Tech Support Thursday, June 18, 2009

[fluffy]

So, I got a text message from someone named "Steve" whose phone number was one off from mine, that my grandpa was trying to get in touch with me and sounded confused. So I called my grandpa, and he'd gotten a nasty virus on his Windows Vista which was posing as anti-virus software and trying to get him to hand over his credit card information. (Thankfully he knew not to do that and instead knew to call me.)

Unfortunately, I don't know Vista at all, and I was walking home and there was a lot of traffic noise in the background (on my end) but I was able to talk him into at least booting into safe mode, when he kept on telling me every little thing that kept popping up on the screen because of the malware. Then I got home and called him back, and walked him through using the Windows System Restore (and getting him there when he kept on trying to go to the "Backup and Restore Center" was a challenge) and then downloading and running the malicious software removal tool, and until now I hadn't realized how unintuitive much of computing is, what with my grandpa having absolutely no idea what things like "the address bar" were (but he did understand how to press ctrl-L and ctrl-A). Anyway, the malicious software removal tool found plenty of malware right away and now it's doing a full scan overnight and in the morning he'll call me again and ask me what to do next.

The whole process took around an hour, and since my grandpa is pretty hard-of-hearing now it was difficult to get him to type things like "microsoft.com" and "malicious." But eventually we got there, and I feel really good about it, because I wasn't sure how helpful I'd be.

qotd: Do you ever have to do tech support for your family? How difficult is it?

[Märk]

qotd: When my sister phones, if the words "computer" and "problem" come out of her mouth in the same sentence, I hang up on her.

[Spud]

until now I hadn't realized how unintuitive much of computing is

This is why God made grandpas.

[fluffy]

Well my grandpa has always been pretty good with technology. He was really into computers in the 80s and much of the 90s but his knowledge basically ends at Windows 3.1 and he hasn't been able to keep up very well since then.

I mean he's turning 98 soon and the fact that he's able to use the computer by himself most of the time is frankly kind of amazing. And he did recognize right away that the malware was malware, and at first he thought it was actually kind of funny how transparently scammy it was. He just had no idea what to do to remove it and then it started actively getting in the way.

[Mantzfield]

qotd: I'm fully trained in the ways of computing so I'm regularly used and abused by family and friends (and by extension their friends, and colleagues, and acquaintances) to sort out their problems.
Most of them aren't too bad, my Dad knows a bit so tends to try and fix stuff himself first (though this usually makes more of a mess...), its mainly my step-sister and her 6 children who are a bit of a pain, closely followed by my Nan's new boyfriend whose decided upon retirement to buy a PC and get on the internet.

It's amazing how your 98yr old Grandpa is more switched on then 95% of the people I work with who are supposed to use computers from 9-5 everyday! So many people seem to have a complete lack of common sense when it comes to computers, when really, I don't know anything, my entire job is based around pretending that I do and then going straight to google!

[Caravan Ray]

qotd: When my sister phones, if the words "computer" and "problem" come out of her mouth in the same sentence, I hang up on her.

When your sister phones me, she uses the words "hard drive" and "RAM" a lot - but I don't think she has ever mentioned her computer.

[JonPorobil]

QotD: I occasionally have to do tech support for my dad, but he's got other kids who do most of the dirty work for him. Dad manages to get along rather well knowing absolutely nothing about computers, because they've gotten that easy to use, I guess. My brother still lives with my mom, so he helps her when she needs it.

...So really, not so much these days.

[ujnhunter]

Man I love CRay!

QotD: Yes, I am the go to guy... I really hate it too. I have zero patience... I'd be a horrible teacher/coach... Ujn Misanthrope Hunter.

[HeuristicsInc]

yeah, i do, but thankfully not as bad as your tech support problem was. that one is complicated.
i have sometimes figured out a problem in software i've never used
-bill

[roymond]

So many people seem to have a complete lack of common sense when it comes to computers

I think it's more about not really caring to think beyond "what I have to get done right now!" that keeps people from really caring much about how to fix their problems (which ideally keeps problems to a minimum in the long run).

I used to run a large design department and then hired people to support it once things took off, but after a while I started telling the family and others that although I use computers, I don't do much with the upgrade/repair/fixing stuff so best look elsewhere. Except the wife and the mother in law. Some things you just can't run from.

[JonPorobil]

So many people seem to have a complete lack of common sense when it comes to computers

I think it's more about not really caring to think beyond "what I have to get done right now!" that keeps people from really caring much about how to fix their problems (which ideally keeps problems to a minimum in the long run).

In other words...

"I don't have time to fill up my gas tank! Never mind that it's empty and that refusing to get it filled up will cause me to run out of gas in the middle of the street and cost me a lot more time in the long run; I've got things to do now!"

It really amazes me that some of the same people who can disassemble and reassemble a freaking automobile in two hours flat really don't have a clue how computers work, or that they need occasional maintenance. It's all about finding solutions, figuring out the way things fit together, etc.

[Caravan Ray]

It really amazes me that some of the same people who can disassemble and reassemble a freaking automobile in two hours flat really don't have a clue how computers work, or that they need occasional maintenance. It's all about finding solutions, figuring out the way things fit together, etc.

It's my job to fix the freaking planet. I let other people look after my car and computer.

[fluffy]

Yeah, personally I'm blissfully ignorant about how a lot of things work. I guess I could figure it out if I wanted to but really, why bother when I can just pay someone else to fix things in less time than it'd take for the intrinsic value of my time?

[Märk]

Yeah, personally I'm blissfully ignorant about how a lot of things work. I guess I could figure it out if I wanted to but really, why bother when I can just pay someone else to fix things in less time than it'd take for the intrinsic value of my time?

You just described the attitude of 99.9% of computer users!

[fluffy]

Yes, and I'm fine with that (that was my whole freaking point). Just because Jon thinks everyone should know everything about computers doesn't mean I do.

[roymond]

It really amazes me that some of the same people who can disassemble and reassemble a freaking automobile in two hours flat really don't have a clue how computers work, or that they need occasional maintenance. It's all about finding solutions, figuring out the way things fit together, etc.

It's also about picking the fights you want to fight. I'm with Fluffy...there are lots of things I once felt guilty about not learning to do myself (changing the oil) and others I do that other people stare at and say "how do you know how to do this?" There's no rhyme or reason. I don't worry too much about it.

I also hate worrying about computers. My Macs have so few problems that it's really not an issue. I used to know them inside and out and read all the blogs (well, before blogs, those list serves and other internet devices) where we all shared our experiences creating large networked systems out of them and doing things that no one really did before, and I never really learned anything about OS X. But you know what? I'm past that. My Windows machine is a company laptop so I just call the 24/7 hot line for help fixing the stupid thing. I am glad I don't have to deal with it much beyond the basics, cause I hate when it has problems.

[JonPorobil]

I'm not saying everyone should know everything about computers... Lord knows I've had enough computer problems of my own. I've just noticed a lot of people who've come and gone through my life who seem to think that computers are worry-free, self-sustaining miracles, even while acknowledging the complexity of other things in their lives (i.e. their cars).

A friend of my dad's has been maintaining and driving a '42 Ford for years, but doesn't understand when I tell him to run his virus scanner once a week or so. Same basic concept.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I've come a long way with my computer knowledge. Probably my biggest and most important breakthrough was being able to search porn without getting an ETD. (electronically transmitted disease)

....the hardest part is finding condoms big enough to fit over my enormous monitor.