Plugging in...
If you plug it in, it will work. If it LOOKS plugged in, it might not be. That's Electricity 101. A short lesson, a painful and potentially expensive lesson.
A recent client suddenly couldn't print. (It's always suddenly). She tried everything she knew before making the call for HELP.
Electricity working? Check.
All cords and cables plugged in? Check.
Power strips plugged in and turned on? Check.
LED lights glowing on all plugged in items? Check.
Turned off and on the printer? Check.
So what the heck??
The USB cable that connected the printer to the computer was not fully plugged into the computer. A USB cable isn't POWER so it won't give an indication with an LED light that it's not plugged in all the way. A slight push "in" and the printer woke up screaming and streaming print jobs that were just waiting for the OK to come out.
The most frequent question the Tutor is asked, no matter the computer problem, is HOW DID THIS HAPPEN and WHY? Many times the Tutor can answer, sometimes not. Like when a child visited and moved something on the desk. Like when an animal jumped across the desk and knocked things out of place. Like when the cleaning help shut off a switch on the wall, not knowing it was connected to an outlet. Among others.
So add this item to the checklist of what to do before calling for HELP. It may save you some money. And you'll feel very smart and satisfied for knowing the problem and the solution. Wish they were ALL that simple!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged TIGHLY in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Happy New "Computing" Year!
Plugging in...
When the error message looks like Greek,
When the mouse won’t move a hair,
When the document you’ve been typing,
Hits the road, and disappears:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When iTunes up and eats your song,
When your camera won’t behave,
When the DVD won’t play one track,
You feel like a computer slave:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When the internet says that page can’t be found,
When the ibox game won’t let you play,
When the wireless router blinks in vain,
It may be time to call it a day:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When Excel barks at you “THIS IS WRONG”,
When PowerPoint slides look grim,
When Access claims your entire day,
Your hopes of succeeding look dim:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When viruses and malware attack your work,
When your computer slows to a stop,
When nothing works but swearing out loud,
You want to hit the computer with a mop:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
CALL The Tutor, it need NOT be so painful!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
When the error message looks like Greek,
When the mouse won’t move a hair,
When the document you’ve been typing,
Hits the road, and disappears:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When iTunes up and eats your song,
When your camera won’t behave,
When the DVD won’t play one track,
You feel like a computer slave:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When the internet says that page can’t be found,
When the ibox game won’t let you play,
When the wireless router blinks in vain,
It may be time to call it a day:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When Excel barks at you “THIS IS WRONG”,
When PowerPoint slides look grim,
When Access claims your entire day,
Your hopes of succeeding look dim:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
When viruses and malware attack your work,
When your computer slows to a stop,
When nothing works but swearing out loud,
You want to hit the computer with a mop:
You KNOW you’re on a computer.
CALL The Tutor, it need NOT be so painful!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thursday, December 11, 2008
On the Second Day of Christmas...
Plugging in...
On the second day of Christmas, my clients gave to me, TWO signifcant bonuses and a thank you to make the Tutor blush.
I was working with two clients on the same day during this month of merriment and to my astonishment, BOTH of them paid me more than what I wrote the invoices for.
The first client, not only fed me lunch and sent me home with gourmet foods for dinner, THEN she told me she was giving me more than the bill! AND THEN... she sent me an email telling me she believe she owed me more money because I must have done the math wrong - she told me to check it out in Excel, using the AutoSum formula! (We'd been working on Excel that day).
The second client flat out told me she was giving me a bonus, because, after all, it was the end of the year! We'd been working on the tedious process of online college applications, and she was thrilled that her son's future was now in the hands of the college admissions offices.
I've worked for many large corporations in the past, many of which gave out holiday bonuses, but none of those compares to the two I received this month. These were not obligatory thank yous, but heartfelt, up close and personal thank yous.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
On the second day of Christmas, my clients gave to me, TWO signifcant bonuses and a thank you to make the Tutor blush.
I was working with two clients on the same day during this month of merriment and to my astonishment, BOTH of them paid me more than what I wrote the invoices for.
