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Thread: Tales from Techsupport

  1. #1641
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    I suspect a huge factor in the Blizzard decision is it means they no longer have to bug test against DX9 and DX11. cut off XP and you can make it all DX11. I am sure people will cry and moan but honestly if you are still gaming on XP its time to upgrade anyway because odds are an XP machine runs the game like shit anyway.
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  2. #1642
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    I received an email this morning from a customer who took a screenshot of an error, pasted it into Word, took a screenshot of that, pasted it into Word, printed it, scanned it to PDF, and emailed it to me.

    Sigh.

  3. #1643
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    I received an email this morning from a customer who took a screenshot of an error, pasted it into Word, took a screenshot of that, pasted it into Word, printed it, scanned it to PDF, and emailed it to me.

    Sigh.
    Could have been worse...


    Could have been a fax.
    I've got beer to drink and You guys are wasting my time.

  4. #1644
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Melcar View Post
    Could have been worse...


    Could have been a fax.
    A fax they did not warn you they were sending and sent it to a department across the building.
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  5. #1645
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Speaking of faxes, our phone system sends voice mails to each persons email as an attachment, and we found (by accident) that when someone sends a fax to the phone number it will convert it to a PDF and send that to their email, so long as they don't answer the call. Not that I get faxes, but that seems like a pretty cool feature that they didn't really advertise when we bought the system. I am guessing now that many VoIP systems will actually do the same, but I don't know for sure.
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  6. #1646
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Customer: My tax return was created for 2016
    Me: Okay
    Customer: I need it retrograded to 2014
    Me: It doesn't work that way
    Customer: Come on, it's just databases, swap it back to 2014
    Me: It doesn't work that way, you need to recreate it for 2014
    Customer: But when I created it, I put it in for 2014, it just came out as 2016
    Me: Then you'll need to recreate it
    Customer: But it took me over two and a half hours to wait for the ticket to get answered for the creation
    Me: So you didn't create it
    Customer: No, my tax desk did
    Me: Then someone made an assumption, perhaps thinking that you entered the wrong date, and created it wrong.
    Customer: So, just change the date
    Me: Still not something I'm able to do.
    Customer: So what do I do now?
    Me: Resubmit a ticket to your tax desk and add a note drawing attention to the correct date
    Customer: Why would I need to do that?
    Me: They already messed it up once...

  7. #1647
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Customer hadn't restarted his computer in 38 days and was having problems with installations

    Customer: Why does everyone tell me to restart my computer when I'm in the middle of using it?
    Me: Because you don't restart it when you're not.

  8. #1648
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Alikat Astrae View Post
    Now it is well and truly dead then. I have a laptop set up with a triple boot installed, the main one is Win7, then there are two installations of XP, a Service Pack 2 and a Service Pack 3. I wanted SP1 and SP3, but the laptop's XP drivers would only work for SP2.

    I use the XP installs for legacy stuff, old hardware and software that just doesn't work right with Vista/7/8/10. Like the C-Media Duo XP and its drivers.
    Why not play WoW on 7?

    You can also use XP Mode in Win7 instead of running a parallel install, I've done that for a LOT of legacy hardware/software.

    The only tricky part is making sure you remember to pass-through the ports once you launch XP Mode.

    99% of the time it's a right pain in the ass the first time you set it up, but MOST of the rest of the time, it remembers when XP Mode is "sleeping".
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  9. #1649
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Bonlainy View Post
    Speaking of faxes, our phone system sends voice mails to each persons email as an attachment, and we found (by accident) that when someone sends a fax to the phone number it will convert it to a PDF and send that to their email, so long as they don't answer the call. Not that I get faxes, but that seems like a pretty cool feature that they didn't really advertise when we bought the system. I am guessing now that many VoIP systems will actually do the same, but I don't know for sure.
    It's a FANTASTIC feature, but in many VOIP systems it requires an additional license, so I don't often see it as a regular buy, except in certain industries.

    I've also seen some where it comes automatically, but has to be enabled on the VOIP server for each external DID.
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  10. #1650
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Merrick ap'Milandra View Post
    It's a FANTASTIC feature, but in many VOIP systems it requires an additional license, so I don't often see it as a regular buy, except in certain industries.

    I've also seen some where it comes automatically, but has to be enabled on the VOIP server for each external DID.
    Yup. Lots of devices can do lots of things, but you have to factor in costs and CPU usage. Adding a feature like that might be nice, but if it's buggy, or your switches are near capacity as is, you might be looking at hundreds of thousands or millions in sunk costs and extra headcount to support it long term.
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  11. #1651
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    And these days honestly adding CPU power, RAM and Storage is likely cheaper than some licenses at the enterprise level.

    Hell on routing hardware I would not be surprised if the license for the code on a Cisco router is worth more than the stuff in the box running it.
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  12. #1652
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Four weeks ago:
    Coworker: That's it, I've had it, this is the eleventh customer in a week that I've helped who has gotten a brand new computer and needed help with a deep install and I know it's random but it sucks!
    Three weeks ago:
    Coworker: Seriously guys, this is getting old, I've had three or four each day for three days this week and... (blah blah)



    We're off tomorrow...


