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Spent 6 hours troubleshooting a printer that wasn't even plugged in
I got called to a client's office downtown last Tuesday because their network printer stopped showing up for everyone. I checked the router, ran ping tests, reinstalled drivers, the whole nine yards. Turns out someone had unplugged the ethernet cable to move a desk and it was just sitting there loose. Has anyone else spent way too long on something that ended up being this simple?
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hayes.tara1mo agoMost Upvoted
Exactly 5 times I've done the full network toolkit run only to find a power strip was off. @james533 is right about the physical stuff being the first thing to check, I actually started taping a bright yellow label to the back of every monitor saying "check the cables first" just so I don't skip it again. It's dumb but it works for me.
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noahclark1mo ago
Used to roll my eyes at the "did you check the power strip" advice. Thought it was something you tell beginners. Then last month I spent two hours rebuilding a config file for a router that was just not plugged in all the way. That yellow label idea is actually genius, might have to steal it. Nothing humbles you like realizing you skipped the one thing you make fun of other people for skipping. That checklist on the phone thing is smart too, I should probably do both.
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james5331mo ago
Oh man, I feel your pain. My rule of thumb now is to always check the physical connections first, no matter how dumb it feels. It's shocking how many times I've done the software dance only to find a cable hanging loose or a power strip switched off. I keep a little checklist on my phone for the simple stuff just so I don't skip it again. Saves me a lot of headache for the next time someone rearranges the furniture.
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