Monday, March 19, 2012

Remote Computer Repairs (Rant)

For starters, I should make mention that this is not only an informative report on remote computer work but also a bit of a rant on just what sorts of problems I am faced with while performing remote service work:

Over the years computer technology has truly become much more user friendly and with the added advantage of faster internet speeds it makes the ability to connect to a computer remotely that much easier. For me it is all about preventative maintenance and so the ability to connect and repair/update a computer BEFORE it becomes a 'bench case' is essential. Nobody wants to have their computer ripped from their home and out of commission for days at a time. The computer has become such an integral part of our lives.  Fortunately in many homes there is more than one and/or the ability to use your smart phone to at least stay in touch and be able to check your email.

The ability to use a secondary device while your computer is being worked on is key for me. Since there are times when registry and/or virus scans are being done or your system is simply being optimized after being cleaned whereas you should not be using it but because it is in your home it seems almost impossible to stay off of it.. ok that is fine but why must you go and reinstall the crap that was just removed?!   Actually in the past week I have run in to people having printer problems (thanks to the crappy HP software/drivers in both incidents) but for whatever reason, after removing and cleaning off everything, they went ahead and reinstalled the software without my consent, even though they knew I was working on the problem, causing nothing but frustration for me as it was like taking two steps backwards, or the loss of a few hours of my life while I sit and watch the HP uninstaller reboot the computer a number of times just to get what should be, a very small printer/scanner driver, but unfortunately HP makes it in to a 650mb software bundle complete with spyware and adware (hp update, community support, supply watch). Only to have to perform this a second time... since you were already having printer troubles, going ahead and reinstalling the device software is not always the solution to the problem, especially if you already have someone looking in to the problem.. and the problem here is the fact that the computer is still in your home and there to use... this is why, in some instances, I have had to make it quite clear, that even though the computer is there, PLEASE DO NOT USE IT UNTIL YOU HEAR BACK FROM ME and to treat this as a computer that has been pulled from your home and is now sitting on my work bench.. no matter how much you want to check your email or quickly check Facebook! What's wrong with these people, do they not want their computers fixed?