(Warning! The following information should not be read by anyone with an IQ of under 130. Any harm caused will be the reader’s own responsibility)
This is just what the industry needs to get back on its feet. Should be really helpful if you like to play with hardware:
http://www.dansdata.com/sbs3.htm
Pity they didn’t mention how to deal with other components like hard drives and monitors. My advice would be to connect the hard drive without screwing it in, hold it in your hand and turn the power on. As soon as you feel it spin up, twist it around a bit. That should really get the platters groovin. If all else fails, let it slip out of your hand and hit the floor hard, preferably while still spinning.
To get rid of your new Audigy sound card, start your PC and try plugging in the card while the OS is still booting. I tried this yesterday, though failed to cause any serious damage. Maybe you’ll have better luck.
I’ve also seen people attempt to destroy RAM by adding it after the power was turned on, but the effects aren’t visible straight away. Good long term strategy though. Our router is still running after a month, but who knows when Mr.Haq will be successful.
Now for the monitors. Can’t say much about Windows, but you can effectively destroy a CRT with X (on either Linux or *BSD) by specifying insanely high values for the vertical and horizontal refresh rates. Some distributions do this for you while probing for the monitor so search for a good one before attempting this. I had lots of luck with Red Hat 9 on an old Iiyama 17″ which really turned the screen Red the first time it started the desktop.
Feel free to share any additional tips that you may have.