Bad user, no cookie!

[dragonbofh.livejournal.com]

So I get a call from a panicked manager this morning about ZOMFG Files is missings!!! When I go to see him I find that he's one of the users with a My Documents folder synchronised to a file-server... or at least should be. Somehow he's managed to un-link the My Docs without knowing how and has pointed it to a random folder on his C: drive.

Cue a few minutes of "It was on my C drive yesterday, I worked on all this stuff last night and now its gone. BLARGH!" followed by me calmly re-pointing his My Docs to the share area and setting off a Synchronisation routine. I tell him to let it finish and call me if there's any problems.

Half an hour later, he calls screaming that he's lost his email folders:
Me: Okay, were they in PST files or on the server?
Him: They were backed up so they were on the server.
Me: (uhh.. kay) Right-oh! *Searchey searchey search*
Him: No, not under the inbox, they were in their own PST file (with the voice of "DUH! Wern't you listening!")
Me: Oh, okay *Windows-search for PST files*.
Him: There it is, on my desktop, that's backed up to the server!
Me: No, only My Docs is backed up on the server. Anyway, so this is the folder you wanted on the Desktop?
Him: No, that's empty, but it's got the right name...
Me: (oh fisk, he's deleted stuff from a non-backed up PST file). Okay, I can restore it from your backups.
Him: Oh wait there it is *points to Windows Search window*
Me: (Thank fisk for that!) Okay *linkes back into outlook, everything's there* Ta-da!
Him: Thanks!

Half an hour later
Him: ZOMFG FILES MISSING AGAIN, NOT IN C DRIVE!
Me: Oooookay show me what you did.
Him: See, filez not on C drive!
Me: *Checks and sees that he's un-linked My Docs from the server and re-linked it to a different random folder on the C drive*
Me: Correct, they're on the Z drive linked to your server share.
Him: BUT Z IS NOT MAH C DRIVES!!!
Me: (how to explain the difference to this person?) Yes, linking the My Docs folder synchronises your files between the C drive and the server.... *Inspiration* They are backed up!
Him: Ohs... *clickety to My Docs* ... MAH FILEZ!! YAYS!
Me: *Smiles and walks off, a little bit more of my inner child dying, sick, alone, in an abandoned orphanage, from ebola*

Comments

[fallconsmate.livejournal.com]

*gives hugs and e-cookies to your poor little inner child*

some people should be given an etch-a-sketch. and whiteout.

[tragnon.livejournal.com]

But then they would USE the white out on the Etch-A-Sketch...

[fallconsmate.livejournal.com]

and? *looks innocent* in the words of Ren... "EEEeeediots!!"

[cthulu-for-pm.livejournal.com]

Well, after the screen is covered in white-out, then you can write on it!

It's obvious, really.

[ateji.livejournal.com]

It's like a modern palimpsest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimpsest)! Who needs papyrus, anyway?

[greatblondino.livejournal.com]

It works... kinda. Except not on PST files. Or MDB files. Which is really irritating, 'cos of all the files I'd like backed up, PSTs are the main ones (most people here don't use My Documents, but they have tonnes of sent/archived e-mail that are just sitting on their C: drives). IMO Windows support for redirecting, synchronising, roaming profiles etc is a little... flakey?

[ptstech.livejournal.com]

They did come up with a program for backing up .pst files: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=8b081f3a-b7d0-4b16-b8af-5a6322f4fd01&displaylang=en

[greatblondino.livejournal.com]

The real fun starts when some of your users work from home, via VPN. And some of them have laptops, some desktops. And they want to use Outlook on whatever PC they're logged in on...

I'm hoping I can get them to use Outlook Web Access on my new Exchange server and just tell them it's Outlook.