The first client, not only fed me lunch and sent me home with gourmet foods for dinner, THEN she told me she was giving me more than the bill! AND THEN... she sent me an email telling me she believe she owed me more money because I must have done the math wrong - she told me to check it out in Excel, using the AutoSum formula! (We'd been working on Excel that day).
The second client flat out told me she was giving me a bonus, because, after all, it was the end of the year! We'd been working on the tedious process of online college applications, and she was thrilled that her son's future was now in the hands of the college admissions offices.
I've worked for many large corporations in the past, many of which gave out holiday bonuses, but none of those compares to the two I received this month. These were not obligatory thank yous, but heartfelt, up close and personal thank yous.
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Joy to the Tutor, the Virus has Come
Plugging in...
So what boisterous Computor Tutor client was recently heard whooping it up from the home office where her laptop currently resides? Well, her name will remain anonymous, but the whooping came about from the removal of the PSW.x-VIR trojan. Never heard of it?? There are THOUSANDS of them, and they change their form and shape as often as we change our clothes!
A trojan is a software program that disguises itself as a valid or useful computer application or program. This one produced a constant pop-up that named itself as the virus, but wanted the computer user to purchase THEIR software to REMOVE it!! Kind of a double whammy.
Once the offending pop-up was gone, my client opened her email, which she hadn't been able to do for more than a week, and hollered out one, gigantic whoopee as she made her way through the 314 waiting messages. The cat, who shares the residence, was as startled as the Computor Tutor by this demonstrative show of appreciation!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
So what boisterous Computor Tutor client was recently heard whooping it up from the home office where her laptop currently resides? Well, her name will remain anonymous, but the whooping came about from the removal of the PSW.x-VIR trojan. Never heard of it?? There are THOUSANDS of them, and they change their form and shape as often as we change our clothes!
A trojan is a software program that disguises itself as a valid or useful computer application or program. This one produced a constant pop-up that named itself as the virus, but wanted the computer user to purchase THEIR software to REMOVE it!! Kind of a double whammy.
Once the offending pop-up was gone, my client opened her email, which she hadn't been able to do for more than a week, and hollered out one, gigantic whoopee as she made her way through the 314 waiting messages. The cat, who shares the residence, was as startled as the Computor Tutor by this demonstrative show of appreciation!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Gobble, Gobble
Plugging in...
Thanksgiving Greetings, Tutorees!
The turkey’s on the table,
The stock market’s in a funk.
Football’s on the HD TV,
And the kids are eating junk!
The weather’s getting funky,
Daylight savings time is gone.
The garden needs a trimming,
And leaves cover all the lawn.
But it’s not all such gloom & doom,
Our country stands proud & strong.
Look to our flag and give thanks,
Make a point to undo a wrong.
I’ve many people to thank,
For my good fortune this year.
Thank you all for calling me,
To ease your technology fear!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Thanksgiving Greetings, Tutorees!
The turkey’s on the table,
The stock market’s in a funk.
Football’s on the HD TV,
And the kids are eating junk!
The weather’s getting funky,
Daylight savings time is gone.
The garden needs a trimming,
And leaves cover all the lawn.
But it’s not all such gloom & doom,
Our country stands proud & strong.
Look to our flag and give thanks,
Make a point to undo a wrong.
I’ve many people to thank,
For my good fortune this year.
Thank you all for calling me,
To ease your technology fear!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Mighty Bridge Baron
Plugging in...
I bid two hearts, ah, but it's not really about bidding, or playing bridge for that matter.
A client did a mighty nice thing for his lovely wife. He bought her the latest version of the computer bridge game "Bridge Baron 18". He did everything right by checking the packaging to make sure the computer met the minimum system requirements, and it did. The wife's computer was older, running Windows 2000 (fully updated) but that was OK, according to the software packaging. Two heart attacks (not literally) later, my client gave up the installation procedure and called the Tutor because... the installation trashed Windows, and I mean completely trashed. The only thing that would come on the screen was the dreaded "blue screen of death".
