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AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
there's quite a lot of free RDP type stuff out there?
Even skype with a screen share might help?
As above, remote desktop apps are the way to go for sanity to remain intact.
TeamViewer FTW - set it up for unattended access and away you go (they don't need to do anything then)
Oh god, that is painful. FWIW Google Chrome Remote desktop thingy used here. However just getting to the point of having a shared desktop can take a good half an hour on the phone!
My mothers computer is completely different than any other computer in the world, and her OS and software don't operate in the same way as any I've ever used.
what he saidAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
occasionally my dad calls me for advice while I'm at work, my colleagues have been pissing their sides hearing my end of the conversation and seeing how worked up I got.
My mum has a knack of getting fool proof sockets connected wrong. USB in the network socket anyone?
i taught my ma and da how to use computers no bother. (shitloads of) patience and telling them it's ok to break it is the key.
Me to mum: "open your browser window"
...
...
...
...
...
"I've clicked google twice and it's not doing anything"
"just be patient"
"Oh I've clicked it again now"
"Just wait, your computer is old and slow. This is what we need to fix"
"I've clicked it again. Oh, it's opened four windows and they're all white. it won't let me move my mouse now"
AAAAGGGGHHHHHH
It took me 1 1/2 hours of being on the phone to my who was only buying a TRAIN TICKETS. A day travel card from Reading to London. Unbelievable how difficult it was. The worst bit was when she had go to the payment screen she got her details wrong, at this point she decided that she shouldn't continue. Luckily I convinced her to try again. Third attempt done. Never again 😯
I ask my Dad to look for something on the desktop and he thinks I mean on the physical desk the computer is sitting on! It's frustrating because he knows this stuff but just seems to go totally blank when I'm trying to guide him through something.
Just Starting to worry that I am turning into one of those parents.
The hours of fun I'll have at the children's expense! 🙂
Teamviewer is now my new favourite best ever bit of software. The years if closing my eyes trying to imagine what they can see and 'failsafing' every single command into language they might understand are now behind me!
I had someone from admin (someone presumably employed with PC use being a requirement of their job) do this to me this morning.I ask my Dad to look for something on the desktop and he thinks I mean on the physical desk the computer is sitting on!
just like my dad, he just seems to act dumb when I'm on the phone.It's frustrating because he knows this stuff but just seems to go totally blank when I'm trying to guide him through something.
working on an IT helpdesk some of the time really opens up your eyes to how some people view IT.
Example 1
"This piece of finance software is no good its rejecting zero values in the chargeable cost field"
"Okay, I've tried it and it works for me, can you try again"
"nope still coming up with an error"
<lots of time later>
"How are you entering a value of zero in the numeric amount field?"
"I'm typing in 'Z E R O'"
<bangs head on desk>
Example 2
"I've reset your password to computer, with a zero instead of an 'O'"
"Which 'O'?"
<puzzlement>
"err how do you mean which 'O', theres only one 'O' in computer?'
"No there isn't - C O M P O O T E R"
<bangs head on desk>
Too many more to mention.
I use www.join.me to sort stuff on my parents computer.
Easy to use and free.
woody2000 - MemberTeamViewer FTW - set it up for unattended access and away you go (they don't need to do anything then)
This, plus, when you set it up put a shortcut to it right in the middle of their desktop.
My mother can now book hotels, flights, ferries etc etc with ease.
She gives me her card details and I do it for her over the phone on my PC.
I'm lucky, my mum's a total expert in IT.
When I was moaning the cost and complexity of setting up an SQL server, she told me not to bother and that Access would be just as good.
woody2000 - Member
TeamViewer FTW - set it up for unattended access and away you go (they don't need to do anything then)
Thank You (altho tbh sorting out their comp when I go round for T, gives me something to do, rather than spending the evening being lectured by them about stuff).
I'm lucky, my mum's a total expert in IT.
When I was moaning the cost and complexity of setting up an SQL server, she told me not to bother and that Access would be just as good.
Is there any chance she is looking to adopt another son ?
Teamviewer, as stated, is a life and sanity saver.
