Ah so it is those types of people.
As I have thought before, it takes a smart person to make the machine smart. There are a great deal of uses for a computer, information, work is more efficient, sometimes entertainment, and a utility that can link us for communication. A computer is also a tool, much like a car. It takes us where we want to go in our hard drives, and on internet servers.
So what you are saying is that you set up everything perfectly, then he loads garbage on and tries to mess up things himself? I have done that before. I literally "experimented". It was the only way one could learn to rebuild countless times.
If he keeps doing this and mess up each system every time by installing junk, let the idiot be because he would never learn. In fact, let him join the other idiots online by giving him what he wants.
As for the HP, if I see it, I would freak if I had that! :Q Oh the horror! And I bet he cannot do a CD copy either or add DVD. I seen the small case. Only one CD bay and one floppy bay showing. Micro ATX.... All nicely tucked in. Well, there is an idiot born every minute according to PT Baurnum or something like that. You may have one on your hands.
You could try telling him how you feel. You could try and tell him that for countless times you have fixed his machine from his mistakes. It is high time he starts learning on his own. If he keeps going away while you do your work, then he is really not interested in computers and is a wannabe user. Does he try to tweek on his own? I am sure most people do so. There are mistakes in learning on your own but that is one of the ways to learn well.
dennilfloss, you are one of the most repected here. And a good person. But it is time to draw the line. This guy never listens and it is time to let him make his own mistakes. Let him play on his $47 montly machine. He gets what he paid for. Let him listen to the Compuke salespeople. He might screw up the machine more. Let him fry a hard drive. All mistakes would teach him a thing or two.
Tell him how you really feel. And that a computer much like a car should not be filled with junk for it would not run well. Tell him that if he keeps messing up the computer, maybe he should not use one at all.
Tell it in the nature of a good friend. If you are such good friends, he would understand and reason. But if he is one of those acquintances or a bud, you might get an ugly response. Not a good friend indeed.
That is what I have to throw in the bucket in the tollbooth. Now may I pass?