Family Tech Support: If You Don't Hear From Me Again, It's Because I Shot Myself!

[Ornery]

Jesus Christ! :frown:

Just got off the phone with my dad after a friggen hour. Dicking around with Powerpoint, his scanner and everything in between. He's had this scanner for years and he still can't figure out the basics! He insists on using "Scan Suite" instead of acquiring to an image editing program, then complains 'cause he can't resize the image. Last thing he said, after telling him how to acquire in LView was, "Well, that just seems like a big waste of time." WHERE'S MY GUN...

 

[Hoober]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Jesus Christ! :frown:

Just got off the phone with my dad after a friggen hour. Dicking around with Powerpoint, his scanner and everything in between. He's had this scanner for years and he still can't figure out the basics! He insists on using "Scan Suite" instead of acquiring to an image editing program, then complains 'cause he can't resize the image. Last thing he said, after telling him how to acquire in LView was, "Well, that just seems like a big waste of time." WHERE'S MY GUN...

So I'm helping my folks set up a wireless network OVER THE PHONE in about two weeks... I'll need a cannon.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Jesus Christ! :frown:

Just got off the phone with my dad after a friggen hour. Dicking around with Powerpoint, his scanner and everything in between. He's had this scanner for years and he still can't figure out the basics! He insists on using "Scan Suite" instead of acquiring to an image editing program, then complains 'cause he can't resize the image. Last thing he said, after telling him how to acquire in LView was, "Well, that just seems like a big waste of time." WHERE'S MY GUN...

Doit for the love, do it for 18 years, do it cause you want to inform them... It's hard I know I support macs for MOM and PC's for DAD plus all the networking and broadband for them. I just bite my toung and have pateince plus my dad is 67 and can still kick my ass.

 

[notfred]

See, I just tell my parents "buy a new one" now.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: notfred
See, I just tell my parents "buy a new one" now.

Family = Dell. Let them deal with it

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: notfred
See, I just tell my parents "buy a new one" now.

Family = Dell. Let them deal with it

smart man, very smart. I learned to keep my mouth shut at work about computers. Another guy at work (tyler811 here on AT) is "dubbed" the resident computer guy b/c he's always talking about them and reading up on them. Somehow or another, people still ask me for help setting things up, despite the fact i NEVER talk about them.

-=bmacd=-

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Family = Dell. Let them deal with it

Now, that's the ticket.

 

[spyordie007]

thank God my dad knows enough to keep himself running 95% of the time...
I built him a new computer and setup a wireless network on broadband with file/print sharing and got him setup with terminal services on his desktop so he can hit it from his laptop about 2-3 months ago. He loves it, when I visited them for christmas I had broadband from my laptop. And the best thing is that he hasnt asked me any "stupid" questions yet, just simple stuff like "how do I change my password" where all I have to do is point him in the right direction and he can figure it out for himself.

I feel sorry for you Ornery, just look on the bright side though; sooner or later he'll die and you can live in peace

-Spy

 

[Ornery]

Ach, I did just talk him into getting a new Dell. $340.00 for the box shipped, and he thinks he saw a commercial on TV for a lower price!

He still can barely navigate through the file system to find where puts stuff. He ain't dumb, but damn! He can actually create passable drawings in AutoCAD, yet falls down on this simple crap. I don't mind helping for a while, but that wise ass comment at the end almost set me off! Aaaaarrrgh...

 

[zsouthboy]

Tech support for family, and friends that aren't extremely hot and available females = suck.

Dell = pnwz t3h family.

 

[Ornery]

Well, there went another hour. Glad he's paying the long distance bill!

He's been using a PC since the 8088 back in 1990. He still hasn't gotten a handle on file management! After 13 years, he still can't understand what a directory or folder is. He recently bought a Windows XP text book, so that he could look at pictures while he fumbles through the lessons. he didn't want to attempt online tutorials or help, because it's too confusing.

I don't get it. He taught high school tech for vocational machine shop, including the related classes. he's a building contractor among other things. He can even use AutoCAD to create a passable drawing. Yet every time I go over the simplest instructions on how to navigate through the file system, he's writing down every move! I have GOT to be doing something wrong. I'm not cut out to teach this crap. My patience is non existent and I'm obviously not getting through. Anybody want to take over? I don't have any money, but the gratification of solving this decade old problem should be enormous!

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Dude, get him a Dell.

It'll make your life so much easier, it's unreal.

- M4H

 

[notfred]

My dad wrote his own operating system back in like... 1982.

