16 replies to this topic

[raymac46]

I have the utmost respect for anyone who offers phone support for IT professionally. It drives me nuts to do it.
My daughter is away with the kids visiting her in-laws this week. My SIL's parents had an old desktop connected to a wired printer. The desktop died and they each got a laptop to replace it. When they needed to print they took their respective laptop over and plugged it into the wire. My daughter suggested they get a new wireless printer.
The old folks are clueless technically so Sarah phoned me to help install this Canon MX-492. I thought initially that we could use WPS pushbutton to get on the LAN but that failed. So she got their passphrase - I suspect it is the gateway default. Ater inputting this, we were on the LAN. Then she had to go into Windows and add the printer. At this point, the computer downloaded the software to get going. No DVD access on these cheapo laptops.
Finally all was well, so I told her to rinse and repeat with the other laptop and call me if anything was amiss. She's pretty IT savvy so I didn't hear anything. These people also have a tablet and I gave Sarah some hints about mobile printing but she said that would just complicate matters and they could print from their laptops. OK then.
Oh yes, I told her to delete the old printer from each laptop's Devices and Printers section. No need for them to inadvertently set the old printer as default.

Edited by raymac46, 23 July 2018 - 02:51 PM.

[securitybreach]

Luckily I do on site support but some of my team does it via the phone. I do not envy them at all.

BTW most all computers nowadays will not come with an optical drive. At work, we have like 4 current models and not a single one has a optical drive. It is old technology that rarely gets used any more in business and personal. I have not used an optical drive in years. I have one laptop that has a dvd drive but I do not even bother putting them in machines that I build. It's pointless for most people.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Me, the old Luddite... still using mechanical hard drives and CD/DVD burners/players. I do have a wireless mouse, though. Guess I'm not a total old fuddy-duddy.

[securitybreach]

Plus, the laptops are not thick enough for an optical drive to be in place.

[raymac46]

My laptops still have DVD-RW units but hey I am an old fuddy-duddy as well. Not that I would use a software DVD to install drivers anymore. If you have a fast Internet connection it's pretty easy to get the latest stuff that way.

[securitybreach]

It must be an older laptop.

[Fuddster]

I won't be getting rid of optical drives until I use up the last of these blank CDs/DVDs, and at the rate I'm going it's gonna ta a while...

[goretsky]

Hello,

Even high-end laptops used as desktop replacements are going optical-less now or in the next generation model. For folks who do use them (perhaps for media generation), the recommendation is to use an external USB DVD±RW or BD-RW drive.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[securitybreach]

goretsky, on 24 July 2018 - 03:39 AM, said:

Hello,

Even high-end laptops used as desktop replacements are going optical-less now or in the next generation model. For folks who do use them (perhaps for media generation), the recommendation is to use an external USB DVD±RW or BD-RW drive.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Yup

[raymac46]

The laptops with DVD-RW in them are both Lenovo - Thinkpad T430 from 2013 and Flex2 15 from 2015. That is pretty old I guess.

Edited by raymac46, 24 July 2018 - 07:48 AM.

[securitybreach]

Well if you look at the current line of ThinkPads, they are all too thin to contain an optical drive

https://www.lenovo.c...omoID=LEN440926

[raymac46]

Yes, most Thinkpads today can use a USB 3.0 optical drive if needed at all.

[securitybreach]

raymac46, on 24 July 2018 - 02:09 PM, said:

Yes, most Thinkpads today can use a USB 3.0 optical drive if needed at all.

Yeah but honestly, a USB 2.0 Port would burn just as fast.

[Jeber]

I've done tech support over the phone for 2 companies. Thinking back on those experiences makes me sad...no, suicidal.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Yes, my last (official) job was tech support for Phillips America on audio/video products. It was fun. The really bad experience, though, was when they bumped me to Tech 2 support. My responsibilities then were to advise service technicians across the country who would call with issues during repairs. Dealing with the customers (users) was ever so much easier than dealing with some of these techs. I often wondered how some of these idiots ever get a job fixing things.

[goretsky]

Hello,

I did technical support professionally for 17 years before moving over to the research side of things a dozen years ago.  You either learn to live with it... or you don't.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[raymac46]

My daughter heard from her in-laws that the problem with their desktop was a failed power supply. No word on whether they plan to put the desktop back in service but at least they can get their data off the hard drive if needed.