Did you tell them that no one uses AOL to receive files anymore? ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Melcar
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Did you tell them that no one uses AOL to receive files anymore? ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Melcar
It's Charter actually, 10MB is still their max size limit.(for residential customers).Quote:
Because when it's open my 10 point preference kicks in
huh - must have missed my Copy paste here... Meant to quote Mileron there obviously - not Toes.
I really can't fault my brother for this one, as he is by no means a technical person, however I do have to give him props for trying it on his own... and this isn't really a "omg so dumb" complaint so much as a "please just read" sort of thing combined with a "different manufacturers do it differently" thing.
He called me last Tuesday to find out what would need to be done to replace the ailing ATI 4850 video card in his Dell Studio XPS 435MT, and sent me a link to a cheap-ass 5450.
Proceeded to spend about an hour on and off edumacating him on video cards, most of which he probably didn't get, but he did want a better explanation than "you should just buy X for $Y."
So he ended up buying a 6750, which was only a slight step down power-wise from the 4850 (though admittedly does provide much better graphics).
He physically installed it with no problem; even downloaded the drivers from the AMD site (found it himself, I'm so proud) and installed them. He did this solo because he wanted to learn about it, and (in a rare moment of selflessness) wanted me to be able to spend as much time with my father as possible on Father's Day, instead of PC troubleshooting.
Unfortunately this was done without uninstalling the previous driver before removing the previous card...
And also this was done without reading the actual installation information in the driver package, which resulted in him installing a different, and naturally incorrect set of HDMI audio drivers which blew away the working, correct audio drivers.
It took longer to reboot the system the three times that it needed than it did to remove and reinstall the video drivers, and reinstall the correct sound drivers.
The express install part of the video drivers even mention installing HDMI audio drivers (hence the "reading is fundamental" thing).
But the other thing that gets me (the "different manufacturers are different" thing) is that Nvidia's drivers now have the ability to be installed over top of the previous version, where AMD/ATI still requires a removal.
Be nice if AMD did it the same way (sometime soon.)
Coworker in the Usage half of my department requested a customer send in a client file to us for examination.
In true Paranoid Paralegal fashion (it's usually only the paralegals who do this, as their bosses don't often care) she sent it via some kind of Cisco HTML-file packaged bundle that has the dataset archived in an XML file (No, I don't understand it either).
Paranoid me opened the HTML file in an editor and saw 350K of gibberish, so I opened it in a VPC window.
It prompted me for a password.
I email the coworker.
Me: I need the password to unlock this dataset. Did you get one from the customer?
Coworker: What password?
Me: The password to unlock the dataset received from the customer. Did she assign one to you?
Coworker: Why would she assign me a password? The only password I used today was to log into my computer.
Me: (getting frustrated) You requested a dataset from Customer.
Coworker: Yes
Me: She sent you an email with an attachment
Coworker: Yes
Me: You forwarded the attachment to me.
Coworker: Yes, I didn't recognize the attached file as a ZIP file so I didn't know what to do.
Me: I thank you for your diligence and forethought for that, however, when you spoke to the customer and told her you needed to see her client dataset, and she said she'd send it to you, did she mention anything about needing a password to unlock it?
Coworker: What password?
Setting up a laptop that sat in a box for a year. (Different laptop.)
The phone software doesn't want to run or update.
I verify all the settings are correct (it's looking at the right server and all) but I keep getting errors "This operating system does not support the version of Phone you are trying to install."
Lovely.
So I uninstall it and try to reinstall from the Corp Help Desk KB page.
The download path points me to a domain resource folder.
I double-click the installer and get "You are not authorized to make changes to this application."
Buh? I'm just installing...
So I try copying it to my computer. Same error.
Buh? I'm just copying...
So I log into one of the servers with my admin account, which is supposed to be a domain admin - same error.
Really?
So I call the Helpless Desk and tell him I'm getting domain permission problems trying to copy from a folder on the network.
HD: What software?
Me, Against my better judgement: Phone software.
HD: oh, that's Call Center ops
Me: no it's not, it's Domain ops, because it's just a folder I'm trying to copy.
HD: no, it's Call Center
Me: No, it's Domain ops, because I can't copy ANY of the installers under the "\\domain\installations" folder
So my call gets forwarded to the lead syseng for my area. Great guy.
