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Help! There is a Seething Mass of Snakes Under My Desk

posted by janrinok on Wednesday September 09 2015, @09:55AM   Printer-friendly
from the is-it-on-a-plane? dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

I have a problem. It is a problem I try to hide out of sight and out of mind, one I try to pretend doesn't exist. But it does, and every so often it raises its ugly head to bite me. Most recently, I needed to replace an Ethernet switch as I needed more ports. As I unplugged the old switch, my monitor turned off. Why? Because under my desk I have a cable catastrophe. The mere act of unplugging the old switch had so disturbed and enraged the rat's nest of cables under my desk that in retaliation it decided to turn off my monitor.

So intertwined and confused is the mess beneath my desk that even the most mundane of acts—plugging in a new gadget, removing an old one, sometimes just even moving my feet—threatens to destroy everything.

TFA addresses the perennial problem of cable jungles. I use zip ties. What are the best solutions Soylentils have come up with, and what are their pros and cons?

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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by zocalo on Wednesday September 09 2015, @10:41AM

    by zocalo (302) on Wednesday September 09 2015, @10:41AM (#234170)
    Of the cable tie options, the velcro ones work best because they are reusable and don't have those little boxy bits on the zip that always seem to snag on stuff. If that's not enough however, and OP does mention already using ties, then you really do need to start looking at looming suitable cables together (I use those twisty sprial strip things) or even small basket/conduit setups like those you linked. I've got some of that UPVC self-adhesive trunking slung under my desk with the bulk of the cables routed through that. Much easier to add or remove a specific cable when you are only dealing with a small bundle of cables. Some simple colour coding and basic labelling is a good idea too.
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 09 2015, @06:58PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 09 2015, @06:58PM (#234344)
    I wonder whether zip ties are the real reason why his stuff went off when he unplugged something. Presumably he is zip tying some cables together.

    Whereas if you don't bother tying the cables and let them dangle more loosely when you unplug some cable its less likely to yank another cable and unplug it.

    Maybe put a tray or shelf under the desk for the cables to rest on.