AAAHHH!!! I guess this is why servicing PC's can be so distasteful.

[everman]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: jumpr
XP is a big timesaver for people like you. After I did a fresh install of XP on my parents' machine, I stopped getting calls every week about why something doesn't work.

XP Home or Pro? I'm thinking that Home should be enough - it has NTFS and the accompanying security features right? I'd probably give them restricted user-level access, and have the administrator account locked out with a password that ONLY I would know. I just KNOW that if I'd give them the password, but tell them not to use it, the first time anything went even remotely wrong, they'd use the forbidden password and admin account...
though I'm just thinking, some useful programs need administrator-level permissions to run. Maybe I could give them an admin account, but restrict it - throw out group permissions then.
Suggestions?


This computer was pretty dirty (smoker's household, with dogs and cats), but it can't compare to that one, Ulfwald.:Q

XP home would be fine, and a restricted user-level-access is a must. They'll still need the admin account for some things so just make sure they understand not to use it otherwise.

 

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: ATLien247

Originally posted by: Ulfwald
At least you don't have inlaws who ask you to support AOL on dial up.

You have never gone to service a PC at a trailer park, where the people there look like they belong undert the trailer instead of in it. The keyboard is covered in crusty "gunk" (I put on gloves just to touch it). The heatsink and fan are covered in tobacco smoke, tar, nicotine, dust, etc. There is a decapitated roach in the PSU fan, stopping it from spinning. The chair reeks of all sorts of bodily odors, the desk is a mud stained piece of 2x12 on milkcrates, with a spare tire as a footstool. The monitor only does 800x600 with 256 colors, and smells like it is about to burn up. When you go to format the hard drive so you can reinstall the OS, the "man" of the house asks you if this will erase his "movies" you say YES, and he threatens to kick your arse if he can't watch them anymore, so you take out a spare HDD and back them up to that. When restoring the the movies, you realize that they all involve crack whores and animals. The mouse only works after banging it on the "desk" a few times. You get a splinter from the "desk". When all is done, you ask for payment and they give you a hard time about how much it costs, so you threaten to turn them into the police for all the illegal movies they have just so you can get paid, then the check they wrote you bounces so bad that you have to re paint the walls. Take them to court, win in court, but when you try and collect again, in cash, they complain about not being able to make lot rent, feed their kids, he is out of work, etc. So you wind up just taking the computer for payment, only to be stuck with it because it is so old no one wants to buy it.

Please tell me you made that all up... :Q

 

[Ulfwald]

Originally posted by: CinderElmo

Originally posted by: NTB


Umm...guys....I think he did find the hot daughter (or other relative; he did say inlaws).

Nate

That can't possibly be his inlaws. He is not entirely clear but I think he is talking about two separate issues. For his sake I sure hope so.

Yep, 2 different issues. Question is, which is worse, trying to support AOL on a W2K Pro computer, or, the 2nd situation. BTW, no hot daughter, thank god those people had not procreated. I think the "man" of the house spent too much time in front of the computer playing with the "joy stick". Plus, she was so big, you could have slapped her thigh and ridden the wave in.

 

[AmigaMan]

Plus, she was so big, you could have slapped her thigh and ridden the wave in.

Thanks! I needed that laugh.

I guess I'm lucky I have smart in-laws/family/friends. I've done work for them, but they seem to take good care of their computers. No one has fubared anything yet and while I don't get paid in cash, they do feed me. Of course whenever I go visit any of them, I make sure I have my utility CD's so I can update things while I'm there. I guess a little ounce of prevention on my side, plus my relatives not doing anything stupid, goes a long way.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: tagej
One thing that I've been using for a while is VNC. Whenever I set anything up for someone, I put VNC on there with a password that I know, so that when there's something wrong (but the PC is still functional), I can just hop on VNC and fix it for them without having to go out to their place......

Sounds great. What's VNC?😀 And does it work without a bootable Windows installation?

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: tagej One thing that I've been using for a while is VNC. Whenever I set anything up for someone, I put VNC on there with a password that I know, so that when there's something wrong (but the PC is still functional), I can just hop on VNC and fix it for them without having to go out to their place......

Sounds great. What's VNC?😀 And does it work without a bootable Windows installation?

VNC is a remote administration program that runs on top of Windows, so no, windows and TCP/IP connectivity must be operable before it works.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: GeekDrew

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: tagej One thing that I've been using for a while is VNC. Whenever I set anything up for someone, I put VNC on there with a password that I know, so that when there's something wrong (but the PC is still functional), I can just hop on VNC and fix it for them without having to go out to their place......

Sounds great. What's VNC?😀 And does it work without a bootable Windows installation?

VNC is a remote administration program that runs on top of Windows, so no, windows and TCP/IP connectivity must be operable before it works.

Well, when these people mess up the PC, they don't mess around. The OS is at least partially disabled when a problem arises. Plus, they're on dial-up.
Tomorrow, I guess I'll be making a sales pitch for WinXP Home. Guess who's going to install it...I guess I can think of it as an "investment."

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Well, when these people mess up the PC, they don't mess around. The OS is at least partially disabled when a problem arises.

