IT Horror Stories with Jack Smith

Spooling Out of Control - Enterprise Printing Explained and Why Printing Still Breaks IT

Printing is one of those technologies everyone assumes should have been solved years ago — until someone can't print invoices, shipping labels stop coming out, or 50,000 customer letters suddenly disappear into a print queue somewhere. In this episode, we take a tour through the strange and surprisingly complex world of printing: from small desktop printers and office multifunction devices to enterprise print servers and industrial mass-mailing environments that still move serious business. We explore why printing continues to survive every digital transformation, what actually happens behind the scenes when you click "Print," and why reliability suddenly becomes very important when paper turns into payroll, warehouse labels, customer communication, or operational downtime. Because nothing reminds people that IT exists faster than when the printer stops working. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-15-spooling-out-of-control/ [https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-15-spooling-out-of-control/] 00:00 IT Horror Stories 02:00 Industrial Printing 06:00 Printer Installation 11:00 Mission Critical Printing 15:00 High Volume Printing 17:30 DTP and Mac Systems 24:00 Printing Challenges

Sleep Mode in Production - How a Laptop Took Down a Warehouse

Welcome to the story of a perfectly known and visible laptop that somehow became critical production infrastructure inside a warehouse environment — without going through proper validation, testing, or operational review. The system worked, solved an immediate problem, and was quickly integrated into daily operations... right up until the laptop entered sleep mode and warehouse activities ground to a halt. What followed was a frantic investigation into why scanners stopped working, workflows froze, and logistics operations suddenly stalled because of a standard power-saving setting. It's a story about how quickly "temporary" operational solutions can become business-critical, and why governance, testing, and basic operational checks matter far more than people realize — especially when convenience quietly reaches production. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-14-sleep-mode-in-production/ [https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-14-sleep-mode-in-production/] 00:00 Introduction 01:32 Early 2000s IT 03:07 Warehouse Down 05:07 Troubleshooting Begins 09:23 Cable Chaos 11:18 Director's Laptop 15:57 Lessons Learned 21:31 Conclusion

Ransomware Lockdown - What a Real-World Ransomware Attack Looks Like: Incident Response and Recovery

We explore a hypothetical ransomware scenario that mirrors what many organizations could face today. Imagine a normal day where systems suddenly become inaccessible, data is encrypted, and the scope of the attack starts to unfold in real time. What follows is a race against the clock, with teams trying to understand what's happening while keeping critical operations alive. More importantly, we focus on the response and recovery: the trade-offs, the communication challenges, and the lessons organizations can take away before something like this actually happens. Because ransomware isn't just a technical problem — it's an operational and human one, where preparation and clarity matter as much as the tools in place. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-13-ransomware-lockdown/ [https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-13-ransomware-lockdown/] 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Ransomware Explained 03:08 Attack Entry Points 06:16 Employee Training 13:00 AI Phishing Threats 20:18 Data Leaks Aftermath 25:26 Cybersecurity in Mergers 28:18 Recovery Steps 33:04 Conclusion

Jack's Rants - Floppy Disks at 35000 Feet - Why Boeing 747s Still Use Floppy Disks for Flight Management Systems

The Boeing 747 is often cited online as proof that aviation still runs on floppy disks — but the reality is a bit more nuanced. In this Rant, we take a closer look at how certain older aircraft, particularly some 747-400 configurations, still use floppy disks to load navigation data into their Flight Management Systems. It's not about being outdated — it's about reliability, certification, and systems that have proven themselves over decades of operation. We also compare this against the wider IT world, where legacy systems continue to power critical operations for the exact same reasons. From aviation to enterprise IT, the story isn't about old technology refusing to die — it's about why replacing it is often far more complicated than it seems. Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/jacks-rants-floppy-disks-at-35000-feet/ [https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/jacks-rants-floppy-disks-at-35000-feet/] All other links and socials : https://links.ithorrorstories.eu/ [https://links.ithorrorstories.eu/] 00:00 Old Tech in Flight 01:14 747-400 Spotlight 02:17 Why Floppy Disks? 03:48 Industry Examples 07:48 IT World Mirror 09:22 Modern Tensions 09:58 Lighthearted Wrap

The Failover That Failed Successfully - Lessons from a Successfully Failed Disaster Recovery and Failover Test

Conducted during a busy release weekend, the failover test exposed gaps not in the technology itself, but in coordination and communication. While production ultimately stayed unaffected, the situation quickly escalated as subcontractors weren't aligned, assumptions didn't match reality, and information didn't flow when it mattered most. We unpack how a well-intentioned test turned into a coordination challenge, where timing, dependencies, and unclear responsibilities created confusion across teams. It's a story about how resilience isn't just about systems and infrastructure, but also about people, processes, and making sure everyone is on the same page — especially when things are supposed to "just be a test." Want even more info ? Read our show notes and related blog post related to this episode : https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-12-the-failover-that-failed-successfully/ [https://blog.ithorrorstories.eu/episode-12-the-failover-that-failed-successfully/] All other links and socials : https://links.ithorrorstories.eu/ [https://links.ithorrorstories.eu/] 00:00 Welcome & Setup 01:34 Corporate Environments 03:30 Failover Planning 07:19 Double Disaster 09:08 Critical Failure 13:20 Realization Moment 15:28 Split Brain 17:34 The Recovery 21:13 Lessons Learned 31:32 Conclusion