 

[StageLeft]

Thankfully my dad doesn't mind spending 15 days trying to figure something out himself. Also I'm 1700 miles away should that not happen

 

[aircooled]

I hear you!

I finally stopped building PC's for friends. I still have a few family members that rely on me for support, but I'm done with it!!!!!!

 

[Garet Jax]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Anybody want to take over? I don't have any money, but the gratification of solving this decade old problem should be enormous!

Tempting...

But no thanks.

 

[kranky]

When trying to explain folders, I make an analogy to a filing cabinet. A file drawer = a disk drive. Folders are folders. Folders can contain folders, just like in a physical file cabinet. And just like when you file something manually, you have to carefully choose where you put it. It may not be in the first folder you come across (= the folder suggested by the application).

Maybe steer clear of the word "directory". I don't think Windows even uses that term any more.

But I do know what you mean. I can't stand doing my own tech support, let alone anyone else's.

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Dude, get him a Dell.

It'll make your life so much easier, it's unreal.

- M4H

Dude! I got him and my in-laws to buy brand new Dells just this Christmas! I've got nothing but good things to say about those rigs, but the file navigation with XP is even harder to work through. If he had only gotten a handle on it about 10 years ago, this would have been a simple migration. Now he's even more befuddled. I'm going to make one more concerted effort next weekend. If that doesn't work, well, I'm jumping in the river behind his house!

Edit: Thanks kranky, I'll give that a shot. he seems to want to do things in a linear, step by step fashion. I keep telling him, that once you learn a particular application, most others use the same tool bar setups etc. I don't know... I've failed somewhere...

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Dude, get him a Dell.

It'll make your life so much easier, it's unreal.

- M4H

Dude! I got him and my in-laws to buy brand new Dells just this Christmas! I've got nothing but good things to say about those rigs, but the file navigation with XP is even harder to work through. If he had only gotten a handle on it about 10 years ago, this would have been a simple migration. Now he's even more befuddled. I'm going to make one more concerted effort next weekend. If that doesn't work, well, I'm jumping in the river behind his house!

He's a lost cause.

Give him a Mac and the 1-800 tech support number.

- M4H

 

[FuZoR]

lol im also the resident family tech support

everyone calls me plus 1/2 of the time they dont speak english and my chinese is horrible so its pretty pointless.
drives me insane.

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: bmacd

Originally posted by: Evadman

Originally posted by: notfred
See, I just tell my parents "buy a new one" now.

Family = Dell. Let them deal with it

smart man, very smart. I learned to keep my mouth shut at work about computers. Another guy at work (tyler811 here on AT) is "dubbed" the resident computer guy b/c he's always talking about them and reading up on them. Somehow or another, people still ask me for help setting things up, despite the fact i NEVER talk about them.

-=bmacd=-

Its probably tyler's fault. I'd beat his ass.

Ryan

 

[roncarter]

Ever since my mom and dad have been chatting on the computer, I also have become there tech support. Boy.. its a little hard sometimes to answer all of their questions, but they are your parents. They had patience with you growing up.. so have a little patience with them now. Im sure they arent trying to make your live suck.. They just need some help.. remember that guys

 

[bunker]

I talked my brother-in-law into a Dell at christmas time. I would get frustrating as hell calls from him about once a week. Haven't heard a peep since christmas and now if he does call I can say I can't help him because he has XP and I've never used it (win2k).

My dad calls once in a blue moon when he's tinkered around too much and totally hosed the system, but since I've showed him how to use his restore disks from HP it's been less of a problem .

 

[Alienwho]

I feel bad for my parents. My dad can pretty much figure most things out for himself, he only gives me a call if he wants them done quickly. My mom on the other hand, I really need to try to have patience with. I feel bad because I lose my patience very quickly (especially when it's something that is extremely simple to me) and I end up offending her and starting a ruckus.

 

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Dude, get him a Dell.

It'll make your life so much easier, it's unreal.

- M4H

Dude! I got him and my in-laws to buy brand new Dells just this Christmas! I've got nothing but good things to say about those rigs, but the file navigation with XP is even harder to work through. If he had only gotten a handle on it about 10 years ago, this would have been a simple migration. Now he's even more befuddled. I'm going to make one more concerted effort next weekend. If that doesn't work, well, I'm jumping in the river behind his house!

He's a lost cause.

Give him a Mac and the 1-800 tech support number.

- M4H

Personally, I find OSX's file system even more puzzling than Windows'. OSX and its native apps often HIDE files from you which makes finding them very frustrating at times.