Hate being asked computer questions?

[Blueobelisk]

As far as family goes, grandparents don't use computers. Uncle just uses his phone to text and google, and parents really just google/youtube stuff on their tablets.

No one else really asks me questions, even though I am pretty pro now'a'days.

[Templar 331]

pretty much this stop being an ass and go help her out.

There comes a point where you're no longer helping them, you're just doing it for them. And that is what I can't stand. I understand everyone needs help and should get it. But when you just refuse to learn and keep leaning on someone it gets infuriating to be someones stepping stool.

[Redmage]

There comes a point where you're no longer helping them, you're just doing it for them. And that is what I can't stand. I understand everyone needs help and should get it. But when you just refuse to learn and keep leaning on someone it gets infuriating to be someones stepping stool.

If it was an acquaintance or coworker or just an idiot friend I would agree.

It's family, you should try and help her. If you honestly can't then just tell her you can't.

[Deleted]

I don't mind helping, I hate explaining. I can sort stuff out easily enough, explaining why you shouldn't have 10 different internet toolbars and plugins is frustrating. Facebook and Google, that's all they need it for so I have absolutely no idea how it manages to end up looking like some weird fucking zombie after six months. Once my mother managed to set most of her files to hidden. I mean fuck, how do you get from Facebook to hiding all your files? Just fucking stay on there and don't move.

[Templar 331]

If it was an acquaintance or coworker or just an idiot friend I would agree.

It's family, you should try and help her. If you honestly can't then just tell her you can't.

She won't take no for an answer. That's why the disagreement got so heated earlier. And I don't buy into that "it's family" thing either.

[ruuBEN]

Computer technician.

Sometimes, just sometimes, yeah. I hate it.

I can't wait until all of my computer knowledge becomes obsolete.

[Deleted]

How about you help your mother? Is that enough of an answer?

[Deleted]

And I don't buy into that "it's family" thing either.

I agree. Family are nothing more than filthy time-thieves and being compelled to do stuff for them just by accident of birth is stupid.

[Templar 331]

I agree. Family are nothing more than filthy time-thieves and being compelled to do stuff for them just by accident of birth is stupid.

Don't get me wrong. I love the idea of family being for one another. I just don't agree with it being MY family after how shitty they've treated me for most of my life.

[Ratboy]

If it was an acquaintance or coworker or just an idiot friend I would agree.

It's family, you should try and help her. If you honestly can't then just tell her you can't.

My sister gets so pissed off when I can't answer a random, obscure computer I've never of heard of before.

Also it took so long to get it across to my mom to stop volunteering me to fix people's computers, I might know about computers but it doesn't mean I like fixing them.

[Deleted]

Depending on who it is.

Friends and family? not a problem, ill help out as much as possible and have most of my family on team-viewer so I can take over and fix simple stuff from home, much to the amazement of a couple of people seeing the mouse fly round the screen into menus they have never even looked at before, like Programs and Features to remove all the toolbars they have running >.<

I only start getting annoyed though when people start coming to me at random in the street and asking me questions like "hey I heard you know all about computers, why is my computer running slow ?" What am I ? a fucking psychic that can read the memory of your computer.....

[Ærion]

I loved it when I was younger and could brag about my pro knowledge (personal home internet was all but a myth back then around here, no google to help your out).

Nowadays, however, if it doesn't threaten to wipe out all the "precious memories", I just say nah to anyone who asks.

My parents were in the one-virus-per-week category. I taught them (against all odds, through sheer bloody-minded willpower) to keep their desktop clean, any and all pictures/videos in the secondary partition, and how to install windows from the disc. They had a fresh one at least twice a month at the start, now it's started it's usual deterioration/slowdown because it's been installed so long, and 0 viruses/bugs.

It's fascinating how computer illiterates will evolve when they get fed up with malware, and nobody will save their ass.

[Museigen]

People grasp that if you don't change the oil in a car or rotate the tires, wear and tear can cause things to deteriorate. Routine maintenance and cleaning help prevent the issues with a car, and people still understand this. When it's computers, they expect it to operate at 100% at all times forever and do what they "want it to do" even if they instructed it to do something else. "I clicked checkout but I meant to click back and now it spent my money! Stupid computer!"

