Stabby stabby!

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

So my boss calls me yesterday and wants to know why a particular user can see some files that he shouldn't be able to see. Lots of miscommunication occurs until I finally figure out what he wants. Now, the network is all xp home, except for the servers (2k) and several 98 machines that are not mission critical. Anyway, come to find out that the guy before me shared out people's c drives and then just left them. No guest account password, nothing. Well, he wants to know why the info isn't secured. I do some looking into it and figure it out (xp home, no passwords for shared folders, etc). So I secure everything and put the most sensitive data on the 2k server, which is where it should have been in the first place, but don't get me started on that. Anyway, one of my more clueless users looks at me, as she tries to get this software we use to connect to the share and it asks her for a password and says, "Is it gonna do that every time I restart?"

OF COURSE! You wanted security! That's what you get with security, password prompts and extra steps!

I mean, seriously.

I also got told that they had no problems with it before I worked there. Apparently, my predecessor was some kind of fucking genius or something and knew how to do everything (NOT! he's the one that made those shares in the first place, I'm sure, or told clueless fuck how to). Anyway, do you guys (and gals!) ever get compared to someone that worked there before you, or are you blissfully unaware of your previous employee's endeavors?

Where's my LART when I need it?

Comments

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

I seriously think that her computer is gonna have an "accident." What's a good evil way for that to happen? *thinks*

[jecook]

115V on the network card should toast the NIC, and maybe take the bus with it.

THis can be easily accomplished with a Etherkiller and a 24 hour timer set to turn on five minutes from when you plug it in.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Good call. May just have to do that.

[(Anonymous)]

to bad it's not a windows 9X machine, could have changed the shell= line in the system.ini (think that's what it was) from explore.exe to ack I can't remember, it was the win3.1 shell. Been to long. That way there is panic but no real harm done.

Or the blue screen of death screen saver.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

That's a good one (the blue screen of death). I had a fake format program thing.

The yust with the glue gun

[khorne.livejournal.com]

I was never compared to the guy before me. However ... after realising that the receptionist had a piece of crap computer, one day, I decided to go into the mountain of spare parts in the back (they never threw anything away, I swear) and build her a nice new-er computer that can actually run at speeds over 100 MHz.

I open up about a dozen computers from the spare parts area and, low and behold, every single component in the old computers has been hot glued to the motherboard. PCI cards, Ram, even the CPU; everything.

Aparently they had some problems with people stealing stuff. However, this is NOT the way to go about fixing that. Even some computers that are in use had glued components in them.

This is why my predicesor has been dubed "The yust with the glue gun".

Re: The yust with the glue gun

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

OH.MY.GOD.

You're shitting me, right? He really hot glue gunned everything in?

Well, it is technically a deterrent, and I don't think it's very conductive (is it?), so it has logic, but.....uh.....just put a frapping lock on the case (right, like those work anyway). That is mind boggling.

Re: The yust with the glue gun

[khorne.livejournal.com]

No, I'm dead serious.

But here's the funny thing. I don't know if you know this, but hot glue doesn't stick too well to circut boards. It was pretty easy to get most of it off; you would just scratch the hell out of the boards with the screw driver you were using to pry to glue off with.

I managed to get most of it off every time I worked on a computer with it. But everytime I'd have to open up a new box to fix it, or to get parts, you could always hear me scream "damn the yust with the glue gun!"

However, at least this guy password protected peoples accounts ... not that anyone EVER logged off, or the fact that the password 10 times out of 10 was simply the username ...

Re: The yust with the glue gun

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Well, he had somewhat of a clue. I just couldn't imagine using HOT GLUE on a motherboard! I can barely stand touching it with my fingers for fear of ESD'ing it (unlikely, I'm very careful, but still). I know some admins that share out the root of the drive (coughmypredecessorcough).

[sneezypb.livejournal.com]

Wait until you have this one... A boss who used to do your job years ago and tries to answer support calls only has to come to you to determine why it is the answers he gives didn't work (aka made it much worse).

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. My boss thinks he can do my job right now. Says he's been doing it for years. My question is, why does he need me then?

[bamatone.livejournal.com]

Ha, it's actually kind of funny, the situation I'm in. See, this is my second stint at this particular tech support job, and usually the employees are comparing me to people who worked there in my absense. And I *always* win out. *bg*

So basically, they've seen how it *could* be, without me ever having to actually call their bluff and quit just to show them. (Not that it's ever come close to that - just saying.) :P

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Nice. I just love how they talk about him, but I can find fault with near everything he did.

[sober-panda.livejournal.com]

That reminds me a job I had back in the day...

It was a very lowly tech job, but a tech job nonetheless. The first time I interviewed for it, someone else got it. A year later, they called me for another interview. That time, I got it. I was working with one other guy; the guy who I had lost it to the first time.

