SON!! I broke the computer!!

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Marter

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My father is probably better with computers than I am, so I haven't had a siutation like that with him.

My mother on the other hand once didn't know how to open Microsoft Word after I installed it for her.
 

Orcus The Ultimate

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Nov 22, 2009
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Jiraiya72 said:
Inspired by many things, among my parents as one of them, I decided to make this thread. Being the "expert" on computers in the family, pretty much anything that happens I get barked at for help. So I thought it would make a great thread to say some "annoying/dumb" things your parents or whomever, do with computers.

Always double clicks internet links. Always

"Hey can I borrow your computer for a second?"
Sure. *I open a new tab* (Several others are open)
*10 minutes pass*
"Okay, I'm done. I exited out for you"
.........

"I can just use my own wireless internet" "..why isn't it working?"
Because your house is 10 miles away?
"Doesn't wireless mean everywhere?"
/facepalm

Also claiming firefox was too hard to use and IE was faster and easier.
in fact Wireless can be used everywhere if you construct your own high-distance antenna, but that's not easy...although the result can allow you to get wireless even on the other side of the country !
 

Keepitclean

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Littlee300 said:
I would be kinda screwed without google and using forums for help. I love forum nerds, because they know what programs to tell me to use and crap. A TOAST FOR FORUM NERDS!
Edit: Also youtube
The main problem with technophobes in general is they don't really bother to look for help before whinging that it is 'broken'.
 

RMcD94

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Nov 25, 2009
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That typing one as people said.

My computer breaks all the time, it'd be terrible if I wasn't good with it. If it's hardware problems my Dad can normally deal with that.

Also, I never use an AV. I suppose if you know what you are doing you hardly need one (especially if you use Linux).
 

Zerolegends

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Jun 15, 2010
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Im glad I don't have to deal with that. My parents are both pretty knowledgeable when it comes to not downloading random crap. My sister is the only one with tech problems and almost all of them deal with downloading games or uninstaling something (she only deletes the icons not the program).
 

Legendsmith

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PurpleLeafRave said:
My sister installed "Smiley Central" or something like that, where you get free "smiley's".
Needless to say, we got tonnes of viruses on our computer, and I got the blame because I use it the most.

Who does that?

Managed to get rid of the viruses, but if I hadn't, I would have had to pay for a new computer. Even though I told them countless times it was my sisters fault. [/rage]
Dude... Damn. Good thing you got rid of them though. What did you use?
 

Justin Shea

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Feb 21, 2010
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all of these stories hit way too close to home and remind me of Mike Birbiglia's story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0wY4wIB5_4

For my own story (since most of the good ones are already taken):
A year or so ago I was dating this girl who just got a mac for school. Her dad told her that if she tried to install anything on it without him there it would break and she wouldn't be able to use it anymore. Granted, I don't use Macs ever, but I feel like there isn't a "ruin my computer" function put it in on purpose. I tried to explain it to her, but since I've only been using computers since I could reach the keyboard, I clearly didn't know what I was talking about. I inevitably just gave up because it wasn't worth the effort.
 

Juven Ignus

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Sep 10, 2009
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Pretty much everything that's been said here has happened to me. I've had to wipe our computer at least three times in the year we've had it.
 

RadiusXd

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oh, also my sister once upon a time found that her computer complained when it tried to update, which it did when it shut down.
Instead of telling someone about this she decided to forever-more shut down her laptop by holding down the power key, the equivalant of tucking your kid to bed by knocking it unconcious every night.
this eventually caused the poor neglected thing to enter the VISTA UPDATE LOOP OF DEATH!!!
which then had to be fixed by taking it to IT repair store.
I would have reformatted the thing but she didn't want to lose her files. (collection of virus')
I thought "too bad dipstick" but sister wants what sister gets.
 

Sodoff

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Oct 15, 2009
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I love helping my dad out :D
He plays WoW though so he is not completely computer-stupid. He even installed a Tv program card thing so he can watch Football and all the other sportso my mom wont let him watch on the living room television XD

But there are still things like "driver updates" and that sorta thing I have to help him with.
He usually tries to figure out the problem himself.. using an hour or two.. then calls me. I come over.. 10 minutes later the problem is fixed.
But he is never annoyed or angry. Just thankful that I can help him.

Even though my kind of help is exactly what that flowchart described ;)
 

RadiusXd

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Jun 2, 2010
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I FORGOT MY DAD!!!
this guy is perhaps the most unduly confident person i'v ever met when it comes to computers (everything). i don't think he even understands the concept of a folder, the desktop is just a see of icons, bezel to bezel.
And he STILL talks like he knows shit!
 

