Family IT Support
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I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
I am the friends and family IT guy, when they start coming over a little too often with their stuff I start charging them labor (I always charge for new parts). The episode I recall may not be a topper but I am sure most of us have encountered something similar. I once had the pleasure of cleaning out a “clients” laptop of porn. It turns out that her son was the porn king and of course to have a gander at the ladies you needed to click every yes button that popped up. I had a little talk with Sonny and explained to him that the internet is like the real world, you go to the bad side of town, you’re going to catch something nasty. To avoid this I suggested he stay away from the porn, at least on mommy’s laptop and suggested that perhaps he get his own computer. Sonny boy was 32 years old, I cleaned her computer and returned it to her. Sonny did buy his own computer, and I got “please don’t tell mommy” bonus money from him.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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It's funny isn't it - if IT is your profession, you're kind of expected just to help out - even if something might take hours to fix. My uncle's a mechanic, I wouldn't phone him up and say 'Theres a problem with my car, it's taking a long time to start and doesn't seem to be going quick enough, can you come and fix it' and expect him to do it for nothing I'm going to start quoting £100 an hour, minimum 1 hour work :) (I've been fixing laptops for various family members all this week!)
I had a "friend of the family" ask me this week to "have a quick look" at his computer. He had already wasted 30 minutes of my time dribbling on about the problem and what he'd done to try to fix it (made it much worse!). I told him he'd find it cheaper to buy a new computer. By the time he'd paid me to open the box and blow off the dust he would have spent more than the computer (and the data) was worth. He realised I was only half (or maybe only a quarter) joking and dropped the subject.
Phil
The opinions expressed in this post are not necessarily those of the author, especially if you find them impolite, inaccurate or inflammatory.
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I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
Tell me about it mate! My facebook profile pic now say "Sorry, i can not fix your computer". Recently one of the shop owner got to know that i am in IT and he just wasted my 45 mins to understand how can he transfer data from one computer to another with the help of USB. Other question was "Ok i can access all this data from my shop but i can't check my mails" - well yeah because you need internet access and then he goes "what is internet". :mad:
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Maybe.. I once had to assist my grandparents with a couple of files that were "wrong". Their "wrongness" was caused by .. being inside a folder. I moved them up one level and that "fixed" the "problem".
I'm always getting that, but usually the file is inside a folder thats inside another folder and so on about 6 or 7 folders deep, each one only containing the inner folder. I've no idea what my dad does but whenever he works on his word document he manages to mess up the directory structure somehow so it's a recurring thing.
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It's funny isn't it - if IT is your profession, you're kind of expected just to help out - even if something might take hours to fix. My uncle's a mechanic, I wouldn't phone him up and say 'Theres a problem with my car, it's taking a long time to start and doesn't seem to be going quick enough, can you come and fix it' and expect him to do it for nothing I'm going to start quoting £100 an hour, minimum 1 hour work :) (I've been fixing laptops for various family members all this week!)
Dylan Morley wrote:
I'm going to start quoting £100 an hour, minimum 1 hour work :)
I haven't gone quite that evil, but my 12 year old cousins have been informed that there's only 1 free lunch and if they spyware their computers up a 2nd time they're going to be sitting in front of the monitors clicking all the buttons; not me. I'm undecided if the infections on 2 of the 3 computers last December should count as the freebie. They were partially caused by the copy of Avast I installed having expired, but they never did anything about the warnings (tell dad who would've called/emailed me); and one was compounded by 6mo of power cycle shutdowns that prevented any windows updates from being applied.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
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I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
Can't top that but a friend of mine called me last week and said that his GF had bought a new All-In-One and couldn't get it to print. Checked all the obvious, is it plugged in, USB cable plugged in etc.. Brought up properties and printed a test page....check. Then went to the file she was trying to print and when clicked print a Fax page appeared...Oh that comes up every time I try to print something, Selected printer and page printed. And she was supposed to be savey??