That and intentionally not attempting to learn because they can just keep bugging you. I'm not talking about learning code and writing their own software, I'm talking after 7 years of being shown how they still can't remember how to copy/paste a file. It would be like wanting to be an architect and planning to build the worlds tallest sky scraper despite knowing nothing of the subject. For the next 7 years you ask for help from your average construction worker and still cannot make any two Lego blocks fit together.

[MonsieuRoberts]

One time, at my grandparents, I was setting up their new wireless printer, connecting it to the internet etc. They had a guest over, who was all "So you're a computer-type, eh?" Grandparents are all "Oh, he's a computer genius!" Any of you who check the computer forum know that I'm far from it. I'm just a 21 year old, so I generally know how to "technology."

Just a few weeks ago, this guest they had was speaking to my mom, and she asked if I could come over and help her with her Paypal account.

Since when did I become the currency troubleshooter? I don't even know you, I'm not going to come over and get on the phone with your bank & with Paypal for hours just 'cause you saw me connect a printer to the internet! Working Retail in the recent past, too, you explain ONE thing to a customer and then you're the tech support guy. I explained to a customer once about how to redeem their iTunes card, the next week they bring in their tablet and want me to install programs from websites that aren't even in English. Like what the fuck. No.

I'll only ever discuss technology around people who I know won't try to get me to fix or resolve unrelated issues from now on. Talking about tech around the tech illiterate, even the simplest of topics, like how to install a router, is a recipe for disaster.

I won't even touch my mom's computer. She has no patience to learn, wholly uninterested in doing things the right way, so fuck it. Any time there's a problem I'm just formatting that old tower.

[madmanx]

I am fine since I have a decoy, a half Asian bf.

EVERYONE asks him about anything tech related and no one bothers me when he is around.

[breadisfunny]

I do.

For the longest time I've avoided learning too much about computers. Just enough to get me by with video games and the internet. The reason for this is because I hate people asking me to help them with their computers. I've learned first hand that computers can be a mess if you don't know how to fix them right and I flat out say I don't know how. But they keep asking me to fix theirs and I get the "Well just look at it!" response.

Today after a long and heated disagreement with my mother about an unrelated topic she asked me to help her with her computer. First she was trying to download some script reader, I think, that she said she wanted for a Facebook game. I asked her "do you know what this is because I'm not too sure about it." She says she knew what it was and wanted it anyway. It wouldn't download for whatever reason. I gave up on it and suggested she download AVG, free version, and SpyHunter since I use them both with no problems. She calls me right before I go to sleep tonight and says she can't get on the internet anymore and some other program has popped up saying she can't. God knows what else she's downloaded onto her computer or has been on there for the longest time.

And now I'm so pissed off I can't go to sleep.

it sounds like you have a bigger issue involving an unwillingness to help other people.

[vindicatorx]

There comes a point where you're no longer helping them, you're just doing it for them. And that is what I can't stand. I understand everyone needs help and should get it. But when you just refuse to learn and keep leaning on someone it gets infuriating to be someones stepping stool.

That is true but getting pissed off at your mom for asking you how to solve a relatively simple problem is uncalled for.

[wowaccounttom]

And now I'm so pissed off I can't go to sleep.

i also learned the hard way to not say anything about computers...

this was like 10 years ago....a friend of the family came in asking for help saying his computer was extremely slow, saying he would even pay me...

so i went to his house, i installed norton then proceeded to run the most basic of scans to fix the pc (so its not like i was even doing anything) and they were taking forever... after 4 hours, this thing was still running and we just figured it would be best to let it run overnight... at that point i just cared about the money.

next day the guy calls in, says it failed or something like that... he took it to a shop and was told he had 40MB, thats right 40MB of hard disk left...

morale of the story, dont trust anyone's understanding of how computers work...not even your own... the guy never mentioned that he littered his pc with porn and that he had no space left in the hard drive...

and to be fair, it never occurred to me since it is one of those basic things people should have an understanding of...

never ever trust old people when it is something related to computers

[zealo]

Happens on a fairly regular basis these days.

Its a pain sometimes. I get most things sorted out with some effort but I'm pretty much in a position where I am the "go to" guy for computer and tech issues among relatives. Some cases are easier than others, last time it was a laptop that had a dead screen that I ended up replacing, which took slightly more effort than id like.

[Blueobelisk]

I think people are confusing "being asked a question" and "being asked to do something to someone's computer."