When "experts" attack....

[Jeff7]

Someone at work today was talking about a PC he just got. Apparently it was screwed up because, "It musta picked up a virus somewhere. And get this, it had Windows Me, Windows ESP, and 4 different Internets loaded. So I downloaded a new hard disk from the CD and now everything's fine with it."




Ok, that is all. I just wanted to share my pain with everyone. It's like, where do you even begin in order to explain to the guy that he just spewed complete jibberish, and also to convey just how pathetically little he knows about computers?

 

[linkgoron]

He probably forgot his PC out in the cold...

 

[loic2003]

Just keep quizzing him when there are witnesses. Eventually he'll embarras himself.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Someone at work today was talking about a PC he just got. Apparently it was screwed up because, "It musta picked up a virus somewhere. And get this, it had Windows Me, Windows ESP, and 4 different Internets loaded. So I downloaded a new hard disk from the CD and now everything's fine with it."




Ok, that is all. I just wanted to share my pain with everyone. It's like, where do you even begin in order to explain to the guy that he just spewed complete jibberish, and also to convey just how pathetically little he knows about computers?

I don't bother, there is nothing worse than trying to correct a computer "expert".

 

[Biggerhammer]

String him along. "Make sure that you never leave a CD in the tray for too long... that's what causes viruses!"

 

[Slappy00]

Those people are slowly decreasing, mostly due to company's ensuring that software is "idiot-proof" I remember the days when software and hardware was for geeks (custom init strings, making your own configs, bats etc.), but those days are long gone. Fixing most computer problems takes about 15- 20 min and proabably less if you have a internet connection.

My proof is companies like "Geek Squad" who can do things such as "Install your network card" (omg high tek!111) or "virus and spyware removal" (please) make money off of easy crap like this. I woudl like to have one of these idiots service my packard bell 486 SX (with Turbo! and soldered memory modules) and tell them to do anything with it.

me: "hey can you guys install FreeBSD on this computer"?
them: " what's this 'turbo' button for?"

great now i made myself angry.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Biggerhammer
String him along. "Make sure that you never leave a CD in the tray for too long... that's what causes viruses!"

Oh right, then I'll have to listen to him even more when something really does go wrong, and he'll tell me what he tried to do to fix it.

Those people are slowly decreasing, mostly due to company's ensuring that software is "idiot-proof" I remember the days when software and hardware was for geeks (custom init strings, making your own configs, bats etc.), but those days are long gone. Fixing most computer problems takes about 15- 20 min and proabably less if you have a internet connection.

I don't think so.
This is a new Dell computer. Life has once again provided better idiots.



A few months ago, a friend of mine told me that his grandfather destroyed an ink jet printer. The ink heads were seriously clogged, so what to try? Paint thinner.
Yes, paint thinner, which is also very good at dissolving various kinds of plastic.

 

[Slappy00]

A few months ago, a friend of mine told me that his grandfather destroyed an ink jet printer. The ink heads were seriously clogged, so what to try? Paint thinner.

yah but that's someone's grandfather.

today i tell my cousins that half the fun back in the "old days" was just getting a connection working between two computers (zmodem ftw), then you got to play or exchange stuff etc. Today software holds your hand through all kinds of fun "wizards" which my mom could easily use, and as far as hardware: everythign is labeled and color-coded (esp with companies like Dell). Using my cousins again, they can take apart and put together computers as well as i can (modern hardware not my old school stuff), and my mom has no problems using windows or microsoft office, nor does she have any virus or spyware problems because everything is automated.

There weill always be "idiots" out there but they are dwindleing, and most people under 30 i would imagine have a good grasp on how to operate a computer using mainstream software and hardware.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: Slappy00
Those people are slowly decreasing, mostly due to company's ensuring that software is "idiot-proof" I remember the days when software and hardware was for geeks (custom init strings, making your own configs, bats etc.), but those days are long gone. Fixing most computer problems takes about 15- 20 min and proabably less if you have a internet connection.

My proof is companies like "Geek Squad" who can do things such as "Install your network card" (omg high tek!111) or "virus and spyware removal" (please) make money off of easy crap like this. I woudl like to have one of these idiots service my packard bell 486 SX (with Turbo! and soldered memory modules) and tell them to do anything with it.

me: "hey can you guys install FreeBSD on this computer"?
them: " what's this 'turbo' button for?"

great now i made myself angry.

The turbo used current that came out of the CPU to run an amp which further increased the current going into the CPU... just like a car turbo, but with electricity.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Linflas

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Someone at work today was talking about a PC he just got. Apparently it was screwed up because, "It musta picked up a virus somewhere. And get this, it had Windows Me, Windows ESP, and 4 different Internets loaded. So I downloaded a new hard disk from the CD and now everything's fine with it."




Ok, that is all. I just wanted to share my pain with everyone. It's like, where do you even begin in order to explain to the guy that he just spewed complete jibberish, and also to convey just how pathetically little he knows about computers?

I don't bother, there is nothing worse than trying to correct a computer "expert".

exactly, when i hear people talki like this i don't even try to correct them anymore. its usually a waste of time and only frustrates you even more.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: Slappy00
Those people are slowly decreasing, mostly due to company's ensuring that software is "idiot-proof" I remember the days when software and hardware was for geeks (custom init strings, making your own configs, bats etc.), but those days are long gone. Fixing most computer problems takes about 15- 20 min and proabably less if you have a internet connection.

