I just got of off the phone with a guy who called for help. Here's an abbreviated account of my last tech call. I leave out the part where I have to explain what a monitor is, and stuff.
Man: "My screen works fine, but the part that plays the CD's isn't working."
Me: Your CDROM isn't playing CD's?
Man: "Yes."
Me: Can you see a 'My Computer' icon on your desktop?
Man: No.
Me: What do you see?
Man: It's just black.
Me: Oh, so the computer itself isn't working?
Man: I don't know. I guess not.
Me: Uh... well...
Man: Hey, is this thing supposed to have a power cord?
Me: The computer?
Man: I don't know.
Me: There should be two power cords. The screen should be plugged in, and the computer should be plugged in.
Man: That's my problem then. Thank you.
Me: No problem.
<click>
Me: I just had the ID-Ten-T problem of the week!