Since JohnnyGuru no longer enlightens us with silly support calls, maybe we could start a thread of our own. However, in this thread, we could talk about neighbors, friends and co-workers who have had some stoooopid computer issues that could have been resolved with a little common sense.
A little background: I have a neighbor who purchased a P.O.S. (bottom of the line) Gateway computer about a year ago. He only has 128 MB of RAM, some low-speed celeron processor and a 17" monitor. He only paid about $600 for the system when he purchased it. He was using AOL (that should tell you something) but he decided to save a little money each month so he went with a paid account with NetZero.
Approximately a month ago, he needed some assistance with getting things converted over between AOL and NetZero. He's a sole computer user in his house, but he has two user accounts created under Windows XP. I told him to stick with one. He was having trouble running some applications with the 2nd account and wanted me to resolve them. Keep in mind, I'm not getting paid for my services, this is strictly charity.
Along the way, I get so frustrated by the slowness of his computer and how poorly it's set up. I realize that his monitor is set via the video card to refresh at 60 Hz. So, I set it higher to avoid getting a headache. Along the way, I can see how bad NetZero is. It takes a painfully long time to disconnect once you conclude your session. However, we keep working through the issues so he can once again access the Internet. I then suggested that he purchase a stick of RAM. He picked up the right stick of PC133, but the Gateway system didn't want to play nicely with it. I then informed him that I was out of work and I couldn't stay over at his house all night long doing charity work. I then finished up my work and went home.
Apparently, the message partially registered in his mind. One day, I saw a guy walking over to his house in a "Tech Geeks" polo shirt. I'm not too sure what my neighbor had this individual work on, but clearly he had to pay for the professional service that he received.
Fast forward to last evening: My neighbor stops by, but I'm sleeping and my wife tells him about my nap. He tells my wife that he purchased the memory that I recommended, now his E-mail is not working. After I wake up, I head over to his house. He seems a bit apprehensive when I get over there. He asks me how long it's going to take. I told him about 20 minutes.
We headed down to his computer area. He had me check to see if the RAM was installed correctly. I verified that it was. He paid $145 to buy 256 MB directly from Gateway. 😀 - He then said that since the ram installation, his E-mail has not properly worked. I told him that software and hardware are two different things. While they do relate frequently, his current problem was not an issue with the memory. He looked confused and then said he wasn't receiving any new E-mail messages via Outlook, but he could see all of them with the Web mail reader. I looked out Outlook and there were 3 messages in the queue. Two of them had 3 MB of pictures attached to each E-mail message. I told him that he needs to be more patient. Let the E-mail messages go out without interrupting the process which could take up to 30 minutes based on his poor connection. I then explained that the way his Outlook program was configured, he has to send the messages in the queue before the new ones can be brought it.
At that point, I then got up, said goodbye and left.
I feel that I've been very assertive with this individual. What kind of "weird" computer issues have you guys and girls had with neighbors, co-workers or family members? How have you handled the situation?
A little background: I have a neighbor who purchased a P.O.S. (bottom of the line) Gateway computer about a year ago. He only has 128 MB of RAM, some low-speed celeron processor and a 17" monitor. He only paid about $600 for the system when he purchased it. He was using AOL (that should tell you something) but he decided to save a little money each month so he went with a paid account with NetZero.
Approximately a month ago, he needed some assistance with getting things converted over between AOL and NetZero. He's a sole computer user in his house, but he has two user accounts created under Windows XP. I told him to stick with one. He was having trouble running some applications with the 2nd account and wanted me to resolve them. Keep in mind, I'm not getting paid for my services, this is strictly charity.
Along the way, I get so frustrated by the slowness of his computer and how poorly it's set up. I realize that his monitor is set via the video card to refresh at 60 Hz. So, I set it higher to avoid getting a headache. Along the way, I can see how bad NetZero is. It takes a painfully long time to disconnect once you conclude your session. However, we keep working through the issues so he can once again access the Internet. I then suggested that he purchase a stick of RAM. He picked up the right stick of PC133, but the Gateway system didn't want to play nicely with it. I then informed him that I was out of work and I couldn't stay over at his house all night long doing charity work. I then finished up my work and went home.
Apparently, the message partially registered in his mind. One day, I saw a guy walking over to his house in a "Tech Geeks" polo shirt. I'm not too sure what my neighbor had this individual work on, but clearly he had to pay for the professional service that he received.
Fast forward to last evening: My neighbor stops by, but I'm sleeping and my wife tells him about my nap. He tells my wife that he purchased the memory that I recommended, now his E-mail is not working. After I wake up, I head over to his house. He seems a bit apprehensive when I get over there. He asks me how long it's going to take. I told him about 20 minutes.
We headed down to his computer area. He had me check to see if the RAM was installed correctly. I verified that it was. He paid $145 to buy 256 MB directly from Gateway. 😀 - He then said that since the ram installation, his E-mail has not properly worked. I told him that software and hardware are two different things. While they do relate frequently, his current problem was not an issue with the memory. He looked confused and then said he wasn't receiving any new E-mail messages via Outlook, but he could see all of them with the Web mail reader. I looked out Outlook and there were 3 messages in the queue. Two of them had 3 MB of pictures attached to each E-mail message. I told him that he needs to be more patient. Let the E-mail messages go out without interrupting the process which could take up to 30 minutes based on his poor connection. I then explained that the way his Outlook program was configured, he has to send the messages in the queue before the new ones can be brought it.
At that point, I then got up, said goodbye and left.
I feel that I've been very assertive with this individual. What kind of "weird" computer issues have you guys and girls had with neighbors, co-workers or family members? How have you handled the situation?
