Disgruntled service guy's tech opinion...

[Colin]

Dwanna From Computer store in Texas writes...

"Do you realize how many MORONs I get in on a daily basis who have read articles like this "Upgrading your PC" that say Do it yourself, it's cheap and easy. And they have done something wrong, fried the damn thing, or otherwise made it inoperable. Maybe you should word this a little different for those who call the computer a modem, or can't figure out that you can't always tell what ram you need just by looking at the chips. Don't ASSume everyone is remotely as intelligent as you and whoever helped you write this. If you think just anyone can upgrade a computer, even following your little step-by-step idiots guide then you are less intelligent than they are. You obviously don't have to deal with the everyday idiots that can't even use a mouse and can't understand right-click and left-click. Get your head out of the clouds of your perfect little word."

What do you think, is PCStats doing a good job with the Beginners Guides... or should we stop writing them altogether and just say "go to your local PC Service center?"

[Juan]

What is he complaining about!! If these IDIOTS/MORONS so to say didn't have problems how would he have a job. I like the beginners guides and my wife has learned alot from your guides so keep them coming!!

[bluegreenshxt]

We were all n00bs at some point in time, long ago. You did not know how to "fix" computers when you were born. The only reason why we know so much more nowadays is because we started learning. If someone calls a computer a modem, then good for him. He can learn that it's called a computer and won't be ridiculed by us next time.

We all need a place to start. PCStats' beginner's guides and forums just happen to be a good place

[farhad4uk]

Hold on who says the modems are not computers. Please becareful the way you use the wordings. They may contain routers, that will classify them as a computers, because they have to compute! Right.

Beside I like to know how many you guys knew about these new toys ten years ago. Not much I am sure , so please clime down from the cloud coocoo land and join the rest of us. I have been trying hard since 1973 with punch cards and doted paper tapes. No pc's those days. Still using the beginner's guide today, thank you.

53 years old studying CNP. and M.S.c. E-commerce together.

Farhad.

[weedy]

I dont know why he is having a go at you guys. You are the only website ive found that represents 100% of the time the same overclocking experiences i have personally experienced when overclocking with similair hardware. Some other sites give rediculous statistics of overclocking that ive found to be impossible even tho i have the same hardware/setup.

I'm a techie and i reckon that guys a moron, if his whinging so much then he shouldnt be in the job. People wreck computers and its our job to fix em. If people didnt wreck their computers i wouldnt have a job.

Keep up the excellent work cause without you guys here nobody would have reliable information to learn the correct ways of realisticly overclocking computers. I reckon that guys just annoyed cause all his customers are overclocking instead of upgrading .

[Whitecougar]

I have a friend that doesn't know the parts of a computer and makes common terminology mistakes when talking about them. But being a "GP " thats General Practioner , or in laymans terms "Family Doctor " for all the service techs that might not know the terminolgy, doesn't make him an idiot . The only thing PC Stats is doing wrong is allowing stuff like this persons opinion to be published in their newsletter.

[Crax]

Wow! Talk about a hot topic! We got 3 new posters here lol. Anyways, that guy can take his opinion and shove it right up his anus. I used the beginners guides for a lot of things and never had problems. Even professionals have problems sometimes. If he can't stand that some people come to him for problems where they screwed up then he should find another job.

[playa562]

If it hadn't been for a B-I-Y article at a similar forum,I'd never got up the guts to build my first PC in 2003.I posted a few dumb questions,and made a few rookie mistakes,but it turned out fine in the end.I've become very interested,and I read this and other forums,trying to gain as much knowledge as i can.I may even take a shot at a career as a techie,who knows?

So,thanks.Keep the info coming,and let the reader decide how far he/she wants to go with it.And don't worry about those who just won't get it.

[blueice]

Wow! Talk about a hot topic! We got 3 new posters here lol. Anyways, that guy can take his opinion and shove it right up his anus. I used the beginners guides for a lot of things and never had problems. Even professionals have problems sometimes. If he can't stand that some people come to him for problems where they screwed up then he should find another job.

yeah yeah up every one of his orifices!!!!!!!!! He must be the lonely Maytag man... Keep the beginners sections, so MORONS like me, can learn the differences between the off and on buttons.

[Astaroth125]

I can understand his point here, though I disagree. I work at a computer store right outside DC, and we have plenty of people who attempt to build their own computer and end up doing something incorrectly (Like a customer who put a socket 939 FX-53 in a Socket 940 board and bent the pins on the processor. That was ugly.) Though, I don't have a problem explaining to customers, within reason, how to fix or troubleshoot a problem.

Here is the part that gets me. We work on commision, so if we don't sell, we don't get paid. Now, Customer A comes in needing help. Customer A has purchased his components from Newegg**********, and managed to install everything all kinds of messed up. So, Customer A, comes up to me, and as it happens, speaks extremely broken English. Customer A would like some of the finer technical details of system building explained to him, though he completely fails to grasp some of the more basic, underlying concepts. I've literally seen people in the store for 4-6 hours asking questions, because 1) There is a large communication barrier, 2) They fail to understand basic principles, such as needing different processors for different sockets, and 3) They're too cheap to pay $85 to have us fix it for them.