My proof is companies like "Geek Squad" who can do things such as "Install your network card" (omg high tek!111) or "virus and spyware removal" (please) make money off of easy crap like this. I woudl like to have one of these idiots service my packard bell 486 SX (with Turbo! and soldered memory modules) and tell them to do anything with it.

me: "hey can you guys install FreeBSD on this computer"?
them: " what's this 'turbo' button for?"

great now i made myself angry.

The turbo used current that came out of the CPU to run an amp which further increased the current going into the CPU... just like a car turbo, but with electricity.

Wasn't it actually a misnomer? Where the default processor speed was actually the "turbo" setting, but you would press it to reduce the speed of the processor to play games in DOS?

 

[TheTony]

He got 4 internets with his new computer?

Lucky!

 

[j00fek]

Originally posted by: TheTony
He got 4 internets with his new computer?

Lucky!

:laugh:

 

[theknight571]

I used to work with a guy that claimed to know multiple programming languages. (he was a financial analyst).

So one day I asked him which ones he knew: Wordperfect and Lotus123 (yes this was a while ago) were the first two he said... I don't remember the others since I was laughing too hard.

 

[NatePo717]

Originally posted by: TheTony
He got 4 internets with his new computer?

Lucky!

wish mine came with 4 internets.....

 

[DaShen]

Why do you care? :roll:

 

[Slappy00]

yah i always had turbo on, execpt for older DOS games that ran well in "turbo" when i tried playing them. i think it halfed the cpu speed although i am not entirely sure how much it reduced the processor frequency.

 

[jhayx7]

Originally posted by: theknight571
I used to work with a guy that claimed to know multiple programming languages. (he was a financial analyst).

So one day I asked him which ones he knew: Wordperfect and Lotus123 (yes this was a while ago) were the first two he said... I don't remember the others since I was laughing too hard.

Hey, we still use Lotus 123 and Notes at work.

 

[Tom]

Ok, this person used the wrong terminology, and I don't know what he meant by ESP, but the rest is not that hard to understand.

By "internets", I figure he meant ISPs, like AOL, MSN, etc. And it sounds like he did a fresh install from a CD.

So what he did may have made perfect sense.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Tom
Ok, this person used the wrong terminology, and I don't know what he meant by ESP, but the rest is not that hard to understand.

By "internets", I figure he meant ISPs, like AOL, MSN, etc. And it sounds like he did a fresh install from a CD.

So what he did may have made perfect sense.

XP. ESP ~ XP.

What he did was good - format and reinstall from the restore disc. How he explained it though.........

Originally posted by: DaShen
Why do you care? :roll:

Why did you click on the thread, read it all, and then reply?


Concerning the Turbo button, I seem to recall it disabling some cache on the processor.
Well apparently it can do either - slow down the CPU or disable some cache.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: Slappy00
Those people are slowly decreasing, mostly due to company's ensuring that software is "idiot-proof" I remember the days when software and hardware was for geeks (custom init strings, making your own configs, bats etc.), but those days are long gone. Fixing most computer problems takes about 15- 20 min and proabably less if you have a internet connection.

My proof is companies like "Geek Squad" who can do things such as "Install your network card" (omg high tek!111) or "virus and spyware removal" (please) make money off of easy crap like this. I woudl like to have one of these idiots service my packard bell 486 SX (with Turbo! and soldered memory modules) and tell them to do anything with it.

me: "hey can you guys install FreeBSD on this computer"?
them: " what's this 'turbo' button for?"

great now i made myself angry.

The turbo used current that came out of the CPU to run an amp which further increased the current going into the CPU... just like a car turbo, but with electricity.

Wasn't it actually a misnomer? Where the default processor speed was actually the "turbo" setting, but you would press it to reduce the speed of the processor to play games in DOS?

I thought pressing turbo brought it up to full speed, deselecting it effectively underclocked it...

 

[KoolAidKid]

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: BigJ

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: Slappy00
Those people are slowly decreasing, mostly due to company's ensuring that software is "idiot-proof" I remember the days when software and hardware was for geeks (custom init strings, making your own configs, bats etc.), but those days are long gone. Fixing most computer problems takes about 15- 20 min and proabably less if you have a internet connection.

My proof is companies like "Geek Squad" who can do things such as "Install your network card" (omg high tek!111) or "virus and spyware removal" (please) make money off of easy crap like this. I woudl like to have one of these idiots service my packard bell 486 SX (with Turbo! and soldered memory modules) and tell them to do anything with it.

me: "hey can you guys install FreeBSD on this computer"?
them: " what's this 'turbo' button for?"

great now i made myself angry.

The turbo used current that came out of the CPU to run an amp which further increased the current going into the CPU... just like a car turbo, but with electricity.

Wasn't it actually a misnomer? Where the default processor speed was actually the "turbo" setting, but you would press it to reduce the speed of the processor to play games in DOS?

I thought pressing turbo brought it up to full speed, deselecting it effectively underclocked it...

My first computer (an IBM XT) had a turbo switch that kicked it up from 4.77 MHz to 10 MHz (!!). I assumed at the time that it was overclocked, because I would get artifacts on my CGA monitor whenever the turbo was engaged.

 

[altonb1]

Oh how I love tech support...

...and even better...field techs that come for warranty service on a piece of hardware and don't know what jumpers/dipswitches are. :sigh;

 

[Shadowknight]

Guys like him are the reason for sites like this: http://rinkworks.com/stupid/

 

[ThaGrandCow]

They need an Acts of Gord for clueless computer users