
The metal slip cover from a floppy disk busted loose inside a coworker’s computer, and I was nominated to fix it. Talk about wishful thinking: I tipped the machine over, propped open the floppy drive door, and waited for the trouble-making piece to tumble out. It didn’t.
After 15 long minutes of frustration, I couldn’t remove the CPU cover. It is easy on my computer at home, but this one doesn’t have screws. In desperation, I went online and found a user manual. I used to write user manuals, so I know that hoping to find what you need easily is often a fool’s errand. But there was a diagram, page one. It took about seven seconds to remove the cover, and that included travel time. Another few seconds to remove the floppy drive – screws, I know how to undo screws. A shake, a rattle, and there it was, problem solved, ladies and gentlemen, a new hero, a new skill for my résumé.





