Are you a trickster? A joker? A pranker? Every year do you drive your friends and co-workers nuts on April 1st? Then boy do we have a treat for you. There are all sorts of ways to really mess with peoples' computers without hurting them. People are really attached to their computers aren't they? Let's give them a good scare this year, yeah?
Avoid
If you don't know this one already, shame on you! Everyone who works on a Windows-Based machine uses their start button (Unless you are on Windows 8) at least a billion times a day (exaggeration of course!) to get to their programs. But...what if they couldn't get to it? What if it ran away from them? Think of the havoc it would cause to their workday! Avoid, a program that is quick and easy to install while your co-worker is away from his desk on his/her bathroom break, will make their start button run away when the pointer gets close. Install, and wait for the frustrated yelling...Download Avoid for XP now! (They haven't updated to Win 7 just yet)Dirty Mouse
Remember the old days when computer mice had the really annoying rubber balls that were great to throw at people, but horrible to actually use? Take your co-workers back to the olden days with Dirty Mouse, which turns the computer mouse into a broken ball mouse, working for most of the time and then stopping randomly, causing you to hear your co-worker frantically moving their mouse to get it to work in the other cubicle. Fun right? Grab this one for all Windows computers here!Keyboard Switcharoo
This one doesn't require a program at all, but is just as funny when your co-worker is trying to figure out why his or her computer is typing gibberish, when really, it's just the DVORAK keyboard layout. This one is super simple. Open up your victim's Control Panel -> Region and Language -> Keyboards and Languages -> Add -> US (Dvorak). Then using the dropdown select the new keyboard format, and voila, frustration!Evil Autocorrect
I've had this one done to myself a few times, and boy is it frustrating! Funny for the person doing it whoever, and it's yet another incredibly simple computer prank that can be done while your unwary co-worker spends a few minutes grabbing a coffee or relieving themselves. You see, Microsoft Office has a nice little feature, called auto-correct. Now, it's not as aggressive as the iPhone's auto-correct, but nonetheless can be used to prank people. Depending on the version of Office that you have, you can make auto-correct change key words to change into other words. In Office 2003 Word, go to Tools -> Options -> Auto-correct options, and make your auto-correct changes from there (Set what word is replaced by what). In Office 2007 and above, click the file/Office button -> Options -> Proofing -> AutoCorrect options and make your changes from there. Unless you're terribly evil, make sure you record what words you made the changes to, because you have to delete them individually after they are put in!The always-classic broken screen screensaver
Broken screens are no joke. Or are they? Scare your co-workers into believing they have a broken screen with this prank. Change the screensaver to wait 1 minute to change, and then switch the screensaver to a broken screen, like this. When they come back to their computer, the few moments of panic will have you laughing. For even more fun, disconnect their mouse and keyboard! (You can also do the same prank on a mac, or alternatively, take a screenshot of their desktop, delete the icons, then set it as their background, making it look like they don't work)
There you have it, five quick and non-technical ways to prank your co-workers for April Fool's Day 2013. I have a great, long list of more of these, which I'd be glad to share with anyone, so comment, tweet, or post on Facebook, and I'd be glad to give you some more! Happy April Fool's Day!