printer and told it wouldn't print. That's probably because the paper is still in the bag it came in.

An ancient motherboard

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1Darkest_Knight1

This motherboard is so dirty it looks like it's a view of an ancient temple discovered in the depths of a big desert that's just been subjected to a sandstorm.

We have a feeling the original user was a bit dirty and didn't clean their PC nearly enough to keep it running well.

The USB drive won't work

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nopenotamish

Here a user was complaining that their USB thumb drive wasn't working when it was plugged into their laptop.

That's because they'd plugged it into the ethernet port instead. Yikes.

The dangers of heating

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Majahzi

Space heaters and extension leads don't mix well.

Yes, this is a surge protector extension lead that has been overloaded. It might not have had much plugged into it, but a power-hungry space heater was enough to melt it. Dangerous and scary too.

The internet is down

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half-baked_axx

When engineers were called out to deal with reports that there was an internet outage in Mexico they were greeted with this view of a bullet lodged in the cable. That's quite some shot or stray bullet!

Don't close the lid

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havetolovemusic

Sometimes it's not the user that's the problem but the company.

Here an employee has shared an image of their workplace. Yes, that's a laptop strapped to the side of the desk. They were told not to close the lid or the monitor wouldn't work. Why not just put it on the desk and multi-screen? We're also worried about where that laptop's webcam might be pointed.

Some serious curves

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Flying-T

This user has installed their NVMe drive in a terrifying way. Rather than using a screw, they've used the stand-off to mount the drive to the motherboard instead.

This results in a horrible bend that'll probably do the drive no favours in the long term. It makes for a good joke though.

Wash your PC?

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--TyDog--

It's one way or the other apparently. Either you see a PC that's utterly covered in dirt and dust or one like this.

Some mad person has washed their motherboard like they were washing up crockery after a good meal.

Just a mild burning smell

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Wimbodimbo

Many of the most shocking tech problems seem to be related to exploding batteries. In this case, the customer apparently reported noticing a "slight" burning smell when using their laptop. It's easy to see why.

Expensive doorstop

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SlothMaster43

There are a few things wrong with this photo. Not only is someone using an Apple product as a doorstop, they're also keeping a firedoor open, which is not sensible.

This is why we test

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kryptopeg

This photo was taken by an electrician while doing some portable appliance testing. Yes, that's a screw bit inserted into a plug where a fuse should be.

Electronics vs liquids

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smarthawk

Electronics and liquids do not mix. If you spill a drink on your laptop then it can be a real nightmare. Many would recommend towelling it down then leaving it in rice and hoping for the best. This user tried to put it in the oven to dry it out.

It's not a touch screen

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benjo1989

We hate it when people put their fingers on our monitor when trying to point out some data. This user clearly does it a lot or thinks their Mac is a touchscreen. Either way, that's a shocking amount of fingerprints.

A nasty looking PS5

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cdq1985

This PlayStation 5 was bought in for repair because some young gamer had tried a bit too hard to get the HDMI cable plugged in. God knows what they were doing with it.

Glue gun and a motherboard?

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kubricktwobricks

This photo was used as an advert for a hot glue gun on Facebook. Why would you ever need to apply glue to the motherboard like this? To keep the CPU in place?

USB won't work

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sKiLoVa4liFeZzZ

One user plugged in a USB dongle for a wireless keyboard, then wondered why it wasn't working.

Failing to peel off the protective plastic might have been a problem.

Free laptop

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ilovesalome88

Everyone loves getting something for nothing, but this "free" laptop might not be the bargain it appears to be. After all it has had its screen and keyboard ruined with spray paint. Not ideal.

Cable nightmares

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HumptysRevenge

This view is either an utter nightmare or the promise of potentially something very pleasing, depending on your disposition.

After all, we've seen plenty of people crafting wonderfully neat cable setups out of equally messy nonsense before.

Caught in the Subway doors

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ImKweeZy

This HP laptop user reported getting their machine trapped in the subway doors. We'd imagine this isn't recoverable never mind usable.

Toner problems

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DaMichu

More printer problems, this time the office workers had inserted printer toner themselves without help from IT support. They claimed it was installed the right way round, but then this explosion happened.

This is a server

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myltiti

If there's one thing we've learnt from this list it's that people don't read signs.

This organisation is apparently thought it was a good idea to run a server on a laptop and then hope that no one was foolish enough to shut the lid and send it to sleep. Think again!

New hamster cage

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erorogunsou001

This user has a pet hamster that managed to not only escape from its cage but also found its way into his PC.

Sadly after discovering hit pets' adventures the owner also found the computer didn't work anymore. Not surprising really. Little scamp probably chewed something it shouldn't have.

Wrong size? No problem

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Andri753

This user has purchased the wrong size NVMe SSD and couldn't secure it down with the right standoff. So they've improvised by using a plastic fork with a screw in it to hold it down.