Chris^^

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Mar 11, 2009
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got a phone call a few weeks back;

Dad: I can't make the sound work on this video
Me: ok, what are you trying to watch it with?
Dad: the video.
Me: yes, the video, what programme?
Dad: stop getting so technical, tell me how to make the sound work!
Me [exasperated]: I can't tell you if you won't tell me what programme you're using..
Dad: you're so impatient! forget it!
Me: look, just tell me what you're trying to watch it with.. youtube, media player?
Dad: youtube! that's it!
Me: check the little speaker icon, if it has a cross through it, click it
Dad: erm.. erm... this is complicated... there it is! *labourious clicking sound* it works now! why couldn't you have explained it simply?!
Me: *hangs up*
 

Exocet

Pandamonium is at hand
Dec 3, 2008
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My dad is good with computers,but I'm better than him now.My mother is something else entirely.
Her laptop has an ATI gpu,a particularly troublesome one that is.The drivers that came with it had a huge problem:a small hotkey program went haywire sometimes and used all the processing power the poor little Intel had to give.
When I asked my mother if this is the first time it happens,she said no,but since she had no idea what was happening,she just ignored it hoping it would fix itself.

Or my sister.Installs some obvious MSN messenger mal/spyware asking her to pay,not letting the computer do anything until she entered a credit card number.She asks my dad for help,who promptly reinstalls windows.First thing my sister does?Redownload MSN and the same malware bullshit.When I saw my dad in the evening and asked why he looked annoyed,he told me.I laughed and "accidently" unplugged the wifi connector on her computer.
Now,as a rule of thumb,I don't trust anyone who puts stickers on his/her LCD screen or has over 1 toolbar on IE while using it,and no other program.
 

PurpleLeafRave

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Feb 22, 2009
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Legendsmith said:
PurpleLeafRave said:
My sister installed "Smiley Central" or something like that, where you get free "smiley's".
Needless to say, we got tonnes of viruses on our computer, and I got the blame because I use it the most.

Who does that?

Managed to get rid of the viruses, but if I hadn't, I would have had to pay for a new computer. Even though I told them countless times it was my sisters fault. [/rage]
Dude... Damn. Good thing you got rid of them though. What did you use?
I used Avast. I think that's what it's called, it was really effective.
 

Queen Michael

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Jun 9, 2009
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My mom got one of those "Forward this to tweny firends and win a free cell phone" spam e-mails. And she believed it, until I pointed out that there was no way for the people allegedly giving the stuff away to know what her adress was or even that she had forwarded the e-mail in the first place.
 

mew4ever23

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Mar 21, 2008
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Dexiro said:
Jiraiya72 said:
_tinned_magpie_ said:
WEP key..Really? It's WPA2 at this point or you might as well not even bother.
-snip-
Yes, it does. WEP is the out-dated virus scanner of Wireless encryption. It's only slightly better than having nothing at all.

The only reason that people still use WEP is because of devices on their network that don't support anything else (example: The Nintendo DS and DS lite).

child of lileth said:
"Your labtop (yes, she says labtop) just shut off an hour ago. What did you do to it?"
"I didn't do anything. You know when it says that the battery is dying and has all that stuff come up on the screen to tell you? It's trying to tell you the battery is dying."

And, of course, I had to redo all the stuff I was working on.
Yeah. To be fair though, I've noticed that modern operating systems aren't nearly vocal enough about laptop batteries being close to death.
 

RadiusXd

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PurpleLeafRave said:
Legendsmith said:
PurpleLeafRave said:
My sister installed "Smiley Central" or something like that, where you get free "smiley's".
Needless to say, we got tonnes of viruses on our computer, and I got the blame because I use it the most.

Who does that?

Managed to get rid of the viruses, but if I hadn't, I would have had to pay for a new computer. Even though I told them countless times it was my sisters fault. [/rage]
Dude... Damn. Good thing you got rid of them though. What did you use?
I used Avast. I think that's what it's called, it was really effective.
AAAAAAARRRRH! Avast matees! Thar be trojans on the horizon!
Prepare the chest and sweep the HDdecks AAAAARRH!
Virus Ho cap'n!
Move to the Chest matees! move it to the chest!
 

Sennz0r

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May 25, 2008
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Jiraiya72 said:
Sennz0r said:
As I have said -twice- now. Sisters screw up computers in every way possible. I don't know what it is, but if you have a sister and you have computer problems, it is probably her fault.
I know you did, just felt like stating it again for empirical reasons :p

I'm glad I have a laptop which I keep clean, though its specs are sub-par for anything more than surfing the net or playing the simplest games. I need to get myself a computer.
 

Xeros

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My parents always complain to me that it's my games that are giving the computer viruses while they sit there downloading music off of LimeWire, and refuse to run any fucking anti-virus.