Poll: Are you computer-literate?

[Silver]

Well, I probably could, if I had to, but I don't. Mostly because I'm sitting at a very old, broken down, worn down windows machine that I'm just hoping that it'll die soon so I can justify getting a new one.

I'm usually seen as the family (extended) tech support though, but it has more to do with intuition than actually knowing what I'm doing. My father is the one who actually knows how to do things, but he's VERY slow. I mean, he can look at a menu for minutes, he moves the mouse really slow, and he usually takes hours to fix even the smallest of problems. So if I'm able to, I'll fix the same problem in a tenth of the time. If I can't, well, then everyone's screwed

I've even taken computers apart from time to time, and they're still working, so I must be doing something right. I would advice you (everyone who says they know nothing) to try. Much is pretty straightforward. I still don't know what I'm doing half the time, and I still manage alright. Knowing that you CAN fix it when something does go wrong, and there's no one around is a very nice feeling too.

 

[Nova5]

Yeah, I repair laptops for friends a lot... Had to swap a monitor on a friends old Dell clunker just last week. Think he bought it back when they still had those "Dude, it's a Dell!" ads running.

Off topic: Anyone else hate those damn ads?

 

[spuddyt]

Thus far the worst hardware fault I've had to deal with was recently diagnosing that half my RAM had gone dead and was causing my computer to crash (then removing it).

 

[traceur_]

I have absolutely no idea how this thing works. All I know is it needs the monitor and the brain-box plugged in to work.

I'm technologically retarded. Yesterday a vending machine ate my money so I tried to retrieve my money by drop-kicking it, that didn't work so I tried it again and gave up.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

Not even slightly.
This thing is held together with chewing gum and happy thoughts.

When it isn't throwing tantrums for no good reason, it's warning me that it is about five seconds away from throwing a tantrum if I don't buy it one of those new fangled thingies all the other PCs have.
The jerk.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

I really don't know much about the technical side of using computers. I certainly have no idea how to go about building one.

 

[Plinglebob]

I'm fairly good on the building side of PCs having built and upgraded my own PC for the past coupleof years, but not very good on the software. Thankfully I have a mate who works as IT tech support so I just call him if the usual methods of "Switching it off then on" or "Use system restore" doesn't work.

 

[ottenni]

Well this one time i went to a hotel and i controlled the sandwich monkey but apart from that my ability with technology is lacking. I hit the button and the lights flash and then i'm lost.

 

[RicoADF]

Both of my computers were made by me (my main PC has actually been rebuilt once by me, as in replacing all the parts and just keeping the case).
And yes I could take it apart in my sleep and its been proven, one day someone called me and woke me up asking what was wrong with their PC, I answered and fell back asleep once they hung up, when I woke up later I called them back to see what the call was about and found out the reply I gave them was correct lol.

 

[Mana Fiend]

I haven't the foggiest about the ins and outs of computer-building, or what goes on inside this magical future-box. I am, however, quite good at working out what the problems with things are, and the fact I know pretty much all the basics in this field means I'm placed at the beck-and-call of all my family and people who don't understand what's going on. A few of my teachers even used to have a habit of pulling my out of my lessons on "important errends" to sort out why the thing had froze or wouldn't print (our IT guys were often nowhere to be found, they were a bit useless).

A few weeks ago, I printed off this and gave it to all my family. It's probably my favourite xkcd strip: http://www.xkcd.com/627/ (sorry, I don't know how to embed. Fortunately, they never need to do that )

 

[Some Fella1]

Eh, I couldn't fix it by myself if I wanted too, but I can get my hands on some pretty awesome guides that you can't find in a bookstore/on the net without paying that would tell me exactly what to do with what.

No, I can't give them to you, let alone tell you where to find them. That's your job.

If all else fails, my dad could tell me how to fix my baby (computer) in his sleep while slapping the back of my head everytime I did something wrong.

 

[AvsJoe]

I know piss-all about computer hardware but I'm halfway decent with software. If my computer ever goes down (oh wait, it f4cking did!) then I require the assistance of someone who knows computers better than I do. And I definitely don't allow people who aren't professionals touch my computer when it's down {this stems from my friend working on my computer without my knowledge and breaking bits of the tower and video card, pretty much destroying it completely; lucky my C Drive was spared or I would've kicked his ass!).

 

[akmarksman]

A few weeks ago, I printed off this and gave it to all my family. It's probably my favourite xkcd strip: http://www.xkcd.com/627/ (sorry, I don't know how to embed. Fortunately, they never need to do that )

Ninja'd..

dammit.

was just going to post the same thing.
Do you read Backward Compatible? 'tis a funny strip

 

[TacticalAssassin1]

I know a bit but I wanna learn more so I can make my own computer one day.

 

[Rickyvantof]

I can build it,but I probably won't be able to fix it (other than replacing parts). I know what every part does and where it goes.

 

[Ossum]

I'm one of the guys that gets called when none of the other resident tech-heads (at work and at home) have solved the problem. To quote:

"I am the one they call when things go wrong, and things have indeed gone wrong."

Anybody who gets that quote deserves adoration.

 

[Inverse Skies]

I can make it go, and power cycle the router whenever the internet decides to crash on me. Apart from that not really. I can do everything that people would be expected to be able to do, but building one or figuring out why it doesn't work is well beyond me.