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeist -
Dylan Morley wrote:
I'm going to start quoting £100 an hour, minimum 1 hour work :)
I haven't gone quite that evil, but my 12 year old cousins have been informed that there's only 1 free lunch and if they spyware their computers up a 2nd time they're going to be sitting in front of the monitors clicking all the buttons; not me. I'm undecided if the infections on 2 of the 3 computers last December should count as the freebie. They were partially caused by the copy of Avast I installed having expired, but they never did anything about the warnings (tell dad who would've called/emailed me); and one was compounded by 6mo of power cycle shutdowns that prevented any windows updates from being applied.
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
That's what I find quite annoying about doing this, it's always the same things. 1) Clean up disk space (laptop last night had about 20GB in recycle \ temp files!) 2) Install windows updates + make sure virus scanner defintions up to date 3) Remove crap from system startup \ registry 4) Defrag Give me something interesting to solve, or learn how to do this yourself!
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Can't top that but a friend of mine called me last week and said that his GF had bought a new All-In-One and couldn't get it to print. Checked all the obvious, is it plugged in, USB cable plugged in etc.. Brought up properties and printed a test page....check. Then went to the file she was trying to print and when clicked print a Fax page appeared...Oh that comes up every time I try to print something, Selected printer and page printed. And she was supposed to be savey??
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeistMike Hankey wrote:
savey
You mean "savvy"?
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
It's funny isn't it - if IT is your profession, you're kind of expected just to help out - even if something might take hours to fix. My uncle's a mechanic, I wouldn't phone him up and say 'Theres a problem with my car, it's taking a long time to start and doesn't seem to be going quick enough, can you come and fix it' and expect him to do it for nothing I'm going to start quoting £100 an hour, minimum 1 hour work :) (I've been fixing laptops for various family members all this week!)
My FIL is not the worst in the family - at least he usually gives me a bottle of wine when I get the callout.
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
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Mike Hankey wrote:
savey
You mean "savvy"?
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997Poor spelling will be my downfall.
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeist -
Mike Hankey wrote:
savey
You mean "savvy"?
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997I think he was saving her for something and then he dumped her. :)
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Poor spelling will be my downfall.
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeist -
Mike Hankey wrote:
Poo
ur spelling will beemy downfall.FTFY
3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18
Alass you two?
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeist -
I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
My grandma bought a computer recently. She is half in her 70's and cannot even hold the mouse properly. My mother (her daughter), an uncle (her son) and some grandchildren (including me) have repeatedly told her how to send an email. One night she called "I have typed an email to my sister, how can I send it?", "Hey grandma, you have to click the big button that says 'send'", "Yes, I have done that, but my message dissapeared and I have typed it again."... Her sister received the same email three times that evening :laugh: My grandma is the best grandma in the world (all grandchildren agree), so we help her with love. But having to explain this kind of stuff ("No grandma, Google is just Google, no matter if you use IE, FF or Chrome...", my nephew installed all three :doh: ) really can get on your nerves :^) We are lucky she can still use a computer at all though :D
It's an OO world.
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I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
Chris Quinn wrote:
I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel
And here I was thinking you would have told him to put his glasses on.
People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs
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I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
I had a phone call from my Dad once: Dad: My laptop won't start me: is it plugged in? Dad: yes. me: have you pressed the power button? Dad: yes. me: what happened? Dad: nothing, the screen is still black. me: ok, there's nothing I can do over the phone so. Dad: what? are you sure? can you not log into it remotely to try to fix it. me: no, if it's not powering up, then I can't do anything over the phone. I think it turned out the battery had come loose or something.
Pete
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I expect many of the posters here act as free IT support for their family members. I do, and have a BIG family! I have had many strange callouts, but the one I had last night takes the biscuit. My father-in-law asked me to drop in to help him setting up his new laptop. He is a gadget freak, so is always buying new kit - I wish I could afford all of the stuff he gets then barely uses! The new laptop (decent spec Toshiba) needed connecting to his wifi printer, user settings transferring from his old laptop, software installing (and Norton removing!) etc etc, but the thing he was most worried about was the quality of the video from the built-in webcam. This was supposedly high spec (3Mp), but when he opened the software, the video feed was very blurry, unfocussed and washed out. He was very displeased with this and asked if he should complain to the manufacturer or take it back to the retailer. After examining the system for a few moments, checking settings etc, I had a brainwave. I peeled the protective plastic film off the bezel and then showed him the very clear video feed in all its glory! Needless to say, he was very sheepish! Can anyone top this?
