Tech Support - Parents

The Big Bang Theory shows a classical scenario; When your parents call you up for tech support. Does it get any worse? :P

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Picture of Bahira35 achievements

+28 1. Bahira commented 13 years ago

I feel his pain with my family. I have no idea how the geek squad dose it i would be insane if i worked there.
Picture of thejackel36 achievements

+5 2. thejackel commented 13 years ago

so true :D
but it will be the same with the next gen

ok dad, just call geek squad i dont have time
to explain y your flying car is not working :D
Picture of cored31 achievements

+10 3. cored commented 13 years ago

I have pretty amazing family XD
For instance my grandma has a laptop and know her way around the computers amazingly well for her age but my mother is like complete opposite. She calls me to ask where is her AV button on her remote XD
Picture of YetiGrowl38 achievements

+1 4. YetiGrowl commented 13 years ago

my nana does this to me with her cable remote control....
Picture of 87648709820 achievements

+28 5. 876487098 commented 13 years ago

Try hard and remember the VERY FIRST time you used a computer.
You didn't know what to do did you?
Hold that thought, because that's why customers ring Tech Support.
They're no dumber than you are.
The only difference is, you just got there first.
Picture of mmmendal46 achievements

+12 6. mmmendal commented 13 years ago

I agree with #5. However when mom asks for 20th time which mouse button to press I get like Howard is in the video. There are good questions and then there are just repeated stupid questions (mouse buttons and minimize/restore/close). Now, stupid questions are eliminated by everyday use of a computer even for elementary tasks. Some people just do NOT want to think and instead they think that you need to lead them every step of the way even if those steps are completely identical day after day.
Picture of SeanzBeanz28 achievements

+7 7. SeanzBeanz commented 13 years ago

I love this show. Haven't missed a single episode :)
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-11 8. Bream73 commented 13 years ago

This show sucks ass, but at least some good comments are being posted here. Save ;)
Picture of JohnMichael32 achievements

+12 9. JohnMichael commented 13 years ago

#5 There's something called learning by doing. Or, you could just do what comes naturally (when you have a GUI).
Example: The first time I used a computer I turned it on by using the ON button. After it had booted up I clicked the START button because I figured it was there for a reason. I was 10 and this was Windows 95. 6 years later I was 16, and my dad called me at school to find the frickin START button (some application had a manual that told him to click it). I hanged up and he found it himself after a while.

Instead of learning them how to fish (and hunt, and prepare food, and take a crap, and take a shower etc), how about you learn then to figure shit out on their own?
Conclusion:
Don't learn them how to fish (or use an computer), but learn them that it is possible to figure shit out on your own.
Picture of 87648709820 achievements

+1 10. 876487098 commented 13 years ago

#9 makes a very good point. In our society and early education systems, there is far too much emphasis on learning how to do things, instead of more importantly, focusing on learning how to learn to do things.
Picture of JohnMichael32 achievements

+4 11. JohnMichael commented 13 years ago

Problem nowadays is that n00bs (in lack of a political correct term for'em) doesn't have the patience that we (tech savvy people) had (and probably still have). They would rather call us up to find the proper application, than to search themselves.

And #6 brought up a good point. I absolutely hate helping people who are asking the same questions each time they call. If you can't remember how you did this the last time I helped you, then fucking write notes or something.
Picture of 87648709820 achievements

+1 12. 876487098 commented 13 years ago

I don't have any problem with using the term 'noob' (in the right context). I now program (completely self-taught) in numerous computer languages, but at one time I was a noob in all of them. To use the word in a derogatory way though, assuming an air of unassailable elitist authority, really pisses me off. Too frequently the people who display this nauseating (I know more than you - I've been doing this longer than you - I am smart and you are a stupid cretin) attitude, appear to have conveniently forgotten that they too, at one time, were also noobs.

Yes, patience is sadly lacking in many people, and it applies not only to getting their PC to work the way they want it to. In a much broader sense, we live in a 'must have' society where children get the message that it's OK to get everything they want without putting in any effort. Why wait? Why work? Why persevere? Just ask and it shall be given...

