Chapter 73

Chapter 29: Three Minutes of Repair

"Minyuan, are you sure? This is a valuable item worth over a hundred thousand yuan. If you're not confident, don't touch it!" Zhao Jianguo, who was following behind Fang Minyuan, whispered. He was somewhat regretful for bringing Fang Minyuan today. If something went wrong while repairing the computer, Fang Minyuan would be hard-pressed to clear his name. This wasn't just a few thousand yuan; it was worth over a hundred thousand, and it wasn't something that could be easily bought even with money. He had once heard Lei Xin say that there weren't many of these computers in the entire province of Qinxi. Only a few large state-owned enterprises had a few units each, distributed by the ministry.

"Hmm!" Fang Minyuan nodded slightly. He was very clear about the stakes, but he couldn't bear to let it go without a try. If his guess was correct, Lei Xin would owe him a huge favor, and in the future, he could come and go freely in the computer room. This was his real goal. With a computer, he could put many of his ideas into action instead of just watching them be invented by foreigners and then making a fortune in China.

The three of them changed into white coats and shoes outside the computer room before entering. The room wasn't large, about twenty square meters, and two young men were scratching their heads around a computer.

"Zhang Hai, Li Lu, have you found the cause?" Lei Xin asked, holding out a last shred of hope. He still preferred not to use Fang Minyuan if possible.

One of the young men looked up, his face pale, and shook his head. Lei Xin's heart sank immediately.

"Brother, did you hear a 'beep' when the computer started?" Fang Minyuan squatted beside them and asked softly. The computer was good, an IBM. But to Fang Minyuan, it was too old, with no CD drive, only a floppy drive, a large and bulky case, and a black-and-white monitor that was probably fourteen inches. In his previous life, the first computer he owned was a 586, and he had only seen such computers in the school's computer room.

"What 'beep'?" the two men asked in surprise.

"Forget it, I'll check it myself." Fang Minyuan gave up on trying to communicate with them.

He first checked the power supply and then the ports on the case, finding no issues. Just as he was about to turn on the computer, the two young men stopped him simultaneously.

"Don't touch it, this isn't a toy for kids!" the young man on the left said irritably. The one on the right didn't speak, but his expression was the same as the other's.

"Director Lei?" Fang Minyuan turned to Lei Xin and called out.

Lei Xin gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice, "Zhang Hai, Li Lu, are you confident you can fix it?"

"Director Lei, all the power supplies and ports are normal, and the monitor is fine. It seems the problem is with the main unit," the young man on the left said quickly.

"Director Lei, as you know, we are just beginners, relying on the materials provided by the ministry. We've gone through these materials several times and haven't found any examples that match the current situation," the young man on the right explained in a low voice. Both were among the best of the younger generation in the factory and had been selected based on their abilities, but today's incident made them feel particularly frustrated.

Lei Xin frowned. He couldn't miss the implication in their words. "Step aside, he's just turning it on!"

With Lei Xin's words, the two men had no choice but to step aside, though their gazes were filled with doubt.

Fang Minyuan gestured for everyone to be quiet and pressed the power button. There was no sound. He turned off the computer and stood up. "Director Lei, the problem is with the main unit..."

"Obvious!" the young man who had spoken earlier couldn't help but say. They had already said that the monitor, power supply, and ports were all checked and were normal, so the problem naturally had to be with the main unit. Did Fang Minyuan need to emphasize this again?

"Can it be fixed?" Lei Xin didn't care about that; he only cared if the computer could be started normally.

"It can be fixed!" Fang Minyuan answered firmly. The computer had only been in use for a short time, and the people in the factory treated it like a treasure. The computer room was well-equipped, so the probability of the main unit's components being damaged was very low. Moreover, he had listened carefully when he powered it on, and the power supply and CPU fans had started, indicating that the power supply and motherboard were likely functioning normally. The problem was most likely with the RAM or the graphics card. As a new machine, the chances of these components being faulty were small, so the most likely issue was poor contact. This was a common problem in computers, known to anyone who frequently used them.

"Can it be fixed?" Lei Xin let out a long breath. If it could be fixed, that was good. Once they got through this, things would be easier.

"Can it be fixed? How?" Zhang Hai and Li Lu almost said in unison.

"First, find a metal pipe to hold and discharge any static electricity from your body! Then open the case..." Fang Minyuan said to them.

"You can't open the case; if you do, the warranty will be void!" the young man who had spoken earlier immediately objected.

Fang Minyuan looked at Lei Xin. He knew this, but the decision was up to Lei Xin.

Lei Xin hesitated. Zhang Lu was right; this had been repeatedly mentioned in the documents. He couldn't help but be hesitant.

"Director Lei, opening the case for three minutes can solve the problem. Do you want to pack it up and send it back to the capital, then wait half a month for it to return, and be ridiculed by the people in the capital?" Fang Minyuan saw his hesitation and whispered, "Be careful when peeling off the seal, don't damage it, and then stick it back on as it was."

Lei Xin let out a long breath and waved his hand. "Do as he says, be careful when peeling off the seal!"

Finally, the case was opened. Fang Minyuan immediately saw the RAM and pulled it out. "Director Lei, this is the RAM, one of the important components of the computer. It acts as a bridge between the CPU and the rest of the system. All programs run in the RAM. When we input text or run programs, it all happens in the RAM. It's like a librarian in a library, taking books from the shelves and putting them in our hands. If it stops working, nothing will be displayed on the monitor."

Fang Minyuan found an eraser on the table, wiped the RAM, and reinserted it into the motherboard. He pressed the power button, and with the whirring of the power supply and CPU fans, the case emitted a clear "beep." Then, the black screen of the monitor began to display BIOS information...

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