Working in IT

Discussion in 'The Lounge - Off Topic' started by Sparky, Nov 15, 2006.

  1. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    I was talking to some of the desktop support and network engineers today, each of us have a different background in IT but we agreed that there is some common experiences that almost everyone in IT can relate to. Perhaps we can add some more to the list?



    “The new PC”
    You spend a fair amount of time removing the old PC, installing the new PC and making sure all the cables are tucked away nicely. You migrate the profile and set up printers and map drives to make everything as easy as possible for the user. After lobbing the Dell boxes out the back door you return to find out that the user has already stuck post-it notes all over the monitor and put a sticker on the side of the base unit. You shake your head and leave.

    “The new PC pt 2”
    What’s the most important thing when a user gets a new PC? Change the desktop wallpaper and also check that their ‘favourites’ are still there. You never seem to been asked to check if the important files that the company must use on a daily basis are accessible. Expect to get a phone call about this 3 days later which suggests the user hasn’t done anything productive over the past few days.

    “The new PC pt 3”
    Google Earth, Itunes and also a picture of ‘the kids’ are now on the PC. Also the user has decided to ‘download some music’ on a slow Friday afternoon and for some reason the PC is now playing up. You only find out from another user that the PC has been used to download music as the guilty party does not own up. The word in the office is that IT dept is crap and that’s why the PC is running slow.

    “My PC is running slow”
    Generally due to all of the above. A user will often say it takes ‘ages’ to log onto the network in the morning and this could cause the company to go out of business by losing 32.5 seconds each morning. You arrive on the site and do absolutely nothing to the PC and ask the user to logon. “That’s much better” they say. You leave the site and plan to stash some pr0n on the guys computer when you get back to the office.

    “The network is down”
    You spend time downloading patches, updating AV, making security polices but for some reason the server is running slow and may require a reboot. You phone the company that uses the server and ask everyone to log off so you can reboot. You get the usual “I’m working on an important email just now, can’t this wait?” After taking 15 minutes to explain that it will take 3 minutes to reboot the server the random guy on the phone gives in and will ‘spread the word’ that the server will be rebooted in 15 minutes. You decide to reboot the server after 10 minutes hoping that the “My PC is running slow” guy will lose his monthly report and get the sack!

    “I cant print!”
    Even though you have explained that the printers are supported by another company the fact that you carry a laptop means that you are fully qualified to repair a printer\fax\copier\time machine. As there is no escape you decide to ‘have a look’ anyways, after deciding that the printer is f*cked and getting covered in toner the user says it doesn’t really matter. To make matters worse another user announces that a new printer has been installed in Marketing and that can be used instead. You leave the site covered in ink and wonder why you didn’t suggest using the other printer in the first place.

    “My last work had this and that”
    A new user has started and the user account has been setup and email is flowing, job done? Nope! You then get phone calls demanding ‘access from home’, webmail, a new laptop and a PDA. You explain that the budget doesn’t cover all of those requirements but the user complains that his last job had all of that. After an awkward silence you repeat that there isn’t enough money to cover the requirements. The user will now hate you forever. You are not too bothered though as you have just ordered a new server for ‘testing’.

    “The other IT guy”
    For some reason an email will bounce back from another company saying that the server you support has been blacklisted for spam and you should go to hell for slowing down the internet. You contact the company to ask to get the domain removed from the blacklist only to find out that the IT guy is only available on Tuesday afternoons and its now Wednesday. You ask for a mobile number but that’s “against company policy” You would email the guy but your email account is blacklisted. A week goes by and you finally get in contact with the guy only to find out that he is not directly responsible for the email blacklists. The guy who is responsible for it is on holiday for 3 weeks.

    “I need to work from home”
    After setting up a VPN and installing the client on the user’s laptop you tell them just to connect at home and double click the VPN shortcut on the desktop. That night you then get a call asking how to connect a laptop to a PC which is in another room without any wireless cards and the PC has a standard BT Voyager modem. You ask if the user still has the installation CD that came from the ISP. “Whats an ISP?” the user says. You list AOL, BT and still the user doesn’t know. After investigation you find out that the users son has set up the broadband and he is on holiday for 3 weeks. You arrange to install a wireless card and router. By this stage you consider booking a holiday yourself.

    “I’ve tried that and it still doesn’t work”
    You get a call from the user saying that the whole of the internet is down and its your fault. After trying to ping the users PC you think that the network cable is unplugged. You ask the user to check the connection. This is how the conversation goes.

    You: “Can you please check the network connection?”
    User: “Can you get on Google?”
    You: “Um, yes”
    User: “Is the internet working where you are?”
    You: “Yes, no problems for me and I’m just down the road from your office”
    User: “The connections are fine.”
    You: “Cool, is the red network cable plugged in?”
    User: “Yes”
    You: “That’s weird, the network cables at your office are blue.”
    User: “Errr, I`ll double check”
    <you then hear some noise and a click>
    User: “Ahhh, seems to work now.”
    You: “Great, have a good day.”
    User: “One more thing, how did this happen? Did one your workmates play with my PC when I was out of the office yesterday?”
    You: “I`ll look into it.”
    User: “Bye” <click>


    “I’m quite good with computers!”
    This means the user isn’t good with computers. Expect to see a very sick PC and everything you suggest is wrong. Even if you are talking about site to site replication over a slow WAN link this user will know more than you!

