Part Didn't Fit So Techie Got Out His Screwdriver. Then Something Flew Off the Motherboard
The Register, Monday, August 17th, 2026
A technician forcing a heatsink onto a CPU knocked a surface-mounted component clean off the board.
In the early 2000s, a biology department technician at an American university used excessive force with a screwdriver while installing a heatsink on a CPU. A tiny component flew off the motherboard and the PC failed.
Rather than admit the mistake, he claimed the part was dead on arrival and obtained a replacement from tech support. He installed the second one with considerably more care.