Best to feign ignorance with IT?

[pete6032]

So I have been having Internet connection problems at work all week. Getting lots of time outs and things not loading. I put in a help desk request and the recommended solution was to clear browser cache or try a different browser for a few hours to see if the problem persists.

I want to just respond back showing cmd line for ping Google.com showing 100% packet loss and timing out 4 times in a row and show them my tracert log but I'm afraid if I do that then IT people will know I am computer savvy and will keep their eyes on me all the time, not that I have anything to hide, but my guess is that it may be against policy to be using some of the freeware programs and browser plug-ins that I have which are designed to make what I do more efficient. Do the IT people at your work keep an eye on tech savvy people?

 

[Squeetard]

No. Me loves them. Saves nothing but time when a user has diagnosed the problem already.
Edit: The add-ins policy is there to keep idiots from polluting their PC's. If I know a user is savvy I will turn a blind eye.

 

[vi edit]

So long as you don't have 8 different toolbars, a pile of malware and bonzai buddy sitting in your system tray I think you'll be fine.

 

[Red Storm]

As a former tech support, I can tell you that the people who we had to keep our eyes on the most were not the few tech savvy ones, it was the brainless idiots who always managed to screw things up. Your IT people will more than likely appreciate that you know what you're doing on the computer.

 

[Nashemon]

I like tech savvy employees too. But not when they just think they are savvy and try to get me to do things for them when its not really a problem.

Your employer seems a little more open that mine, because at mine no one can install anything without an admin and we have one browser (IE), and you have to submit a request that has to be approved to get a different one. We do install and use a few tools like a screenshot program that are not "packaged", but other than that if a user finds something that helps them do their job and I check it out for legitimacy, I don't mind helping them install it. But things like that are few and far between, including tech savvy employees.

 

[vi edit]

My guess is that the DNS servers you guys use are on the fritz. Especially if everything else network wise is still available (file shares, email, apps, ect) Could try doing an ipconfig /release and then renew to see if you get updated ones.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Try the winsockfix command?

 

[DrPizza]

Our IT department always seemed to appreciate that I could fix, or tell them how to fix problems. I'll usually give them the first crack at it. Last year, their guru came to my room to try to fix a problem. When it turned into there were two different problems going around that week, and mine wasn't the one they were able to fix, by the time he got back to his office, an email was waiting for him with how to fix it on each person's computer. The problem was caused by a "fix" they had pushed out to all the computers on the network.

The one thing the tech department probably doesn't like about the tech savvy people: we don't shut down our computers. When they push out updates, they only happen upon a reboot (for now). I don't know how many mornings someone's walked into my room with "hey, how'd you get your email to work? I can't get it to open."

 

[pete6032]

Yeah most of what I have installed is what I would consider essential to Firefox - adblock plus, DownloadThemAll, cookie monster, and some other privacy extensions.

 

[Jeffg010]

4 kinds of people that I support.

1. People who don't have a clue when it comes to a computer.
These people are fun to support they generally just do their work and are even afraid to surf the net. They never really have a problem.

2. People who have no clue but seem to break everything.
These people are a nightmare to support. Every other month they do stupid stuff like rip a laptop off a docking station while it is still powered on and take it home and wonder why it won't connect VPN or their PC crashes and can't tell you what they were doing at the the time of the crash.

3. People who think they are tech savoy but are not.
These people are the the worst of the bunch. These people tend to be programs or project mangers that think they are super tech. These are the guys who try fixing their problems themselves by shutting off services, deleting system files turning off anti viruses, downloading non approved software ect. Also these people won't shut up and try telling you how to fix something when you are working on it. I'd like to punch these guys in the face and say if you know how to fix it then why you call me to come fix it.

4. People who know what they are doing.
I love to support these guys. You can tell right away when dealing with them that they know what they are doing. They give you good details of the problem and know what you are talking about when the asking simple questions

No one cares about monitoring you because who really got time for that.

 

[Newell Steamer]

The opposite really.

As long as you aren't a parroting blowhard, I think IT support would appreciate someone who knows what to do, but can't because of Admin restrictions on their hardware.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I heard of people being fired over opening a command prompt. I would avoid it. IT would not be the ones to report you, they'd know it's harmless, but if a non tech savvy manager sees you or sees the email with the screen shot etc.

In fact I think that happened to someone here.

I guess it really depends on how uptight the company is though.

 

[kt]

Depends really. Are you one of those that know just enough to be dangerous?

 

[Rakehellion]

IT people will know I am computer savvy and will keep their eyes on me all the time

No, they'll still assume you're an idiot and tell you to reboot because they don't want to admit a lowly customer knows more than them about their own system.