    :biggrin :biggrin :biggrin :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
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  2. Boycie
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    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Excellent Spark, excellent :clap
     
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  3. UCHEEKYMONKEY
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    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    Interesting thread Sparky,

    At NHS there's over 4000 users and only 6 engineer's:(
    Our IT manager keeps telling the Finanace director "that you don't need to be an accountant to work out the numbers just don't add up and we need more staff"

    But he say's we need to work smarter? Because there's no money in the budget - He also drives a new Bentley:dry

    This is what I have learn't talking to the help desk and Network Boys!

    User type1: Have no idea what a computer does or how to switch it on. When they ring in with a complaint, they say it's not working, we ask is it plugged into the wall and they say OH is it surpose to be?:ohmy :blink

    User type2: Basic knowledge of computers, but panic when they can not get into their email.

    User type3: advanced know it all's - who unplugg network cables install software and generally put virus on the computer but don't own up to it.

    We had the other day a user who decided to put a cat5 network cable into a network point, both ends of the cable were in different network points with no connection to a computer. It knocked out the entire network!

    When asked why he did this - the cable looked untidy so I thought I would plug both ends into the wall:rolleyes: :dry

    User type 4: ECDL level, know's everything there is to know about office, usually PA to doctors or consultants. The want everying done yesterday, they are important and expected to be treated like a god and won't give out their location.

    Why? because they are important everybody know' who they are and why should they need to tell people where their office is?
    They have no idea what happens in a IT dept and think we all sit around playing comuter games and talking about star trek!:rolleyes: :biggrin
     
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  4. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    That happened to me a few years back. Was in the office and all of a sudden a remote site just went down with no warning whatsoever!

    Told the user never to touch a computer ever again! :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  5. UCHEEKYMONKEY
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    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    We were told next time he does this use a cattle pod:biggrin

    I can't believe how stupid people are. Today I saw a user with a plant on top of their PC and they were watering the plant.:blink :dry

    What is the most stupid thing you've come across in your job?
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
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  6. Baba O'Riley

    Baba O'Riley Gigabyte Poster

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    That's fascinating, I've never heard of that before. What's the explanation for it and what's the fix? I'll keep it in mind if I ever get the sack!:twisted:

    We get asked all sorts of loony stuff. "Can you give me write access to the spreadsheet you just put on a CD-R for me?", "Can you make the server run any faster?" - Yes we make it run at half speed just so we can look impressive when someone needs it to run at full speed - and my favourite "I created a shortcut to a spreadsheet and altered it, but the figures have been altered in the original file as well." And people try telling me IT departments will be defucnt soon because everyone knows how to fix their own computers!
     
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  7. Bluerinse
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    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Well they certainly try and when they fail, they let their kids try, and when their kids fail, their kids mates have a bash and then, their uncle has a poke around, their neighbour installs Norton, the gardener installs some crappy anti-spyware app that corrupts the winsock and his brother re-sets the router. Then as a last resort, they call me. Usually the home PCs that I see are configured completely differently to how I last left them and it is a nightmare to try and get them back into a working state again. Oh happy days :rolleyes:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  8. shadybrady

    shadybrady Bit Poster

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    You forgot to mention the things that get lost in translation from the IT dept to other departments in work :

    • IT : Can you log out of your pc so I can sign in remotely?
    • User hears : Can your turn off your machine completely.
      ----------
    • IT : Can you make sure when you come in tomorrow not to log in to windows as I need to amend your profile.
    • User hears : Nothing...or come in tomorrow and log in as normal.
      ----------
    • IT : Can you make sure to clear the area around your pc base unit as I need to replace it.
    • User hears : Do nothing...leave all your family photos, make-up, post its, books, spare shoes, sandwiches, the kitchen sink on top of your pc and see if IT can find it !!!
      ----------
    • IT : If you bring your home pc in then maybe I can have a look at it for you to see if I can get it working.
    • User hears : Bring your pc in on a random day in 3 months time, leave it on my desk with no note as to who's pc it is, what's wrong with it or anything, IT love a challenge !!

    There's just a few of them.. can't remember others but I am sure they are the same as all other IT people experience.

    I still think the best one is the reply to the old chestnut
    'Turn it off and turn it back on again.'

    This never fails to inspire one user to reply
    'I could do your job turn it off and turn it back on again!'

    To which my reply is always
    'Well if you could do my job then why aren't you working in IT?'

