Customer of the Year

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

So I got this call from *unnamed ISP* indicating that a customer was getting only 2 megs on a 6 meg ADSL line. Still decent speeds, but still, something seemed off.

I telnetted into the backhaul switches. The utilization of the switches were fluctuating between 300% and 700% (NO that is not a typo). I asked the ISP if the customer was runnnig a server. He said that he had 6 PCs but at this time he has only one directly linked to his CPE. So I rebuild his backhaul. I got him moved to another backhaul... No change in bandwidth. He's running Windows XP on his machine. Apparantly, he hooked each computer up individually and there was no change in the bandwidth.

I asked the ISP to have the customer switch PCs. The customer switches it from the XP machine to the LINUX machine. Bandwidth drops immediately to 30% utilization over the backhaul. Speed tests cap out at about 5 - 5.5 megs. We check his XP machine for Viri, but there was nothing. So I mention spyware.

End user has never heard of Spyware. He had never run a spyware check. He didn't know that he was supposed to click "no" on those little popup windows... I pity the poor ISP having to walk this guy through downloading and removing spyware.

Dear lord. Issue solved! But only solved after wasting an hour and 20 minutes where I could have been working genuine issues.

Comments

On the subject..

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

On the subject of spyware, around my call center, I'm actually considered somewhat of an expert on the subject (having lost two installs of windows to spyware already due to experiments, and having used the freeware and licensed versions of at least a dozen different anti-spyware apps). I even had to explain to a another supervisor the difference between the now-defunct W32.spybot worm and the SpyBot: Search and Destroy program. After he'd told a less experienced tech that SpyBot was a virus.

I'm glad all we're required to do is say words to the effect of "(insert company name here) has an anti-spyware program that our sales dept can sell you, and you can also find free programs on the internet."

I'm going above and beyond by saying this much:
"While (insert company name here) does not support the usage of these programs, there are some good freeware programs out there called Ad-Aware and SpyBot, that have received favorable reviews in big-name magazines such as PC Magazine and others, and are available by typing "adaware" and "spybot" into a search engine such as google.com."

I laugh at the people who paid money for Norton's anti spyware program. I have no faith in Norton anymore =/

Hey wait a minute the guy's actually well versed enough to run 'nix, but doesn't know what spyware is? ugh...that explains a network of XP machines. XP = short bus windows.

I should really make more actual posts and less essay-length comments..

Re: On the subject..

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I couldn't believe it. How the hell do you run LINUX but be clueless about the internet or your XP machine. Aren't all LINUX people well versed in everything?

My respect for these people have dropped considerably.

Re: On the subject..

[oddigy.livejournal.com]

I haven't personally, but have you seen the install process of Redhat 9?

I hear it's extremely streamlined and idiot-proof.

D'oh. :|

Re: On the subject..

[oddball42.livejournal.com]

and linux in general such as mandrake, suse and redhat 9 are all getting much simpler and much more freindly. its actually easier to isntall linux now than it was to install win2k and on par with xp for easy.

Re: On the subject..

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

Damn!

in the defense of the average linux user

[oddball42.livejournal.com]

a one who switch hits linux and windows. its a matter of knowledge. think about it. 98% of the virii out there are windows, not linux. even larger amount of thespyware is ie/windows based not linux. so if a linux user never get hit by spam or virii on a regluar basis they are likely not ever going to see a problem.

also its like a mac user or a windows user or a *nix user. if they never use the other fro whatever reason then they never learn how to troubleshoot it. and aside from mac osx being unix based now its gerally a differnent beastie entirely. windows is very different than linux.

so linux users are not gods. they are just useing something different.

Re: in the defense of the average linux user

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

But seriously, NEVER HEARING OF SPYWARE? There are articles about it EVERYWHERE and I would assume that a LINUX user would pick up a PC magazine every once in a while.

[terata.livejournal.com]

Um... er... I'll have the Chicken!

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

Oh.. Sorry. We're all out of Cake.

[jacobine.livejournal.com]

Add to the fact how freakin' noisy windows machiens are. I always block the stupid broadcast traffic from my firewall's graphs. Aiee.

But still, how can you not /know/? He didn't wonder about all the random little popups he was receiving all over his desktop? Argh.

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

He thought it was just "part of having the internet" and unavoidable. Poor guy.

[teawithfrodo.livejournal.com]

I came here randomly and saw your icon and had to tell you how much I love it...
and how hard I'm trying not to go
"cake or death"
"death...I meant cake"
"No...you said death...oh alright, good thing we're church of england..."

[azraelsdaisy.livejournal.com]

*lol*

I heart Eddie.

[teawithfrodo.livejournal.com]

my fiance mae me buy the DVD...
I was with my mother and started randomly doing babies on spikes...
she was confused