HP Notebook+Memory stick= Disaster

The first lesson I learnt while using my Laptop is that NEVER try inserting a Memory Stick directly into the 5-in-1 Multimedia Port of any HP or Compaq Notebook. Usually I use the Data cable that comes along with my Sony Ericsson mobile to exchange data between my laptop and my mobile. To try out things differently I decided to remove the memory stick from my mobile and insert it into the 5-in-1 Multimedia Port. The port was quite hollow and I was not too sure as to how far I should push it inside. i did that until my OS detected my card. After transferring some stuffs to my stick, I tried pushing it an inch further to pop out the card. To my horror it never came out. It was still at the same depth caught inside my port. After trying endlessly for one whole night with paper clips and pen caps it didn't give way. Frustrated I tried Googling for a remedy and found some 5 hits on the same issue. The solution was none other than to try using some object gently and patiently pull it out of the port. Some 5 minutes of hard worked payed off when Praveen used the caps of a Reynold's Ball Point Pen to pull the stick out. The very next weekend I rushed home to get my memory stick adapter, which is long enough to pull in and out of the slot. This made me wonder why the people who could come up with such a sleek design on the notebook did not think about the consequences of inserting a memory stick into the 5-in-1 multimedia port.

The Issue: Insertion of a RAW memory stick into HP & Compaq notebooks (the one that comes along with Digicams & some models of mobile phones. NOT THE smaller version of the memory sticks that come along with Nokia mobiles)

Solution: Never insert a memory stick directly into the port, use a memory stick adapter instead. If you have already inserted and wondering what to do, try pulling it out patiently without damaging the pins.