This happens consistently? How? IMO, you have to be trying in order to screw up a computer that badly, that quickly. Over time (say, a year or more), I could understand it, especially if they're running a Win 9x variant and/or installing and uninstalling stuff all the time. But not in a week or two.

Nate

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Ulfwald
I USED to run my own business, got out of it shortly after that. Got tired of doing "favors" for friends and not getting paid. That little episode really clenched it for me. Although I am thinking about getting back into it, but only for SOHO setups, let the people who use them only for email and web sufing go back to the vendor they bought it from. Do some networking, etc.

That's the best sector to target, small businesses. The environment is usually a bit more professional, and the demand will be a little more consistent. You could even offer training classes.

 

[Booster]

Originally posted by: Ulfwald
At least you don't have inlaws who ask you to support AOL on dial up.

You have never gone to service a PC at a trailer park, where the people there look like they belong undert the trailer instead of in it. The keyboard is covered in crusty "gunk" (I put on gloves just to touch it). The heatsink and fan are covered in tobacco smoke, tar, nicotine, dust, etc. There is a decapitated roach in the PSU fan, stopping it from spinning. The chair reeks of all sorts of bodily odors, the desk is a mud stained piece of 2x12 on milkcrates, with a spare tire as a footstool. The monitor only does 800x600 with 256 colors, and smells like it is about to burn up. When you go to format the hard drive so you can reinstall the OS, the "man" of the house asks you if this will erase his "movies" you say YES, and he threatens to kick your arse if he can't watch them anymore, so you take out a spare HDD and back them up to that. When restoring the the movies, you realize that they all involve crack whores and animals. The mouse only works after banging it on the "desk" a few times. You get a splinter from the "desk". When all is done, you ask for payment and they give you a hard time about how much it costs, so you threaten to turn them into the police for all the illegal movies they have just so you can get paid, then the check they wrote you bounces so bad that you have to re paint the walls. Take them to court, win in court, but when you try and collect again, in cash, they complain about not being able to make lot rent, feed their kids, he is out of work, etc. So you wind up just taking the computer for payment, only to be stuck with it because it is so old no one wants to buy it.

Hey maybe it's not all that bad, man. Think, it could be worse, much mucho worse.
P.S. I hope you didn't really take the computer from that poor man - perhaps it was one of the few good (?) things he had left.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Well, when these people mess up the PC, they don't mess around. The OS is at least partially disabled when a problem arises.

This happens consistently? How? IMO, you have to be trying in order to screw up a computer that badly, that quickly. Over time (say, a year or more), I could understand it, especially if they're running a Win 9x variant and/or installing and uninstalling stuff all the time. But not in a week or two.

Nate

I've worked at a computer company - sales, repair, isp, etc. And we had a few users that did this too. You get kids trying to learn how to be hackers, women who click stuff just to see what it is, guys who try to tweak the system, etc. The #1 problem is how people thing by going into Program Files and deleting a folder you've actually uninstalled the program...

 

[Spikey289]

Yeah I never even got to the house one time to do the service. They just wanted to learn how to use their multifunction printer and get it working right, we did the whole phone tag thing, then i told her my price and she didnt like that, then I didnt hear from her for weeks. Then she called saying she had been sick, I never called her back. I was like forget it! I Know that job would have sucked @ss.

 

[weepul]

Originally posted by: kindest

Originally posted by: Pyxis

Originally posted by: Ulfwald
At least you don't have inlaws who ask you to support AOL on dial up.

You have never gone to service a PC at a trailer park, where the people there look like they belong undert the trailer instead of in it. The keyboard is covered in crusty "gunk" (I put on gloves just to touch it). The heatsink and fan are covered in tobacco smoke, tar, nicotine, dust, etc. There is a decapitated roach in the PSU fan, stopping it from spinning. The chair reeks of all sorts of bodily odors, the desk is a mud stained piece of 2x12 on milkcrates, with a spare tire as a footstool. The monitor only does 800x600 with 256 colors, and smells like it is about to burn up. When you go to format the hard drive so you can reinstall the OS, the "man" of the house asks you if this will erase his "movies" you say YES, and he threatens to kick your arse if he can't watch them anymore, so you take out a spare HDD and back them up to that. When restoring the the movies, you realize that they all involve crack whores and animals. The mouse only works after banging it on the "desk" a few times. You get a splinter from the "desk". When all is done, you ask for payment and they give you a hard time about how much it costs, so you threaten to turn them into the police for all the illegal movies they have just so you can get paid, then the check they wrote you bounces so bad that you have to re paint the walls. Take them to court, win in court, but when you try and collect again, in cash, they complain about not being able to make lot rent, feed their kids, he is out of work, etc. So you wind up just taking the computer for payment, only to be stuck with it because it is so old no one wants to buy it.

:Q lol

hahah they didnt have a hot daughter? sometimes these wonderful specimens produce super hot daughters.

🙂

then u have ugly daughters with buck teeth chances are usually 50/50. ;p

//krunk (^_^x)

 

[MaxDepth]

So - you're saying you are quitting the mobo fluffer business?