Sadly, one of my grandsons is just like this. I love him to bits, but there's no denying that at times he is a bone-idle, irritating little shit. :)
Picture of mmmendal46 achievements

+1 13. mmmendal commented 13 years ago

Forgot to mention to all those people who help their family/friends remotely that there is a nice program www.realvnc.com which helps in these situations.
Also Skype has "share screen" functionality which is also very helpful for remote help: http://www.skype.com/intl/en/features/allfeatures/screen-sharing/
Picture of JohnMichael32 achievements

+2 14. JohnMichael commented 13 years ago

#13 In my mind, nothing beats TeamViewer when it comes to helping people from scratch. From scratch I mean: I've never bothered to set up VNC/RDP/whatever-you-prefer on the 'n00bs' computer.
TeamViewer doesn't even has to be installed, it can be run as a portable program (the executable begins the whole thing with "Do you want to install or just run now?"

Right then and there, over the phone, I can tell them "Go to teamviewer.com, click big green button, run the .exe file, choose run, give me your client ID and client password that's in front of you. Thank you, now don't touch the mouse and let me fix whatever you've done (wrong)."
TechInline also works, but that's not free (well, TeamViewer is only free for personal !non-commercial use).
Picture of Randyio50 achievements

0 15. Randyio commented 13 years ago

My parents have a notebook, where they write everything down that I explain to them reguarding computers.

However, they don't use the notebook to look up their problems. I'm still the one being called :'(

Thanks #14 that looks usefull, I always used windows remote assistance.

And I just wanted to throw this word in cuz I love the big bang theory:

"BAZINGA!!"
Picture of JohnMichael32 achievements

0 16. JohnMichael commented 13 years ago

#15 Best thing about TeamViewer: Works on Windows, Mac and Linux (you don't even have to run it via Wine anymore). Great when you're not up for spending 2 hours on the phone troubleshooting some little bug that Steve Jobs calls a "feature".
Picture of alucard696poland35 achievements

0 17. alucard696poland commented 13 years ago

BIG BANG THEORY RULES :)THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Picture of elchupacabra43 achievements

0 18. elchupacabra commented 13 years ago

Howaaaard! He's my second favorite after Sheldon :D Best comedy show currently on TV.
Picture of luperus20 achievements

-1 19. luperus commented 13 years ago

#12: As far as I am aware 'Newb' means new (Newbie) which isn't generally used in a bad way. However, noob/n00b is the annoying little cretin that does crap just to get on your wick. I could be wrong but I've seen it explained the above way many times.
Picture of JohnMichael32 achievements

0 20. JohnMichael commented 13 years ago

#19 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N00b (I'm not calling you one, I'm just giving you an article on Wikipedia that doesn't separate the two variations of the word) (i)
Picture of Fergus_Thedog36 achievements

0 21. Fergus_Thedog commented 13 years ago

This is pretty accurate about everything except for one thing: These sort of calls are NEVER this mercifully short, and can drag on for hours....
Picture of nomaddaf22 achievements

+2 22. nomaddaf commented 13 years ago

True story....My mother 78 at the time got a PC so for Christmas I got her a digital photo frame. She found a picture she liked on line. She was so proud of her self when she figured out how to save it,then print it then tape it to the digital photo frame I got her. Hard to believe her generation won world war 2 !!!!!!
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+1 23. ZENZING commented 13 years ago

I got my first computer in 2005 and until last month I believed that I could not use the computer for other purposes while I was downloading or running a scan. I don't know if it is a generational thing (I'm 49) but "Please wait" never meant go off and do whatever. My friends and family have been laughing with me ever since :)
Picture of Oxydous38 achievements

+1 24. Oxydous commented 13 years ago

My brother is 32 (i am 26) and he works with computers every single day of his life. However, EVERY SINGLE damn time.. he needs to download something he has to call me to authorize the site and the method as if I'm websitopedia on his phone. He just doesnt seem to comprehend what to do with torrents, what to do with rar files .. etc etc.. Or if you want the truth of it that you seem to be missing... he refuses to learn something cause its just so much easier to call me and ask where to click to get what he wants faster with almost no effort to understand... now THAT is not tech support!!!

btw #22 love your grannie man!she even got to printing!
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

0 25. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

Hahaha...that was me years ago texting my son (who was my IT person) while he was at school asking him computer questions, then especially how to do power points...I'm still that way sometimes ;) , but I have learned a lot and will learn a lot more.