In these situations, ipads and tablets are the devil's bottom whiskers as you can't access them remotely and have to go back to saying "the icon called settings" "yes there, is, it has '[b]settings[/b]' written below it" "it looks a bit like a thingamybob" "oh ffs, if you don't buckle down and do this missy I'll be getting brochures for nursing homes." "oh, found it have you!"
*bangs head against the wall*
Talked my parents into having an iPad each for this very reason. Not had to provide any "support" at all in two years.
Rachel
[quote=allthegear said]Talked my parents into having an iPad each for this very reason. Not had to provide any "support" at all in two years.
And they prop the door open just brilliantly.
Strange way to treat your parents all the pies
Seriously, Teamviewer. Tell them to go to the website and select 'join a session'. Get the ID and PIN, you install the full client, enter their details, win.
Cougar - Moderator
Seriously, Teamviewer. Tell them to go to the website and select 'join a session'. Get the ID and PIN, you install the full client, enter their details, win.
I just tested 'join a session' and it downloaded exe software, to go thru the installation process. My parents would struggle with that or rather it would be a nightmare talking them thru it, so might be worth setting up their end first as well.
[quote=B.A.Nana said] so might be worth setting up their end first as well.
That's what I did. On a visit to said parents, setup and test the remote access software. Job done.
Try having parents living in Bulgaria, crap internet connection, dad who thinks he knows what he's doing, deletes half the files in the OS, and mum who won't listen.
Ipad support on Wednesday took 2 hours on Skype to get them to force reset her ipad, and then to close all 500 apps she had open, so it won't freeze up before I could get them to back up to iCloud. This hasn't been done for 4 years! Trying to run on 250mb of memory. After the backup and the deletion of 450 apps, it now has 50gb of space and works like its new.
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH
In related news,
My uncle used to ring me about once a month with computer problems. He was one of life's fiddlers, can't leave it alone and was a bugger for magazine cover discs. Calls would invariably along the lines of, "my printer wouldn't print in red, so I reinstalled Windows and now..."
Eventually I installed Acronis on his machine. Then when he bollockses it, he reboots, hits a function key, clicks "yes" and it's back in the state I last left it. He never rang me again.
I bought my parents an iPad a few years ago, their laptop has not been used in over 2 years so i never have to fear [i]that[/i] late night phone call.
How do people support parents with a Hudl? Teamviewer no worky, any of the others mentioned above do the job? My end could either be PC or Android device.
What support do they need?!
Found the perfect music for it:
Echo the above comments about iPads.
However, slight issue in that my dad loves his iPad, but it's a first gen and old enough stuff aint working so well as no-one targets it for testing etc. and no new updates. But as it "still works" he won't replace it.
For tech support, the trick is FaceTime calls, then get them to point the back camera at the other iPad*
*only works with parents with two devices.
"I can't find my file"
OK, no problem, let's open Explorer and find it.
"How do I do that?"
Hold down the Windows key (followed by explanation) then press E
"OK"
What can you see now?
"The screen is flickering"
Weird, that shouldn't be happening.
"Can I let go of the keys now?"
That was a long call, while we closed 1000 copies of Explorer then figured out Word was set to open .txt files instead of .doc
Need to be careful with team viewer etc.
I had a call trying to help get photos off a phone with the father in law. After a bit of dicking about it started to work and presented...
Him and the mother in law in the buff running round the garden. He did quite a decent job of trying to style it out while I bleached my eyeballs. You can't un see things unfortunately.
Founds all sorts of porn clogging their system up in the past too. Seems non of that sort of attitude has worn off on the misses though:-(
Teamviewer. Oh how I love thee.
Thank you stw
All the above is easy.
Try explaining the concept of a 'cursor'. And how it moves around on an onscreen tv menu by pressing the up, down, left and right buttons on the tv remote.
What support do they need?!
Just general use stuff really. Recent example was every email my mother sent was blank. We went through it in detail and she assured me she was doing everything properly as instructed but still blank emails. Would have been very useful to have been able to share her 'desktop' to see what she was doing. Control also potentially useful to demonstrate stuff eg closing apps.
No one on the Hudl support?