Now this is a fairly rare occurence. But it really, really irritates me when some of these things happen. I absolutely hate (and will refuse to help) someone who comes into my store after buying something on the internet and not being able to make it work. Also, working across a language barrier, trying to explain how to build a computer if extremely difficult. It's not that I don't want to help these people, but if I can't understand them, I can't help. And three, if you can't put it together, instead of coming in and taking up two hours of my time and yours, please pay the $85 if you are really stuck, and have someone fix it for you.

To the buying items on the internet side, I've seen poeple on forums tell people to go look at something in a store then buy it online. Or, to buy online, and if you have problems, you can always go to a store for help. This really irks me. It's incredibly annoying to help someone spec out a system, spend two hours with them, then have them say, 'Oh, I think I'll buy it on the internet, I can get the parts for $1575 instead of $1600.' Meanwhile, I've lost $40 in pay.

Ok, I'm done ranting. Basically, my point is there are some cases where I understand where this guy is coming from, but he seems to be a little extreme about it. I humbly suggest that perhaps he should be in a line of work where personal interaction isn't neccesary.

Astaroth

[blueice]

I am in the service industry and I hear it all the time "can I find parking any cheaper." It is just part of the turf. One needs to separate the wheat from the chaff.

[PCgeek]

The beginners guide's are very helpful. You can't help it that there are people out there who are too stupid to learn. Its not your problem, you keep doing what you are doing and let them worry about messing things up.

[BAM!]

i think if you can't understand what right click is, or don't even know what the Internet is. you shouldn't be reading any guids at all. in fact, you'll need a baby sitter with a certified IT permit to help you.

back in the days when i worked as an IT consultant, i too got countless phone calls or encountered customers who don't know left from right. one time this old man even asked me "i just got a computer, what is Internet?"

so i understand what the message of this article is trying to convey, however, we can't just all together stop writing guids just because there're some people who lagg behind us in the stone age. mankind evolves because there're those who invent and those who adapt them. telling a techy to stop writing guids is like telling a teacher to stop teaching or telling a scientist to stop his inventions. if that's the case, then who'll learn? for those few who desperately lagg behind the technology just need an extra special help. the society can't seize all growth for the few.

[Ginsu543]

I think sometimes we tend to get snobbish and unnecessarily give noobs a hard time. What comes naturally for some of us just doesn't for others. I don't necessarily think it's because they're stupid. They just don't know. Case in point: several months back, I remember posting on a thread about a chemistry question. To me, it was pretty basic, but the person who started the thread didn't quite get it. I don't think it would have been fair (or very civil for that matter) for me to get angry at the person for not knowing basic chemistry and belittle him for being a chemistry noob. It wasn't that the person was stupid at all. He just needed somebody to explain things.

In the same way, there are people who just don't know anything about computers. My father's like that. He is definitely NOT stupid by any stretch (the man graduated with a degree in Pharmacy from Seoul National University and he used to be able to recite entire books from memory!!!), but he just doesn't quite get computers. He's very interested in the Internet (the idea that all those people are connected at the same time boggles his mind), but if I try to explain it to him, he can't quite wrap his brain around it. It may be that his mind is just not technologically bent.

We may be amazed or appalled that a person might not know the difference between a left mouse button and a right mouse button, but I suppose I could be all superior and be appalled that someone might not know the difference between a cation and an anion and what electronegativity is and how it affects polarity. But I do know for a fact that there was a time in my life when I didn't know the difference between the cpu and the northbridge or even what DDR ram was (I hadn't made the switch to DDR yet, so the only thing I was familiar with was SDRAM). I'm sure there were people in this forum who felt like I was an idiot, but fortunately for me, I only got helpful input and advice and so I was able to learn.

I think the important thing is the person't attitude: desire to learn. As long as I see that heart, I don't mind people asking what I consider to be really dumb questions.

[Murder Simulator]

This post reminds me of the time I was working tier 1 tech support for sprintpcs. I get a call from a guy who can barely speak a word of english. He's just bought a $500 PDA, and says it was working fine, but then the screen suddenly went blank, and he doesn't know what to do with it. My response? "Hold down the power button sir." Suddenly it's as if God reached down and touched the thing. Of course it powers back up and he's all ********s and giggles again. After that call, I remember thinking, how do people like this get hold of these things? Why would you blow that kind of money for something like that and not even know how to turn it on? Heh.

Another one: Guy tries to hook up his cell phone to his laptop so he can surf with his AOL browser, and he's complaining that "it doesn't make any dialing sounds." Well gee, I wonder why. (it's wireless, ergo it doesn't make any "dialing sounds" when it connects.)

Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you dropped that kind of money on your first project, the responsibility lies with you not to get in over your head. It's your money, after all.

[FX55]

I just registered in here to say: Keep up the good work. PCstats is one of the best IT sites.

I don't know why he is complaining, I run also a PC Repair business and I even recommend PC Stats to my customers (at least to those who know what they are doing).

[ancient46]

If you want to learn, if you want to know, where do you go? Joe down the street, who is an expert on everything? If there were no sites with truely knowledgeable people who take the time to be of service to fellow humans, you have to depend on Joe. If you read a guide at this site at least you can be sure that it was written and revised by someone who understands the subject. The guides are also read by people who are not noobs and I am sure the authors recieve a lot of positive feedback that helps make them even better.

Even if now you are a super technician, you weren't once. If you dont' make mistakes now, you did once. You learned by reading, doing and, if you are fortunate, being shown. No one came into this world knowing how to build and set up a computer. Keep the guides coming, there are a lot more people who don't know everything and are willing to learn.

[ntwkgestapo]

Sorry, but I've been using computers since the late '60's and am currently one of my employers (Fortune 5 Company) "Unix/Linux" GURUs and used to TEACH Intro to the PC within the company... Beginners Guides are ALWAYS welcome (I still use some of the PCStats Guides as checklists to insure I don't forget some stuff!). I understand the frustration, but you're going to have this type of user WHETHER PCStats B/G's are out there or not.... some folk ARE truely clueless. At least they're TRYING to learn.... I sent NOOB's to PCStats all the time and will continue to do so...

[Asphix]

agreed. they should be sucking up to this site.. this site, according to them, is producing business!!!

that aside, regardless of guide or not, these "morons" would tinker with their computer regardless. Its not like they stumbled across the article one day and it inspired them to mess with their computer. Its more likely the other way around. They decided to tinker with their computer, and thus found the guide. Its human nature to be curious, and seek understanding of foreign concepts, objects and functionings.

Regardless, it sems to me that this fellow is in the wrong line of work. Time to look for a new job buddy... preferably something not involving customers, service or any human interaction. Period.

[torque2k]

This is the problem with the IT/Services industries. The word MORON should NEVER be uttered by IT people, even in a forum which is predominantly tech-oriented. It is used here as a word of contempt; it does not describe people who have wants and needs, as in CUSTOMERS.

I'm reminded of Jimmy Fallon's character on Saturday Night Live, the unbelieveably annoying "IT Guy". I hate watching those sketches, and I can tell the audience starts squirming in their seats when they're watching it, too. The laughter levels drop precipitously (sp); it's too close to what people really do have to deal with every day.

When I was working for "the man" at a national plumbing supply company, I had a salesperson who would do things to his computer, though he knew not how, which would almost always require 30 minutes by remote session and phone to fix. Every once in a while, I'd find what the problem was and try to explain to him how it happened, so hopefully he'd not have to call again (for his sake, not mine, mind you). His reply was one which will stick with me in every job or field I'll ever work in: "Dan, I sell pipe. All I want to do is sell pipe. Just fix the damn thing so I can do my job." Rude? Not at all. His frustration was directed at technology in general: we forced him to use a computer to do his work, and he felt his control slip from him every time he had to call because something stopped working. I can't blame him; I'm a control freak, too, which is probably why I got out of the graphic arts industry and into IT.

The bottom line is that IT people need to get off their high horses and get down in the trenches with the people who they work for. Yes, EVERY employee at a company is who IT works for. IT rarely makes any money for a company; we're just enablers, the salespeople are our heroes. They need us like sharks need those little tiny fish that cling to them and clean their teeth. When IT is at its best, the company gets business done. When business gets done, IT gets paid. It's that simple.

And for those of you working in retail IT, it's the same thing (and I've been there, worked CompUSA for a year and made a lot of money because of my views and my ability to listen to customers). You treat those people who you'd LIKE to call "morons" with a smile or at least a helpful ear and a bit of reassurance. If they messed it up big-time, don't say so outright. Hint at what might have happened, tell them you'll do your darnedest to figure it out, and let them know that it's not going to be cheap. People don't liked to be BSed. If you say right up front, "Sir, you've done an admirable job at piecing this system together, but so many things may have happened which you weren't prepared for, it may be easy to fix but require a costly hardware purchase, or it may be difficult to fix but may only be a bit of a labor charge. I'm just warning you right now. If this were an off-the-shelf system, we'd have a known platform to start from, and things would run a bit more smoothly. It's kind of like working on a new {insert name of a car here}; the garage tech works on that exact car every day, so repairs happen quickly. But if you build a hotrod out of five different cars and then try to figure out why the ignition's not working, even the best mechanic is going to have a harder time figuring it out. Your home-built PC is just like that analogy, sir."

{soapbox mode /off}

Keep the beginner's guides. I also point clients/friends to them, I think they're great! Worst case, they look at them and say, "Bah, still too complex, I'll just have you do it for me."