    Me: Hey, listen, I've got a customer whose coworker received a new computer, and you did such a good job earlier this month helping them get set up with a different new computer, he was hoping to get your help again...
    Coworker: You can see the dejected look on his face Okay... I guess... I'll take it... what's the case number
    Me: 04012017
    Coworker: Thanks, I'll take a look

    Five minutes go by
    Coworker: Hey that case doesn't come up
    Me: No, but it'll come up... tomorrow...
    Coworker:
    Me: Dude, seriously. Look at the numbers.
    Coworker: ... really

    62324017.jpg


    At least he's still over there laughing

  13. #1653
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Coworker: Yeah I'm trying to help this guy understand that he's not going to be able to install the programs into his 2k3 server or, if he does, certain features won't work, but he's not listening, you want to talk to him?
    Me: Sure, I was looking forward to a challenge today
    Tech: Yeah, hi, that last guy had no idea what he was talking about, he kept telling me that I can't install Microsoft .NET 4.5 onto a Windows 2k3 server. All my users are using your software on a 2k3 terminal server and I just want to update
    Me: You can't. You need a new server.
    Tech: What?
    Me: You can't. You need a new server. Server 2k3 and XP only support revisions of 4.0. Our software no longer supports being used in those environments, and has not for nearly 2 years and nearly 3 years respectively. You need a new server.
    Tech: I don't understand
    Me: Which part?
    Tech: What you just said
    Me: Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP in April 2014. We stopped supporting usage of our programs in that OS at the same time. Further, we stopped testing the products in that. Additionally, as the programs have been consistently updated throughout necessary technological enhancements needed to meet certain requirements, we've needed to move certain subsystems of the software to Microsoft .NET 4.5.2. This means that, since you are running 2k3 as your server OS, Microsoft also no longer supports that OS as of June 2015. Coincidentally, Server 2k3 is not compatible with .NET 4.5.2, and thus any logins accessing our program on that server will not be able to use the features of the program that require the framework.
    Tech: I still don't get it
    Me: You need a new server
    Tech: That's all? Well I got an extra Win7 desktop I'll just use for it instead. I ain't quoting this guy for a new server, he won't pay for a server for 30 people.


  14. #1654
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    I have no sympathy for XP clingers, MS extended support like three times. If someone cannot CapEx in that time fuckem.

    Seriously if some of these customers had their way the software makers would still be having to have DOS versions
    Today we sail
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  15. #1655
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by FilanFyretracker View Post
    And these days honestly adding CPU power, RAM and Storage is likely cheaper than some licenses at the enterprise level.

    Hell on routing hardware I would not be surprised if the license for the code on a Cisco router is worth more than the stuff in the box running it.
    And don't forget, every time you get an invoice from Cisco for a new license, there's the added line item for "CIA Monitoring" of said feature!
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  16. #1656
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Mileron View Post
    Four weeks ago:
    Coworker: That's it, I've had it, this is the eleventh customer in a week that I've helped who has gotten a brand new computer and needed help with a deep install and I know it's random but it sucks!
    Three weeks ago:
    Coworker: Seriously guys, this is getting old, I've had three or four each day for three days this week and... (blah blah)



    We're off tomorrow...


    Me: Hey, listen, I've got a customer whose coworker received a new computer, and you did such a good job earlier this month helping them get set up with a different new computer, he was hoping to get your help again...
    Coworker: You can see the dejected look on his face Okay... I guess... I'll take it... what's the case number
    Me: 04012017
    Coworker: Thanks, I'll take a look

    Five minutes go by
    Coworker: Hey that case doesn't come up
    Me: No, but it'll come up... tomorrow...
    Coworker:
    Me: Dude, seriously. Look at the numbers.
    Coworker: ... really

    62324017.jpg


    At least he's still over there laughing
    Now *THAT* was a quality april fool's joke.
    For copyright purposes, all of my posts are covered under the "Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License"
    http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/
    Noone should sue or be sued ambiguously.

  17. #1657
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Mileron View Post
    Tech: That's all? Well I got an extra Win7 desktop I'll just use for it instead. I ain't quoting this guy for a new server, he won't pay for a server for 30 people.

    ROFL.

    Good luck with that!

    Even if he has Win7 Ultimate, that only allows 20 concurrent connections.

    Fun fact, that's ALL types of connection, so basically they'll realistically be able to have 5 users, at most, using the program at once.
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  18. #1658
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Customer: I have about 9 other people in the office who need this same fix. Can you webex onto each of their computers and take care of that?
    Me: How about explicit step by step instructions?
    [b]Customer: You can do that?


  19. #1659
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Maybe the 13 hour days are getting to me.

    Me: May I have your email address so that I may alert you to the change?
    Customer: Yes
    Customer: Hello? Are you there?
    Me: Yes, I'm here. Could you please tell me email address?
    Customer: Yes
    Customer: Hello? Are you there?
    Me: Yes, I'm here. You are saying that I may have your email address but you are not giving it to me. Could you please give me your email address?
    Customer: Yes
    Customer: Hello? Are you there?


  20. #1660
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    Re: Tales from Techsupport

    Quote Originally Posted by Mileron View Post
    Customer: I have about 9 other people in the office who need this same fix. Can you webex onto each of their computers and take care of that?
    Me: How about explicit step by step instructions?
    [b]Customer: You can do that?

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