He. Knew. Nothing. He didn't even know how to put a shortcut on the desktop. He screwed up everything he did, but they just didn't know any better.

That's the problem with tech jobs. The people who are gauging how good of a job you're doing typically don't know the difference between a good job and a bad one.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Very true. It makes me wonder what they think a good job here is.

[sober-panda.livejournal.com]

I think it requires a glue gun.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

ROFL. Yeah, I'm gonna run around with a bandit mask on and a hot glue gun in a holster on my hip and hot glue gun everyone's pcb's down!

"Who was that masked man?"

"That was the Glue Gun Bandit!"

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Er, leaving aside the open shares, XP Home Edition? And Win98 machines?

Obviously your idiot predecessor hadn't heard of "passthrough authentication" either.

Tell them they need to get a proper domain asap if they're REALLY worried about security. Idiots!

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Don't get me started. The 98 machines are for getting contact information and aren't intended for anything more than that. It pains me to have them even near my network, believe you me.

The Home edition computers are computers that the owner purchases on a whim and tells me to hook up. It drives me nuts, but frankly I don't give a rats ass. I'm giving 2 weeks tomorrow and that's all there is to it.

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

I replaced a guy who got a promotion to full-time on another campus. He spent about two days "training" me, and then I was left all on my own (I'm the only tech on our campus). For almost six months afterward, there were still people sending him work orders or calling my supervisor on the other campus directly instead of just asking me.

They also roped me in to doing things that the other guy didn't do, which I didn't figure out until I talked to him almost a year later. Needless to say, I stopped doing them after that. Stupid shit, mostly, just because they didn't want to do it - like helping students get logged in during the weekly placement tests.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yikes. Sounds almost like the situation I'm in. I feel sorry for you, I really do.

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

Eh. I've been there 2.5 years now (5 total with the college) and I've managed to get most people on my side. Still have a handful of people who are terrified of computers and think I'm the boogie monster, but not nearly as bad as when I first started. Everyone is behaving themselves now :o)

Hope you find someplace a bit better after you turn in your notice.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

I do too. Know anyone hiring in the Dallas/Ft Worth area?





BTW! Love the icon! I'm a major Stargate Fan and I kicked myself for not mentioning anything sooner.

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

I'm in Kansas City, and I don't even know of anyone hiring here. Sorry.

Me love Stargate :o) Woohoo!

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Stargate rocks! Aren't you in a couple of other comms that I'm in? Stargate eps and whatnot?

[residentgeek.livejournal.com]

stargate_women. I'm also in hail_dorothy (Sam fans), janetfrasier, sam_and_janet, scifi_friday, stargate_comedy, stargate_icons, and stargatevids.

Jeez, I didn't realize the obsession was that bad...

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is bad. I see some I need to join, HEHE!

[jjjiii]

XP Home at work?? I'd look for a company that can actually afford its IT dept.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, don't get me started. All due to my "beloved" predecessor.

[theogrin.livejournal.com]

"A unique alphanumeric password with both upper and lower case, huh? P...a...s...s...w...o...r...d. ...why isn't it working?"

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

bwahahah. I hear yah.

[khorne.livejournal.com]

ROFL!
Way too true

[dysan27.livejournal.com]

Where's my LART when I need it?

I'm sorrt the surgons are working as hard as they can to remove it ftom the last person you used it on.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHAHA. You just made me laugh, a lot. Thanks man, I needed that.

[lions-tambua.livejournal.com]

Security ? Windows-XP HOME ??
You cant even take Windows-XP home into an DOMAIN.
lets see my apartment:

1 Linux NAT Webserver/Router
1 Netfinity 5000 with 2x73GB Hotplug HDs as future Domain-Controller. actually only test system
1 DK2825 Unix Terminal Server
1 Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition - Primary Domain Controller, FileServer, Exchange Server 600GB Raid1 (1200G whole capacity) ALL Secured over Domain-Policies
6 Win-XP Professional in that domain (3 laptop, 3 Workstations)

i already had 5 hacking-attemps. they didnt manage to get in yet.

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. The network is piss poor. Unfortunately, I had to make do with what I had. I am definitely leaving today, and I'll be glad to be rid of the place. The guy before me SUCKED and I'm getting blamed for all the shit that he did wrong.

You got a good set up for your place. I was finagling around with a domain for the house at one point. Got it all set up and everything. Was pretty nifty.

I could have sworn there was a utility for xp home to join a domain. Perhaps a software app or third party application, not sure.

[lions-tambua.livejournal.com]

sure... you just need to edit one registry-string in XP-Home then you can join the domain. but thats illegal ;)

[docskurlock.livejournal.com]

We would never do anything illegal, would we?