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How to annoy your coworkers with some computing tricks

Underwater dolphin dressed as a clown, with a red nose, colorful makeup, and STD symbol

I will put here a list of jokes that we can do to our coworkers, friends or family.

Rotate the screen

Most often, you can use the Ctrl + Alt + → to do it, but you can also use the graphic menu.

What you need

  • Potentially Multi OS, procedure for Windows 10
  • User session access

Procedure

  • From the Desktop do a Right click, and select Display settings.
Right-click menu on Windows desktop with 'Display settings' option highlighted.
  • From the Display menu change Orientation setting.
Windows Display Settings page with the screen orientation option highlighted.
  • Portrait (flipped) for example.
Windows orientation settings dropdown menu with 'Portrait (flipped)' option highlighted.
  • Then select Keep changes.
Windows prompt asking to keep or revert display settings with 'Keep changes' option highlighted.

Locked Desktop

Here we will take a full picture of the Desktop target, then use it as background picture. This way user won't be able to open its shortcuts.

What you need

  • Potentially Multi OS, procedure for Windows 10
  • User session access

Procedure

  • We can use the print screen button or the Microsoft SnippingTool.
Windows Run dialog with 'snippingtool' entered and 'OK' button highlighted.
  • We select Full-screen Snip mode.
Snipping Tool in Windows with 'Full-screen Snip' option highlighted in the mode selection menu.
  • Save the result anywhere you want (but Desktop off course).
Windows Snipping Tool with the save button highlighted.
  • Move the Desktop shortcut icons to a backup folder in order to have an empty Desktop.
Windows desktop with icons shifted to the left and a red arrow pointing right.
  • Now we have to hide Windows taskbar. To do so, do a right click on the taskbar and select taskbar settings.
Right-click menu on Windows taskbar with 'Taskbar settings' option highlighted.
  • From the Taskbar menu enable the Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode option and set its location to the top.
Windows Taskbar settings with 'Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode' and 'Taskbar location on screen' options highlighted.
  • Finally, change the Desktop Background image with the Print Screen we've took just before.
Right-click menu on Windows desktop with 'Personalize' option highlighted. Windows Background settings with 'Picture' option and 'Browse' button highlighted for background selection.
  • Visually, the user will have the same desktop view but he won't be able to interact with it.

Slow mouse

We will slow down the mouse cursor speed.

What you need

  • Potentially Multi OS, procedure for Windows 10
  • User session access

Procedure

  • Open the Mouse Properties Window.
Windows Run dialog with 'main.cpl' entered and 'OK' button highlighted.
  • Go to Pointer Options tab and set the pointer speed cursor to slow.
Mouse Properties window in Windows with 'Pointer Options' tab, pointer speed settings, and 'OK' button highlighted.

Change display language

What better way to annoy a user than to change the display language?

What you need

  • Potentially Multi OS, procedure for Windows 10
  • User session access

Procedure

  • Open Settings Menu. (or use ms-settings:display.
Windows Run dialog with 'ms-settings:' entered and 'OK' button highlighted.
  • Click to Time & Language.
Windows Settings page with 'Time & Language' option highlighted.
  • Click to Language menu.
Windows Time & Language settings with 'Language' option highlighted.
  • Click to Add a preferred language.
Windows settings with 'Add a preferred language' option highlighted in the Preferred languages section.
  • Choose an nice language for your friend and click Next to install.
Windows settings screen for choosing a language to install, with 'Japanese' selected and 'Next' button highlighted.
  • Click Install.
Windows settings screen for installing language features with 'Install language pack' and 'Install' button highlighted for Japanese language.
  • Change the Windows display language.
Windows settings showing 'Windows display language' set to Japanese, with selection dropdown highlighted
  • Close and re-open session.
Windows prompt to confirm sign out for applying display language change, with 'Yes, sign out now' button highlighted.
  • Good luck with that.
Windows Settings page displayed in Japanese with various options for system, devices, and language.

Change keyboard layout

We can change the keyboard layout from English QWERTY to French AZERTY for example.

What you need

  • Potentially Multi OS, procedure for Windows 10
  • User session access

Procedure

  • Open Windows display language.
Windows Run dialog with 'ms-settings:keyboard' entered and 'OK' button highlighted.
  • Move new language up to the top.
Windows Preferred languages settings with Japanese language selected and move up arrow highlighted.

Permute screens

Easy, you just have to swap the video connectors of your target.

What you need

  • Multi OS
  • Physical access
  • Multi Screen configuration

Crazy Network

Here the computer won't be able to access netwok and the cable won't be reported as disconnected.

What you need

  • Multi OS
  • Physical access
  • Small network switch

Procedure

Power on the switch and plug the targeted ethernet cable only.

Crazy Mouse

To make an optical mouse hard to work with you can put a piece (clear one) of scotch tape over the bottom of the mouse.

What you need

  • Multi OS
  • Physical access
  • Optical Mouse
  • A piece of clear scotch tape

Procedure

Just put the scotch tape over the bottom of the mouse.

Alternative

Plug the mouse to another computer, the light will be on but the muse won't repond.

Fake DNS

You can prevent computers to access to specific websites by editing the hosts file.

What you need

  • Multi OS
  • Admin access

Procedure

Windows

  • Edit the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file
0.0.0.0 www.google.com
0.0.0.0 google.com

Unix

  • Edit the /etc/hosts file
0.0.0.0 www.google.com
0.0.0.0 google.com

Auto Start

You can automatically start a program at user logon.

What you need

  • Windows OS
  • User or Admin session access

Procedure

Add startup programs here C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp or here C:\Users\USER_PROFILE\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.

  • Open current Users Startup folder.
Opening the Windows Startup Folder using shell:startup command in Run dialog box.
  • Open All Users Startup folder.
Accessing the Windows Common Startup Folder with shell:common startup command in Run dialog box