Had a site where they had an XP machine controlling some kind of CNC machine. It was shoved into a broom closet piled to the rafters with every piece of random garbage you could imagine.
I get the call to assist a colleague about the security networking on something unrelated at this site.
He tells me nobody knows where the computer that manages the CNC. As stated up above after walking around two football fields worth of building we find the broom closet storage where this 1990 PC is sitting buried eight feet deep!
My friend asks what he should do?!?
I tell him instantly do nothing and run!
He looks at me and starts to laugh but wants to know why?!? I told him as soon as you look at it never mind touch it.
You’ll own that problem and tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue! He followed what I said and simply reported it to the management in the company and let them figure it out and to call him later when they were ready.
Fast forward about two hours we are both off site having lunch. My friend gets what is known as a CRISIT.
This is a Critical Situation and requires what we term (Sudden Service) onsite within 30 minutes!
So guess what senior management does?!? They grab Bob in the custodial services and some third party IT to come work on the computer.
Anyone’s who’s been around computers for any length of time will know. Any PSU, MOBO, FAN, HDD, that has been running none stop for years. IF and When you power it down there’s a 99.9999999% it will NEVER power up again!
Long story short the HDD died . . .
Nobody has the CNC floppy disks, XP Key, and the BIOS password!
This computer stopped a multi million dollar operation for three months! The 3rd party IT Company had to file for bankruptcy protection.
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