Sometimes you just have to SEE the Stupid

[hisamishness.livejournal.com]

I had a user who was going all batty over 'her system' duplicating files 'on it's own' when she tried to delete them. She makes the typical end-luser noises about having had this problem for years and there is a ticket history and see what the other people did to fix it, etc. I remote in and sure enough, there are Copy 1 and Copy 2 and Copy 3 and so on of LOTS of her files. She says this happens when she deletes files... Hrrmmm.....

I watch her try to delete 30 or 40 files. She's holding down Ctrl and clicking on each additional file to add it to the selection... and partway through the clicks to early and drags the selection and Presto - More Copies!

A minute of explanations and instruction in Ctrl vs Shift selection methods and this three year old problem is laid to rest.

How can it be that she knows about Ctrl-Select but not Shift-Select? .. Or that over the past few years nobody has caught it?

Comments

[boogara.livejournal.com]

Usually, lol, people exaggerate the 1 week thing into 1 year to get pity...bastards.

[hisamishness.livejournal.com]

Nope - not this time.

It has a ticket trail.

Sort of like the lady who could reliably make her Mac start printing - what was it - 17 or 25? - copies of anything and everything sent? The odd thing - it would only happen on Friday afternoons when she was rushing to get things out for FedEx pickups. We even gave her a loaner Mac - no change.

I really wish I knew how she managed that one.

[whammypower788.livejournal.com]

lol, or even the click + drag method

[doublefelix.livejournal.com]

On a vaguely related topic, my dad's computer actually IS mysteriously copying one file repeatedly. He will delete the file, then a week or so later it will appear again, on the desktop. If he doesn't delete it, it creates a copy rather than remaking the file.
It's incredibly strange.

(note: he uses Debian)

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

My first instinct is to ask what kind of file, and then jump into full troubleshooting mode, but it's the wrong comm for that. :)

[foobarintel.livejournal.com]

NO! YOU STARTED THIS AND NOW WE'RE GONNA FINISH IT!!!!

What kind of file, let's jump right into trouble shooting this like rice on ice.

[doublefelix.livejournal.com]

I don't know much other than what I just said, as neither of us really cares about this problem; it's a small file of no importance and it doesn't bug him.