(no subject)
May. 2nd, 2005 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
plonqI spent more than a few hours yesterday helping some folks to set up a network in their basement. Part of the process involved scanning both machines for malware and updating their various scanners for the same. I found about 300 things on the computer that I was handling, but the vast majority was cookies, and the rest was just residue from some nasty software I had removed about 18 months ago. While I was at it I also installed Firefox and showed him how to set it up and use it. He was pretty pleased with what he saw, and I suspect it may become his browser of preference.
I don't mind spending a bit of extra time helping out people like this couple. They're some of those rare people who, when asking for computer advice, will actually listen to it and act on it.
Here's a scenario that I hear WAY too often.
"Plonq, help! Whenever I fire up my computer the monitor begins to spin around and spew out black vomit!"
"Hm, that sounds like it's picked up some malware. Odd. I had it locked down pretty good. Have you been keeping the virus scanner up to date?"
"I removed the firewall and virus scanner because another friend said that it caused my mouse pointer to slow down."
"Ack!"
I've started becoming a bit anal with repeat customers. Usually they have to come back for help again because they've ignored some, or all of the advice that I've given them and have found themselves with a machine that boots to a blue screen (or worse). After the second time I've had to bail them out, I'll start playing dumb. "Sorry, I have no idea what's wrong this time. You're going to have to take it to the shop."
And then later when they get indignant and say something like, "I took it in and they charged me $100 and all it needed was to be scanned for viruses and have the virus scanner updated! You could have done that!" I'll reply, "Well, I figured it must be something else, because that's what I did the first two times you brought it to me and it didn't seem to fix the problem."
I don't mind spending a bit of extra time helping out people like this couple. They're some of those rare people who, when asking for computer advice, will actually listen to it and act on it.
Here's a scenario that I hear WAY too often.
"Plonq, help! Whenever I fire up my computer the monitor begins to spin around and spew out black vomit!"
"Hm, that sounds like it's picked up some malware. Odd. I had it locked down pretty good. Have you been keeping the virus scanner up to date?"
"I removed the firewall and virus scanner because another friend said that it caused my mouse pointer to slow down."
"Ack!"
I've started becoming a bit anal with repeat customers. Usually they have to come back for help again because they've ignored some, or all of the advice that I've given them and have found themselves with a machine that boots to a blue screen (or worse). After the second time I've had to bail them out, I'll start playing dumb. "Sorry, I have no idea what's wrong this time. You're going to have to take it to the shop."
And then later when they get indignant and say something like, "I took it in and they charged me $100 and all it needed was to be scanned for viruses and have the virus scanner updated! You could have done that!" I'll reply, "Well, I figured it must be something else, because that's what I did the first two times you brought it to me and it didn't seem to fix the problem."
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no subject
Date: 2005-05-03 05:32 am (UTC)My boss, in his Infinite Wisdomtm decided that we'd start doing work on home computers for the people who work at the sites we administer.
We also have a policy where, if a problem isn't fixed on the first visit, any other visits to address that problem are pro-bono.
I can't begin to tell you how many people's PC's I've had to remove spyware and virii from... but what astounds me is the number of people who call up and say "Well it worked okay when you dropped it off, but is having the same problems, so you better give us a free visit".
What's usually happened, of course, is that their kids have installed Kazaa or something with spyware installed.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-03 07:06 am (UTC)and for some I don't feel like it any more.
On one computer I removed nearly 800 bits, most of which were cookies, but there were also Kazaa and heaps og Gatorware on it.
It seems he had a teenage daughter...
One return customer I unfortunately had to take on was one of our employees who had been assigned a laptop. That was back when we used NT4.0 on all PCs... (And before we began to completely lock them down)
Anyway. One day it no longer booted...
They sent the PC to me to look at(He works on another location)
He had installed som 'educational' games for small children on it. Unfortunately, the games were only tested for Win95 and had 'issues' with NT40.
I fixed it and returned it to him.
A month or two later, guess what...
The same machine, the same problem, and quite probably the same game...
Fixed it and told him to stop installing programs on it.
It returned AGAIN.
I fixed it AGAIN, then explained in detail exactly what I was going to tell his superior if he fucked up the PC another time. I also explained to him what my time cost, and that I would make certain the cost of ALL the previous repairs would be deducted from his salary if it happened again.
(It was an unenforceable threat, but he didn't know that)
Now, with WinXP, we lock the PCs down so muct that they can't even set the clock themselves...