Users and their Diagnoses
Jan. 13th, 2005 04:12 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
docskurlock.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
techrecoveryA little background on me. I work for a small network in Dallas. They're pretty self sufficient, but anything that requires actual "knowledge" gets handled by me.
Needless to say, today, a computer would not stay on. Now, this computer is used by an attorney, with higher education and whatnot. The following is the conversation:
Me: Hello?
Attorney: (name), my computer is down.
Me: ok, what's it doing?
Attorney: Well, it's doing that thing it did last time.
Me: what thing?
Attorney: It won't stay on, it gets to the windows thing and then shuts off.
Me: ok, have you let it sit for a minute?
*note: he likes to rapidly reboot all the time, so sometimes, I ask him to lay off for about 5 minutes and usually things are hunky dory
Attorney: It has sat for TWENTY minutes. It doesn't even turn on.
I come to the realization that he has had his power strip and "ups" for about 15 years now.
Me: have you tried just plugging the computer and monitor into the strip?
Attorney: ok, I'll try that.
5 minutes later
Attorney: IT WILL not start, I'm completely shut down, I can't do anything. (Which isn't true, he's got two more computers there that he could easily work off of.)
Me: ok, did you try just the computer in the power strip?
Attorney: YES, I tried that, from the wall (no, he didn't) and it still will not work.
Me: ok, I'll be there as quick as I can.
Attorney: Let me tell you what I think it is. You know how some things have fuses.....
Me: no, I don't think that's it at all (Attorney).
20 minutes later I arrive. I go and check the power strip, two of the buttons are clicked off, and it's one of the ones that you see in SG-1, at the gate console, with the horizontal row of power switches. Like I said, OLD. I plug the computer into that, where it was previously in the "UPS." Computer will not even start, so I fidget with the two switches that are off. Computer will start, then stop, won't turn, then turns on, boots all the way up, then turns off. So then I plug it BACK into the "UPS" and make sure it's firmly seated. Hit the power switch, turns right on, and stays on.
So what I deduced was, that his power strip is fried or almost fried and that he didn't actually try to plug it into the wall. I also love the fact that he tried to tell me that a fuse was bad inside the computer.
Bleh! Also, the "UPS" is one of the older, small, 2 socket variety. Not much good for anything anymore and most certainly not safe as a backup, hence the quotes around UPS.
Needless to say, today, a computer would not stay on. Now, this computer is used by an attorney, with higher education and whatnot. The following is the conversation:
Me: Hello?
Attorney: (name), my computer is down.
Me: ok, what's it doing?
Attorney: Well, it's doing that thing it did last time.
Me: what thing?
Attorney: It won't stay on, it gets to the windows thing and then shuts off.
Me: ok, have you let it sit for a minute?
*note: he likes to rapidly reboot all the time, so sometimes, I ask him to lay off for about 5 minutes and usually things are hunky dory
Attorney: It has sat for TWENTY minutes. It doesn't even turn on.
I come to the realization that he has had his power strip and "ups" for about 15 years now.
Me: have you tried just plugging the computer and monitor into the strip?
Attorney: ok, I'll try that.
5 minutes later
Attorney: IT WILL not start, I'm completely shut down, I can't do anything. (Which isn't true, he's got two more computers there that he could easily work off of.)
Me: ok, did you try just the computer in the power strip?
Attorney: YES, I tried that, from the wall (no, he didn't) and it still will not work.
Me: ok, I'll be there as quick as I can.
Attorney: Let me tell you what I think it is. You know how some things have fuses.....
Me: no, I don't think that's it at all (Attorney).
20 minutes later I arrive. I go and check the power strip, two of the buttons are clicked off, and it's one of the ones that you see in SG-1, at the gate console, with the horizontal row of power switches. Like I said, OLD. I plug the computer into that, where it was previously in the "UPS." Computer will not even start, so I fidget with the two switches that are off. Computer will start, then stop, won't turn, then turns on, boots all the way up, then turns off. So then I plug it BACK into the "UPS" and make sure it's firmly seated. Hit the power switch, turns right on, and stays on.
So what I deduced was, that his power strip is fried or almost fried and that he didn't actually try to plug it into the wall. I also love the fact that he tried to tell me that a fuse was bad inside the computer.
Bleh! Also, the "UPS" is one of the older, small, 2 socket variety. Not much good for anything anymore and most certainly not safe as a backup, hence the quotes around UPS.
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