I just finished upgrading an AIO HP Envy PC from some nice Russian family with spare parts I had laying around. Their i3 now got a 2nd stick of RAM and instead of some 1TB HDD @ 5400rpm I gave them a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro. I asked to keep the HDD as payment. The rig runs a lot faster than before. They got ripped off at buying it, should be a "gaming" machine. iGPU Intel HD4400 says it all. I help almost everyone. Just ask nicely and don't expect wonders. IT is too big to know everything, but if we work together, we can share knowledge. But one must bring the ability to learn.
There was a time when I would help people with computer problems. And for a while, it was a bit of fun, just for the challenge and to play with other hardware that was not my PC. But after a while it was no longer fun. Most of the time it was just old hardware and software, and lots of viruses, malware, bloatware and the likes. Some friends would give something for the trouble, but most, wouldn't. But the worst were people at work, constantly asking for help with their PCs. Both their work PCs and home PCs. I wasn't even the IT guy. My job had nothing to do with computers. Some even acted like I HAD to do it, as if it was my job or something. So I stopped telling people I knew anything, and pretended that I didn't know how to fix things. And stopped helping those "friends" that only called when they needed help.
I used to 'tune' config.sys and autoexec.bat settings for friends who had trouble running 'demanding' games back then like Comanche, Falcon and Aces of the Pacific. I fixed their stuff and we would enjoy playing the games together with a Becks beer sixpack. Good times.
BUFFERS=30 ?? Had to tell some wannabe IT guy one time that Intel Centrino is NOT a Celeron. EDIT: Were so called "dialers" a thing outside of Germany? Little software which hooked your dialup connection and connected you to some insanely overpriced server? Back then, when Internet plans with pay per minute was a thing?
I agree I have always built and maintained computers for seniors in my area and kept every spare part no matter how old just in case. This allowed me to fix a lot of older comps until they just wouldn't do anymore. Now I'm senior I'm looking for someone like me lol.
No idea mate. Never used the internet before someone at university showed me, like in 1997. never had to deal with dialers thank god.
Don't forget TuneUp Utilities, the #1 cause of calling me in the 90''s / 2000's. Does anyone of you remember the "present" from Coca Cola from the 90's, where you ran their program and it said you won a free cup holder. Press OK to receive your present. And if you clicked OK, your CD drive opened?
I used to fix friends' computers. Then I took an arrow in the ass' My knees are already shot. ^ That meme's funny. Yeah well the "blind" guy my old landlord/NYC said was an electrician apparently thought it was. He was in my apartment for less than 5 minutes and the fucker electrocuted himself' lol
What I like the most is when I say casually that I don't know what is like to have viruses or other BS, just because I don't use Windows. People are looking at me with mouth open, thinking that I'm mad or something. Even better when I boot their "dead" computer with a shiny polished Linux distro, just to confuse them even more. Well, It's not unfixable, your wits are!
The calls that I hate to get is people who want to sign up for Internet access because I can't help them because it's not my area of expertise. I fixed computers for a few Neighbors in my area and I did it for free because it was a simple and easy fix to do. Now the majority of calls that I get now a days from my work is Internet issues because they needed a new router and they need it configured. What is the saving grace with some of those calls is the user knowing how to login into the router to configure it. Oh I hate trying to solve IT problems over the phone because I can't see what is happening which makes very difficult because it can be 1 of like 1000 things that can be wrong.
