PC fires on councillor

Wellington city councillor Bryan Pepperell's belief in new technology has been shaken.

Mr Pepperell was working at his laptop last week when a CD-Rom disc shot from the family's nearby PC and flew more than 2m across the room.

"There was a bang, and this thing came flying just past my face," Mr Pepperell said.

"It sounded just like a .22 [rifle]. The front of the CD drive blew out and the CD came out after it."

Reports on the internet cite cases of CDs exploding due to excessive vibration caused by minute cracks or damage from heat.

- NZPA