 

[cubby1223]

So I have been having Internet connection problems at work all week. Getting lots of time outs and things not loading. I put in a help desk request and the recommended solution was to clear browser cache or try a different browser for a few hours to see if the problem persists.

I want to just respond back showing cmd line for ping Google.com showing 100% packet loss and timing out 4 times in a row and show them my tracert log but I'm afraid if I do that then IT people will know I am computer savvy and will keep their eyes on me all the time, not that I have anything to hide, but my guess is that it may be against policy to be using some of the freeware programs and browser plug-ins that I have which are designed to make what I do more efficient. Do the IT people at your work keep an eye on tech savvy people?

For sure mention that the problem occurs outside the browser while you try to ping.

Just so you're not going into a half-hour monologue on what you think is going on, asking to nail down the solution before troubleshooting, and demand minute-by-minute status updates while troubleshooting...

You're good.

 

[amdhunter]

I like tech savvy guys too until they break their computer and say they've Google'd it already...then I know I can't BS my way out of fixing it.

 

[cubby1223]

I heard of people being fired over opening a command prompt. I would avoid it. IT would not be the ones to report you, they'd know it's harmless, but if a non tech savvy manager sees you or sees the email with the screen shot etc.

In fact I think that happened to someone here.

I guess it really depends on how uptight the company is though.

That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. If the company has the policy to fire over opening a command prompt, they should have had their IT staff disable access to it.

 

[ViviTheMage]

So I have been having Internet connection problems at work all week. Getting lots of time outs and things not loading. I put in a help desk request and the recommended solution was to clear browser cache or try a different browser for a few hours to see if the problem persists.

I want to just respond back showing cmd line for ping Google.com showing 100% packet loss and timing out 4 times in a row and show them my tracert log but I'm afraid if I do that then IT people will know I am computer savvy and will keep their eyes on me all the time, not that I have anything to hide, but my guess is that it may be against policy to be using some of the freeware programs and browser plug-ins that I have which are designed to make what I do more efficient. Do the IT people at your work keep an eye on tech savvy people?

No, it's the ones who think they are and are not that we keep an eye on.

 

[Fritzo]

As someone that's worked on a help desk, I find if I have to call someone else for support it's more efficient to let them drive. If you call in saying "I'm so and so and I have these credentials, and this is most likely the problem", the tech will focus on what you said as being the main problem instead of looking at it with a fresh pair of eyes.

 

[NutBucket]

Unless it's something REALLY obvious like physical damage or a hard drive making strange noises I just let the the IT guy do his job. I have better things to spend time on than fixing things myself.

 

[gorcorps]

It seems like my IT dept enjoys tech savy people, because we can usually handle the stupid BS our coworkers deal with without making IT come fix it. I'm also one of the only ones with an unrestricted windows 8 hybrid when everybody else uses the typical locked down windows 7 HP notebooks. There are perks to proving you know how to handle computers.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Unless it's something REALLY obvious like physical damage or a hard drive making strange noises I just let the the IT guy do his job. I have better things to spend time on than fixing things myself.

Like my buddy at work who got a new desk, he doesn't like the edges so his bringing in some sand paper to sand it down ... he also went through the department with a level and made sure all of the posters were leveled. Dude is old and weird. He should have gone to facilities...

 

[NutBucket]

Funny enough our facilities people have been handcuffed by management. They used to actually build furniture if you submitted the request. Now almost everything is contracted out beyond simple stuff like bolting furniture to the wall (earthquake safety) and hanging whiteboards. It's sad really, these guys are mostly old-school and can probably build/fix just about anything.

So when it comes to those tasks, I do it myself. But it also helps I work in a lab and can/have found many excuses to buy woodworking tools

 

[ViviTheMage]

yeah, he didn't even bother ... found it kind of funny though. He used to be in woodworking or something, so he was all over it.

 

[zinfamous]

No. Me loves them. Saves nothing but time when a user has diagnosed the problem already.

Heh, not in my experience.

I tried to get a line activated in one of our newer rooms, and it took our people about 3 months to finally get it done.

Some of our IT people told them, I told them, that cable isn't physically connected nearby...1 month ago. They keep telling me to set up DHCP protocols blah blah blah, but I keep telling them the Line is dead. You need to connect it. Well, our IT people say "network guy" only has authority to do it (they had already diagnosed this problem for "network guy" 2 months ago).

Finally, 1 week ago, "network guy" suggests to look at the nearby node and make sure the cable is plugged in. So "network guy" finally gets off his pimply ass and does it.

So, even if you know the problem, and tell them the problem, they still don't seem to believe you could actually understand that problem. god damn "network guy."