Syseng: So I heard you have a problem installing Phone software.
Me: Yup.
Syseng: It's a Call Center problem.
Me: No, it's a domain permissions problem because I can't copy ANY of the folders under \\domain\installers, some of which I could use here in the office because we need some upgrades for Development testing
Syseng: So which folder do you need for this ticket, I'll copy it to my server
So he does, and hey I can actually run the installer... except it again says "This OS version is unsupported"
Fahk.
So I reply to him and thank him for making that available, but apparently it's an unusable version, and that I'll just email the guy who originally set up the laptop.
(Which I'm loathe to do, because the last few times I'd asked him for help, he was a real douche.)
Holy shit. That's:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mileron
Spoiler for How many developers does it take to change a lightbulb?:
in action.
Get a call from one of the administrative assistants, who was asked by a Sales Rep for help... (why, I don't know, when I sit closer to the sales rep than the AA...)
AA: SR gave me a flash drive that we received from a customer, who needed to send in data, and it won't plug into the two ports on the computer's front. (I can hear SR in the background swearing up and down her ports don't work, when I KNOW she uses her USB ports for her work-related iPad)
Me: (knowing it's a Dell Optiplex 270) Did you try turning it around?
AA: *starts laughing* Then it wouldn't plug in, silly (the SR is laughing now too)
Me: I mean, pointing the connector still at the computer, rotate it around so you're looking at the bottom, then try plugging it in.
AA: *laughing louder now, so that I can hear her across the office* OH MY GOD! You helped me put it in!
...
...
...wow...
Please tell me you recorded it and made that your new ring tone.
Might have reached a new low with this one, which is quite amazing really. I wasn't certain it was possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mileron
Seeing how one of my Lusers ruined two Usb ports on one notebook by trying to push it in upside-down, ....
So, due to no payment Comcast sent a collection agent to get their equipment. The missus unhooks the cable box and what she thought was the modem. Turns out it was my router. Three weeks of fuck ups later and I'm finally on the track to getting a replacement router as mine seems to have vanished.
Comcast: Mdar, they can't find you're router. I wanted to know if you'd take a replacement router instead?
Me: As long as it's comparable, yeah.
Comcast: Ok, the tech that was there three weeks ago has one and will be at your place about an hour, is that ok?
Me: Sure!
one hour later tech shows up to my house
Tech: Hey, sorry about the mix up, but I was told that the router I brought was an upgrade to the router I took.
Me: That's ... cool. Let me just hook it up and check real fast.
Right on top of the damned thing was a "Wireless G 2.4gz" sticker, it was an old Linksys with two external atennas, I swear it was the same model that I had before I bought my Netgear wireless N router. The tech also didn't bring a power cord to the router, but I was lucky that he didn't take the netgear cord and it seemed to have worked. I was also on the phone with Comcast while this was happening.
Me: Yeah, Comcast, this isn't going to work. My router was actually better than this one.
Comcast: Really? I was told that it was an upgrade.
Me: Nope, mine was better.
Comcast: oh.. Well, okay. Sorry about that. We'll just take it back and try again.
We had to buy a new color printer for the office, because the existing Brother HL4040CDN we have keeps shitting toner all over the desk upon which it sits.
So someone decided "hey, let's go cheap" and bought a Xerox Phaser 6280DN. I set it up today. Due to the monthly network security audits I receive, I disabled all network protocols except TCP/IP, and set up manual config.
Except there was no place to set DNS or WINS.
So I reset it to factory default. Same thing.
Give it an IP, try to ping it. Destination could not be reached.
Reset it a second time - same problem.
Replace cables (printer to wall, and patch to router). Same problem.
Turn it off for 10 minutes, turn it back on, re-configure, and wow, now I can ping it.
I log into the config website and hey, look, there's the setting for DNS/WINS. WTF.
So I install printer drivers on an administrative assistant's computer running XP... and it won't print.
Then I try my W7 laptop. Still won't print.
I try the new W2008 file/print server. Same thing - printing a test page eventually pops up a message "document failed to print".
So I call Xerox and tell them all of the above.
She has me go back through a driver reinstall. Same problem.