==================================== Transvestites - Roberts in Disguise! ====================================
I'm not sure about topping it but here is a conversation between me and my mother-in-law: Her: I (did a bunch of stuff and erased files). Can you get the E back on my desktop? Me: The E? Do you mean a shortcut to Internet Explorer? Her: No. I want the E that will open my mail. Me: Ok. What do you use for your e-mail? (Thinking I was going to put a shortcut to the proper site) Her: I want it to open the internet. Me: Right. But what site do you want it to open? Her: The internet. Me: I understand, but the internet is a bunch of separate websites. Which one do you want it to open? Her: It needs to open the internet like it always did. Me: What website was the first screen that appears? Her: I don't know it just opens the internet. Me (getting very angry at this point): Ok. But what site on the internet? Imagine I tell you to go to a room in a hotel. You would ask what room. But all I tell you is my room. You don't know which room number I'm in much like I don't know what your default website was. Do you remember any part of what was in the address bar? Her: The address bar is always empty. Me (happy this is almost over): So you just start with a blank page? That's easy enough. Her: No. It always opens the internet. Me (fuming, looking at the clock and ready to leave): You just said the address bar is empty. Her: It is. Fine. Just forget it if you don't want to fix it. I know you know how. Just do it. Me (walks away) Afterwards I found out "the internet" is the website for her company's e-mail and listing stuff. The "address bar" is the google toolbar. When she wants to go to a website, she types the website into the search bar and then clicks the first link in Google. I try not to answer the phone when she calls. Unfortunately, my wife is on her side. But that's a whole other argument involving needing to spend a lot of money on a Mac just to get on the internet. And they wonder why I like video games that involve blowing people up.
Brad Deja Moo - When you feel like you've heard the same bull before.
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Alass you two?
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeist -
I can see that, keep up the good work. :)
Semper Fi http://www.hq4thmarinescomm.com[^]
www.jaxcoder.com[^] WinHeist -
I'm not sure about topping it but here is a conversation between me and my mother-in-law: Her: I (did a bunch of stuff and erased files). Can you get the E back on my desktop? Me: The E? Do you mean a shortcut to Internet Explorer? Her: No. I want the E that will open my mail. Me: Ok. What do you use for your e-mail? (Thinking I was going to put a shortcut to the proper site) Her: I want it to open the internet. Me: Right. But what site do you want it to open? Her: The internet. Me: I understand, but the internet is a bunch of separate websites. Which one do you want it to open? Her: It needs to open the internet like it always did. Me: What website was the first screen that appears? Her: I don't know it just opens the internet. Me (getting very angry at this point): Ok. But what site on the internet? Imagine I tell you to go to a room in a hotel. You would ask what room. But all I tell you is my room. You don't know which room number I'm in much like I don't know what your default website was. Do you remember any part of what was in the address bar? Her: The address bar is always empty. Me (happy this is almost over): So you just start with a blank page? That's easy enough. Her: No. It always opens the internet. Me (fuming, looking at the clock and ready to leave): You just said the address bar is empty. Her: It is. Fine. Just forget it if you don't want to fix it. I know you know how. Just do it. Me (walks away) Afterwards I found out "the internet" is the website for her company's e-mail and listing stuff. The "address bar" is the google toolbar. When she wants to go to a website, she types the website into the search bar and then clicks the first link in Google. I try not to answer the phone when she calls. Unfortunately, my wife is on her side. But that's a whole other argument involving needing to spend a lot of money on a Mac just to get on the internet. And they wonder why I like video games that involve blowing people up.
Brad Deja Moo - When you feel like you've heard the same bull before.
