This may not technically fit the vein of the thread, but these are all dumb things I've seen people do on their computers in one way or another.
For instance, law firms that use over 20 different (and often redundant) programs on a daily basis, including greats like W0rd Perfect 9 and C0relFl0w, many applications being 13 years old and 16-bit, just so they can "preserve the macros" or because "they are used to it." However, they are also "open to technology," so every system must be a Dell C0re 2 Duo laptop with 2 monitors, docking stations, and all wireless peripherals, including a Tre0, Blackberry, Q, or Blackjack, not to mention active synching with like 4 applications (as well as buggy shareware applications so they can get those prized public folders), all under the control of a document management system called W0rldox; of course, some MUST use T0shiba M400 tablet PCs along with Bluetooth Drag0n 9 headsets and wireless video transmitters to their 60" plasmas. Add roaming profiles with gigantic dictation files and constant misuse of terminal services to the mix so they can work off of their Verizon Wireless cards and constantly be logged in on three computers. "Hell, let's throw a Nitix server in the mix, (blank) said we should have one of those, too." "Why are my icons disappearing and reappearing? Why am I getting this error message (when I try to run a program that was developed for a system running on 48-bits less than the one I am running)?"
Or secretaries: "My email is broke. I can't see anything. I can't watch my funnies." ::download flash:: "Aw! You fixed it! Look at him- that man with the parrot got run over by a semi and walked away without a bruise. It must've been Jesus."
Or "My website is broken. How do I download Firefox? It works at my house and my son said I needed Firefox." ::download Java:: "Hey, it's working now. How'd you do it in Internet Explorer?"
"I really need your help- my Word is gone." ::looks at the redundant shortcuts pinned to the start menu, the start>programs>MS Office 2003 menu, the three desktop icons, and the several open blank Word documents:: "Hmm." ::drag from desktop to quicklaunch bar:: "Wow, how'd you do that! I thought someone messed with my CPU and erased Word. Hey, can you put email on my computer, too? Oh, and Works." (ok, ok, she was REALLY old)
"Hey, we have an emergency!!! Nobody can get in to our system since I deleted the old email addresses (aka Active Directory users). What can we do?"
Hey, I think my computer has a virus or something- it is really slow. I put like three of them anti-virus and like 6 anti-spywares on it but it must be real bad, cause now it is even slower. I got the McAfee firewall and the Windows firewall on- I don't know how it happened. Do you need me to bring in the monitor and everything, or just the modem? Oh, my friend needs you to cleanup her modem, too."
"Yeah, well a couple of weeks ago, that tape thing on the computer (accounting server) didn't come out so I stopped changing it. Didn't you say to only change it if it popped out?"
"My computer seems slower." ::854 virii and 1381 spyware instances, 577 registry issues, 2.4GB temporary internet files, 1500 fonts, PIII 533MHz with XP Pro and 128MB ram, adjusted for best appearance with animated cursors and active desktop, never defrag'ed, running "Wal-Mart Internet," exclusively, with a wicked Hayes Compatible modem::
OH GOD... THE WORST EVER- "Yeah, I got that cable web you was talkin' about, but the cable wouldn't fit in my CPU, so I cut it down and it still ain't workin."
Nobody could make this stuff up.