    The normally makes them be quiet...!!:p
     
    Certifications: BSc. Hons, MCP 70-210
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  9. Sparky
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    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    Me: "What version of Windows are you using?"
    User: "Windows 96"

    :biggrin :biggrin :biggrin :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  10. Cockles

    Cockles Megabyte Poster

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    Right, I'm going to add to this list as a user with a stupid question. What dioes 'ping' mean?
     
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  11. simongrahamuk
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    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

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    User: Can you reset my password?
    Me: Yes, lets see what can I reset too?
    Me: Ok, you might want to write this one down.
    User: Ok
    Me: It's I D Ten T, thats Ten as in One Zero.

    Some of them get it, but some of them just stare at me blankly.:rolleyes:

    I now know of at least 10 kids who have had their passwords fixed with the above! :twisted:
     
  12. Phoenix
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    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    Why would it be stupid for a user to ask what ping means?

    We must bear in mind that as IT professionals we work in the service industry, and it is our responsibility to provide a role to our users, not just rip the crap out of them
    i imagine we would be looking just as stupid if we went and asked the legal department for help with a legal matter, lets bear this in mind, or its no wonder users thing the IT department are a bunch of cowboys!
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCITP, VCP
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  13. Cockles

    Cockles Megabyte Poster

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    Whoah, keep your allens on mate. Unfortunately, it is a truth that in IT (I am saying this as a user and now as a learner) that you do get some gumbo's who do exactly that, rip the p!ss out of some poor sod for asking a question which is everyday to them but nothing to a user, I've had that before and most people I know have. I've had someone helpdesk knobhead before ask me to 'call up my OS configuration screen via runconfig' which meant sod all to me at the time, and when I told him that I was greeted with a hefty sigh as if I just told him I'd crashed his car. I'm not making this as a general sweeping generalisation, but you do get greeted with a wall of superiority from some IT professionals who are quite happy to sneer because someone doesn't know a coaxial from a USB.

    Anyway, I still don't know what 'ping' means :biggrin
     
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  14. dcuk

    dcuk Bit Poster

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    The classic one that I over a couple of weeks ,whilst trying to resolve problems with a intermittent broadband connection.

    user > "You can surf faster on the PC's on the left hand side of the room than those on the right hand (Users) side)"

    me> there is no difference between the left hand side and the right, they are connected to the same switch

    user> no, there is a difference look (page with DNS error now loads)

    me> (drags user to switch), please feel free to swap any cables that you wish

    user> (Now more quiet), I'll prove it one day...


    and yesterday I had the old chestnut of mis-interpretation. Scenario, backing up data from a group drive, archiving it to a read only network drive and then mapping the drive to a folder, for a "Seamless" user experience. Reason, run out of storage on tapes and a lot of the files aren't used.

    me> (in e-mail and verbally, just for the dim ones/non-believers) Please don't store any files on the network drive until further notice, save them onto your desktop.

    me> starts normal backup, restores backup and moves data to new loaction. Then deletes copy of data on network drive.

    users 1& 2> (following full backup) save important files where they shouldn't

    me> (data migration complete, second e-mail) All old files are kept in location x (1 folder away from where they were before), you can now re-use the network drive. Only copy back files which you really need.

    users 1&2> where are my files

    me> in location x

    users 1&2> no the ones that I saved last night on the group drive

    me> which part of save them on the desktop didn't you understand (in a more polite manner)

    user1> (My line manager who asked me to do this!), well I'm just going to copy everything back anyway

    which was absolutely fine by me as I'm leaving in 22 days and they can pay me £500 for the privelege of doing it again after I'm gone. Though I did consider beating him to death with a switch.

    dc

    p.s. no I couldn't take the network drive off line as it handles quite a few other tasks that they are too cheap to give me a decent budget for. Foolishly I though that an e-mail and an one-to-one chat with each person explaining exactly what they should do would surfice.
     
  15. wizard

    wizard Petabyte Poster

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    I was lucky at my last place when I did part time IT support, everyone used thin clients, so it was basiclly dealing with thin clients that had reset themselves to factory defaults because the power to the building was unreliable at times. So nothing much could break apart from the printers :D
     
    Certifications: SIA DS Licence
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  16. nXPLOSi

    nXPLOSi Terabyte Poster

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    That post is brilliant, it really is what I have to deal with day in day out.. nice to know im not alone lol :)
     
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  17. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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  18. Cockles

    Cockles Megabyte Poster

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    Ping

    A utility to determine whether a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified address and waiting for a reply. PING is used primarily to troubleshoot Internet connections. There are many freeware and shareware Ping utilities available for personal computers.

    Aren't I clever, MCSE, here I come.......
     
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  19. UCHEEKYMONKEY
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    UCHEEKYMONKEY R.I.P - gone but never forgotten. Gold Member

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    I D IOT - that's classic! I think I will try that at work:biggrin
     
    Certifications: Comptia A+
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  20. simongrahamuk
    Honorary Member

    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

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    Only use it on the persistent offenders though! :biggrin
     

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