Although the computer could be shocked back into life by re-installing windows from an 8 year old CD, the shear age of the computer didn't warrant the time necessary to go through "physical therapy". The time and money needed for the resuscitation of the elder hardware was better spent on a newer model. I know, I know. You're thinking just because it's old, doesn't mean it's ready for the boneyard. In this case, it was purely an economical decision. AND, the boneyard is not where the elder PC is going. It's going to a rehab facility first, then to a new home. Though it can't run as fast as the new kids on the block, it still has a place in the world, ablbeit more like an assisted living place, but a viable place for a few more years of bridge playing (Bridge Baron 17 was already on the computer, and worked PERFECTLY)!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
I bid two hearts, ah, but it's not really about bidding, or playing bridge for that matter.
A client did a mighty nice thing for his lovely wife. He bought her the latest version of the computer bridge game "Bridge Baron 18". He did everything right by checking the packaging to make sure the computer met the minimum system requirements, and it did. The wife's computer was older, running Windows 2000 (fully updated) but that was OK, according to the software packaging. Two heart attacks (not literally) later, my client gave up the installation procedure and called the Tutor because... the installation trashed Windows, and I mean completely trashed. The only thing that would come on the screen was the dreaded "blue screen of death".
Although the computer could be shocked back into life by re-installing windows from an 8 year old CD, the shear age of the computer didn't warrant the time necessary to go through "physical therapy". The time and money needed for the resuscitation of the elder hardware was better spent on a newer model. I know, I know. You're thinking just because it's old, doesn't mean it's ready for the boneyard. In this case, it was purely an economical decision. AND, the boneyard is not where the elder PC is going. It's going to a rehab facility first, then to a new home. Though it can't run as fast as the new kids on the block, it still has a place in the world, ablbeit more like an assisted living place, but a viable place for a few more years of bridge playing (Bridge Baron 17 was already on the computer, and worked PERFECTLY)!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Where's de bug?
Plugging in...
Ever received an error message that asks if you want to DEBUG or CANCEL? Ever choose DEBUG? Admit it - of course you have!
A "bug" is an error in a piece of software that causes a mal-function, sometimes serious, sometimes not. A debug error message is asking if YOU want to fix the error by running the debugging program. If you didn't create the program, how are YOU going to debug it to solve the error? You'd have equal success hitting the monitor with a fly swatter than you would by attempting to open, understand, and use the software debugger!
So a client sees the error message on the screen when attempting to open GOOGLE on the internet. My client repeatedly chooses DEBUG instead of CANCEL and winds up in debugging la la land. My client is frustrated, but for some unknown reason, never chooses CANCEL. Suffice it to say, one cannot debug an error one receives on the screen in a program that one did not create. You didn't cause the error, you are just the recipient of the bad news. You can't fix the error - the originator has to do that and you will just have to wait it out until so many other people report it, it finally gets fixed.
The safe bet in approaching an error message that is incomprehensible is to find the way OUT - close, cancel, stop, exit - anything but YES, OK, I'll try it (good luck with THAT).
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
Ever received an error message that asks if you want to DEBUG or CANCEL? Ever choose DEBUG? Admit it - of course you have!
A "bug" is an error in a piece of software that causes a mal-function, sometimes serious, sometimes not. A debug error message is asking if YOU want to fix the error by running the debugging program. If you didn't create the program, how are YOU going to debug it to solve the error? You'd have equal success hitting the monitor with a fly swatter than you would by attempting to open, understand, and use the software debugger!
So a client sees the error message on the screen when attempting to open GOOGLE on the internet. My client repeatedly chooses DEBUG instead of CANCEL and winds up in debugging la la land. My client is frustrated, but for some unknown reason, never chooses CANCEL. Suffice it to say, one cannot debug an error one receives on the screen in a program that one did not create. You didn't cause the error, you are just the recipient of the bad news. You can't fix the error - the originator has to do that and you will just have to wait it out until so many other people report it, it finally gets fixed.
The safe bet in approaching an error message that is incomprehensible is to find the way OUT - close, cancel, stop, exit - anything but YES, OK, I'll try it (good luck with THAT).
ALWAYS REMEMBER: before calling for help - is it plugged in, is it turned on?
Unplugged
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