Damn it all.

[BrassFusion]

I'm not really all that great with computers, but my dad is completely retarded.

He had a pirated copy of Windows XP and he tried to install an update. Probably the stupidest thing he's ever done, and he's done a whole lot of stupid things involving computers.

His solution was to buy a new, legal copy of Windows XP, partly because he always felt "wrong" about using an unregistered version... so he did, and installed it. Now he has two versions, one that works but has no access to his old software and one that hates him for being a criminal.

His internet didn't work and his sound didn't work and it was running slow and he had no software and he didn't have OUTLOOK SO HE COULDN'T USE HIS EMAIL... Back in the day before he fucked up his computer THIS TIME, he would actually call me from his work occassionally and ask me to go onto his computer and forward an email from his outlook to his work email address. He's THAT STUPID. I never ever do it.

So I fixed the network connection, for the second time in like a month. I'm getting pretty good at it. Now he wants me to optimize his computer... make the sound work again, make the web run faster (gosh i wonder why it could be running slow...), find a way for him to access the PIRATED software from the REGISTERED copy of windows which just totally makes my fucking brain explode because it renders moot his buying the new copy of Windows in the first place...

The reason I granted him Internet access again is so he can fucking google some troubleshooting hints, which is what I would do if I had to fix the same problems in my OWN computer. Not that my computer would encounter the same problems.

Fuck him and his dumb brain.

Edit: When I got my computer, his brilliant idea was to use mine to store all the media on and have it accessible over the shared network. Seriously. He wanted to put thousands of HIS MP3's on my computer. He didn't understand why I had a problem with this.

[Msterbeau]

I just did the most painful clean install of Win XP SP2 ever. Quit yer whining. :-P

[Rayne]

Try having multiple family members with the computer education of your father ... fix multiple machines regularly, including your own, because one of those above said family members happened to reside with you at the time ... then have one machine of your own loaned out and they call you what seems like daily asking to upgrade said machine which is maxxed out and not upgradable anymore ... then call you to restore it when they install Windows XP against your advice.

Get calls in the dead of sleep because a said person can not log onto the internet because the router went down ... and you have to talk them through the fix halfway across the country.

Be in the middle of doing something and get calls from said person trying to link my laptop to another laptop through the router and it's crashed. Talk them through it again.

... Then you can talk to me.

[Head Wreck]

eh. my main computer has been needing a fresh install for its 3rd week now. i'm in no hurry

[Dubh Aingeal]

I just did the most painful clean install of Win XP SP2 ever.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is there such a thing as a non-painful way to install a Microsoft product?

[Homicidalheathen]

At least your parents use a computer. Mine are still afraid if they touch the wrong botton, it will explode or something. And they won't get a DVD player either. Why? Everything they want is already on tape. Sheesh!

My mother in laws old cell phone is so ancient it looks like a walkie talkie!

[Scary Guy]

None of you have it as bad as I have since I used to do this for a living and still do it for side cash. It's true what they say, family members are your worst customers.

My grandmother has so much spyware on her PC and SHE WANTS IT THERE SO SHE CAN PLAY HER GAME! She don't care about anything else but that damned game on the net. I tried to explain to her that spyware was like rape and her privacy was being violated. I just about refuse to work on her computer now because of that.

Then there's my mom's boss who's extremely impatient since he has a business to run. Not a huge problem but he really doesn't care how things work as long as they work. I had to completely reconfigure the printers because they were all set up wrong, yet still worked. Yeah I know "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". How bout "if it's half way broken, fix it so it doesn't break down further and stop working completely".

One of my customers is cool since we went to Micro Center and I had him buy a new PC because his old one kept randomly shutting down. We took that one back to where he got it and told them to shove it up their asses, which was quite fun. Especially when I threattened to oust them for selling a PC with a pirated version of windows on it to him if they didn't give him his cash back. Also the upgrade was about 100 times better than what he got from them and about the same price too.

Another customer of mine actually had burn marks on his computer's case at one time, that was a fun repair.

Favorite SNL skit is Nick Burns (ok second favorite). I feel it's worth mentioning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Burns%2C...7s_Computer_Guy

[Rayne]

None of you have it as bad as I have since I used to do this for a living and still do it for side cash.  It's true what they say, family members are your worst customers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

30 words for ya:

I used to work at Best Buy doing this and worked for 5 years for a very large internet service provider doing several things, one of which was technical support.

And 8 more:

And your completely right about the family comment.

[Dubh Aingeal]

None of you have it as bad as I have since I used to do this for a living and still do it for side cash.  It's true what they say, family members are your worst customers.

I did it for 6 years as desktop support, then moved to windows server support for 4 years. Now I am where I am happy in the Unix enviroment.

And yes family is the worst. If its something they can survive with they wait until family gatherings at their place to say "Oh by the way, I'm having issues with x. Can you take a look at it for me." 3 hours and a massive migraine later its fixed.

[Msterbeau]

Is there such a thing as a non-painful way to install a Microsoft product?

Reason # 1 for why I plan on moving to Mac next computer. I'm already there for work.

[Soulrev]

the part that really sucks is he could have gotten a free legal version of XP for turning in his pirated one.

[Scary Guy]

the part that really sucks is he could have gotten a free legal version of XP for turning in his pirated one.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Along with the pirate that is. I'd rather him get his money back then to just get a free OS that he already had anyway.

[BrassFusion]

The pirate was his other daughter, so...

[Scary Guy]

The pirate was his other daughter, so...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So I thought that he was talking about the customer I had, didn't see that part in the thread.

Not surprising though someone else in the world pirated that OS.

[Hellion]

:devil Its nice when you have your own computer that is not everyone elses.