So she's putting me on hold repeatedly while I go back and forth between two computers, and I notice that the TCP/IP port config for the printer includes a setting for Port 9100/RAW.
Me: Ma'am, I see in the port config for the TCP/IP address on the printer, that there's a setting for Port 9100.
Her: Yes.
Me: Well, I disabled that in the printer's configuration page, because my netops security locks down unfamiliar port usage.
Her: Well it should still print with that off. Let me put you on hold.
While on hold, I turn Port 9100 back on, reboot the printer, and successfully print a test page.
Her: That shouldn't have worked, I don't know why you couldn't print without that off.
At least HP printer config don't allow you to shoot yourself in the foot by disabling unwanted communication modes that include the primary communication method.
Tech: I just finished moving your programs to a new server, and need to replace my original registration information. I want to get this working for my users before the end of lunch time.
Me: Okay, then delete X.DBF file please.
Tech: Done. Now I need to go through the registration process.
Me: Okay.
Tech: I keep getting errors that the program is in use.
Me: Odd, is someone trying to use it already?
Tech: I can't tell. Ooh, now it works.
Me: *we register the first program, and are trying to work on the second, and in the background I hear someone approach the tech saying "are you trying to reregister those programs? I get put on hold for a minute*
Tech: Apparently my user came back from lunch early and was trying to do the same thing we were doing...
After the call, Coworker says: Yeah, I was talking to his user, while you were talking to the tech, and we couldn't figure out how all of the registrations were taking place when we didn't do it yet...
Coworker: I need you to call (frustrating-as-hell customer) to help him replace a client dataset.
I call the customer and he instantly requests a remote support session.
Me: I can walk you through the steps to get to the remote session.
Customer: No! I don't want you to walk me through it!
Me: Then I can send you an email with an invitation.
Customer: No! I don't want to give you my email!
(keep in mind we already have his email address which we used to send him the copy of his client dataset)
Me: Well then I could take you out to the remote session.
Customer: No! I don't want you to do a remote session?
Me: In that case, allow me to give you the instructions on how to restore your dataset.
Customer: No! I don't want instructions! I just want you do a remote session to restore this for me!
... really?
Email from Phone Ops, beginning of May: We want you to upgrade your phone software, after a period of testing, on June 9th
June 7th: We're cancelling the upgrade for now
June 25th: We're scheduling the upgrade for 6/29
June 28th: We're postponing until 7/3
July 2nd: We're postponing until 7/5
July 3rd, the email for which I didn't get until 7/5, when I'd already gotten into the office at 7am: We're postponing until 7/6
July 5th, the email for which I didn't get until 7/6, when I'd already gotten into the office at 7am: We're postponing until July 9th for some offices and July 11th for the rest
July 9th, the email for which I didn't get until 7/9, when I'd already gotten into the office at 7am: We're not doing your office today, your schedule was changed til the 11th due to the manner in which the upgrade will be delivered to you
July 11th, at 6:55am, discover our internet is totally down*.
YAY
*Not -totally-... I can disable my proxy server and get to the internet, however that's all I CAN do; I can't get email, or access the phone software, or hit any network resources...
Yesterday, Netops calls me to tell me they're sending me a special laptop overnight for new domain testing that will include (what I assume is) roaming profiles with directory sync services enabled and highly featured.
Today we have network problems.
Netops, who I have been working with to fix our network problems, and knows that I have no stable external network connection, calls to say "We see you got the new domain laptop. Did you get a chance to run the domain tests yet?"
On the plus side, that was around 10am, the network problem was fixed at 10:30 (dead DNS server), and I was able to get the testing done by 1 to ship it back out in time for overnight pickup.
Sort of like having your street torn up for repairs and having the road crew ask you why you aren't driving your new car around the block.
Coworker answers a phone call; I'm only getting half of the conversation but can't help laughing.
Her: Hi, thank you for calling System Support, this is Ladytech, how can I help you?
Her: I'm sorry sir, you need help installing what?
Her: No sir, I cannot help you install your scanner.
Her: No sir, we are installation support for Blah Blah Tax Product, we are not the company's internal tech support.
Her: No sir, I am not able to help you install your scanner. You need to contact your local help desk, or the global help desk.
Her: No sir, I cannot help you install your scanner, even if it is used to scan tax forms.