My Board

/blink.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':blink:\' /> [color=\"#41121C\"]wo0t

[b]Best Computer Pranks Ever[/b]

Practical jokes guaranteed to drive your co-workers to distraction.

By Joey the Intern

It's time to get even with that certain co-worker across from you. You know, the one who stole the last Krispy Kreme donut you'd been eyeing all morning. Let's put him in his place with a fiendishly clever computer prank.

[b]All aboard for avarice[/b]
The first item on our list is a smoking-monitor mod. By using about a dozen of those model-train smoke generators together, you can create the illusion that his computer is having just as bad a day as he is. If you're truly an office avenger (and sit on the other side of the office), you might consider putting anchovies or sardines inside the monitor too.

[b]Subtle subterfuge[/b]
Next up, keyboard cruelty. Swap the 7, 8, and 9 keys from the number pad on his keyboard with the 1, 2, and 3 keys. This is a very subliminal technique that most people won't notice right away since telephones and other appliances are set up this very same way.

[b]Continual crashing[/b]
If your co-worker needs to constantly reboot his computer because of crashing applications, why not give him a helping hand with a shortcut that will restart his computer in his Startup folder? Here's how in Windows XP.


Right-click the Start menu.
Select Explore Users.
Navigate to Programs > Startup.
Right-click the file windows and select New > Shortcut.
When the window pops up asking for the location, enter "%windir%system32shutdown.exe -r -t 00."
This shortcut causes the system to execute the Windows shutdown process. And since it's in the Startup folder, it'll be one of the first things Windows executes when starting up. It's a fun startup/shutdown loop that will drive the /censored.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\'(cens)\' /> crazy. If it happens to you, the antidote is to hold down the Shift key when Windows starts up. That will tell Windows not to run what's in the Startup folder. Then just go back into the Startup folder and delete the shortcut.

[b]Flaming mouse mod[/b]
Then we tried to make a mouse mod that would smoke when someone touched it. Unfortunately, we used up all our smoking materials on the monitor, so we started thinking about Thermite. After some considersation, we decided burning off someone's hand went beyond the "prank" level. That, and the TechTV lawyers didn't love it either. Oh well. [/color]