PC techie bad day rant

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

Well, it started off as an easy diagnostic job-- they had an external modem that had died, and I replaced it with a shiny new internal one. Bada bing, bada boom, back online in ten minutes. I still don't quite know what the heck went wrong to corrupt the system so badly it couldn't even boot into safe mode or command prompt mode. Wouldn't even boot from the cd so I could do a system repair! All I did was put service pack 4 on the Win2000 machine. I'd already invoiced them and was ready to walk out the door when it started up with the BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death).

I ended up pulling the hard drive and taking it home to put on my computer, so I could copy the data to my Port-a-drive. Then I wiped it out and took it back and reinstalled it all. BUT BEFORE I DID THAT, I LOOKED THEM IN THE EYE AND ASKED IF THEY HAD ALL THEIR PROGRAM PASSWORDS READY FOR THE REINSTALL. I asked them three times, and got YES on each count. So what happens? THEY DIDN'T KNOW A SINGLE PASSWORD. Sitting there until 7pm trying to get all that proprietary crap up and running without serial numbers or passwords-- THAT'S why I don't like working with proprietary software!

When I left at 7pm, it was still non-functional in a business sense-- it was up and running, but I couldn't get anything back up to speed because noone was available who could input anything meaningful. They didn't even have the current versions of some of the software-- the guy at another facility had to bring his copy over so I could get it to the same version level as the rest of the company, just so it could open the database file.

I've decided to try something easier-- like become a Navy SEAL. Think they'll let a middle-aged arthritic with a steel knee take the course? After today, I desperately need to kick SOMEONE'S ass... Damn, I hate these "little" jobs that end up ruining your whole reputation!

I have a virus cleanup job scheduled for 9am, then I'm going back to see if they have a clue yet. I may yet be able to get the damned stuff running. Damn, I need a drink...

[david_vincent]

1. From a one-time combatant in a few light skirmishes...

you have my most profound sympathy.
Clearly, they didn't even know what a password is.
I've messed with computers enough so that after building my GF's current machine, I vowed that I will *never* work on anyone else's but my own from now on. I won't go into the gory details...
Just about everyone I've ever known who has messed with computers to any considerable degree has come to hate them. Speaking for myself, I reached a point where I calculated the number of hours I had spent wrestling with Windows for one reason or another, and decided that I could no longer spare any of my time to that cause. So I dumped Windows... things have been better, but definitely not trouble free, since then.
Yeah, selling refrigerators in Nome would be an easier job.
Maybe I'll indulge in a sympathy drink!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

2. I've ALWAYS hated them!

I think they're nasty, evil, life-sucking abominations. That said, however, I LOVE the $45 per hour I charge to fix the demon spawn boxes....

[BlackVelvetElvis]

3. Sorry

The sophistication of PCs today have made morans out of average people. You think at least they would write their passwords down somewhere. That should be manditory and kept in a central location. No one thinks of this crap or even has the foresight to think of it. Everyone-if you work from a network, please know this stuff!
I feel for you.

[economic justice]

4. How do you get by without a Linux boot disk?

I have had to troubleshoot Windows problems many times using a Linux boot-from-CD like ADIOS. Have you ever tried it? It's great! There are many out there. Two years ago, they didn't even exist. Great tool!

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

6. I used Winternals ERD Commander

It was ultimately unhelpful-- didn't detect I had sufficient disk space to do a service pack uninstall. It was a very functionally inadequate "solution". Something was fundamentally corrupted within the system and I was unable to correct it by any means.

[TrogL]

5. You have to threaten them with pain of death

I've had to threaten people with dismissal if they don't tell the truth.

Tell them it's better to be embarassed than be fired. Then they fess up.

I've got my users so terrified they don't dare lie to me.

I also confiscate network cables and disable accounts of people with guessable passwords. Yes, I read over shoulders and look under keyboards, on monitors and in desk drawers.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. Hard to threaten a client when

you're working via referral. Word of mouth can be a bitch, if they don't like you!

[BlueJazz]

8. Sorry for your Bad Day...I understand.

I'm not looking forward to tomorrow:
I've got a customer who has/had 95 then 98 then 2000pro then XP pro and went back to 2000 Pro.
His Friend "Cleaned up the drive" (God, I hate it when they tell me that)
From what I understand from speaking to the guy on the phone, his Friend
erased tons of system files plus the fact he has about 35 programs on the computer and none of them work and has the disks "maybe somewhere" (his words).
Plus the fact that he just got DSL and can't figure out why it won't work.

Geez...I'm kinda hoping an asteroid will hit the earth or something so I can beg out of this "Shit-Job" :)

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

9. But remember...

"Keep smiling!" O8) :nuke:

[Don_G]

10. Don't Use Linux Mandrake 9.2

They had to send it back because 9.2 burned up CD Burners and had to send it back to ask the manufacturer about the problem.

As an XP Windowze user, with a brand-new Dell and a 4-Year Service Plan, I "just" recieved a bill from M$ billing me $21.95 on a "Monthly Plan.!"