computer knowledge

[wseyller]

As I don't do a lot of network stuff, I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer here.
But while any network training is always a good thing, make sure you understand the network you are working on before you try to apply that knowledge in the field.

A portion of that is the management that ask the tech to provide service should have a decent idea of that tech's strengths and weaknesses. Of course sometimes things don't end up to what they seem. But don't send a tech with basic network/computer skills to an install that requires skills beyond their skill level. Such as having to install drivers on a server and having to mess with active directory and permissions for smb scanning.

It amazing me though how some businesses are. One client, a medical type business with multiple branches that has multiple domains and servers but are too cheap to subscribe to any IT service. They have one manager that doesn't know anything except how to login and add a user to AD. So they expect the installer to be their IT for anything involving the equipment we install. And that is when you can get into trouble if you send someone that doesn't know what they are doing and for example cripple a domain controller. Then liability with big $ signs comes into play.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Synaux]

A manager I worked for had "repurposed" a standalone fiery from a machine that took a headed off the delivery truck. He claimed it would only work as a fiery because that was what it was designed for. I asked if he wanted and updated computer for his office and "borrowed" the fiery. I told him for about 100.00 I could "build" him a new computer. It took about 3 days of searching for drivers and finding workarounds for some special cards in the fiery but a week later I brought in his "new" workstation running winblows 2000 workstation. Hooked it up and had him running 30 minutes later. 2 weeks later he was asking where the fiery was and told him to look under his desk.....

Very cool man! I always thought about trying it, but the only ones I have had access to that weren't being used were too old/slow to justify the effort.
Kudos!

[Synaux]

A manager I worked for had "repurposed" a standalone fiery from a machine that took a headed off the delivery truck. He claimed it would only work as a fiery because that was what it was designed for. I asked if he wanted and updated computer for his office and "borrowed" the fiery. I told him for about 100.00 I could "build" him a new computer. It took about 3 days of searching for drivers and finding workarounds for some special cards in the fiery but a week later I brought in his "new" workstation running winblows 2000 workstation. Hooked it up and had him running 30 minutes later. 2 weeks later he was asking where the fiery was and told him to look under his desk.....

Very cool man! I always thought about trying it, but the only ones I have had access to that weren't being used were too old/slow to justify the effort.
Kudos!

[Synaux]

Why did that post twice...whatever.

[Akitu]

Then liability with big $ signs comes into play.

Have customers sign a liability waiver as I do. Saves you a world of hurt later on when they call back.

That's the usual case with a lot of techs I think, in that a company is too cheap to hire an IT solution and expect us as techs to be their IT support. It's just a matter of explaining explicitly what you're going to do, and in some cases, doing nothing until the customer completes and returns an IT site survey. Wording is key in this day and age, not only does one require a silver tongue, but razor sharp wit to accompany it.

[mikadonovan]

Other than a Commodore 64, I bought my first computer when Windows 95 first came out. A Packard Hell with a lightning fast (lol) Pentium 100 processor (I think it was like $2200.00) That was a lot of money back then. I have been into repairing and building PC's ever since. Years later it became a part of my job as a tech. A few years ago my ex old lady asked me, "how do you know all this stuff ?" A simple answer. I find it interesting. Who knew it would become part of a regular work routine?

[Phrag]

One client, a medical type business with multiple branches that has multiple domains and servers but are too cheap to subscribe to any IT service. They have one manager that doesn't know anything except how to login and add a user to AD. So they expect the installer to be their IT for anything involving the equipment we install. And that is when you can get into trouble if you send someone that doesn't know what they are doing and for example cripple a domain controller. Then liability with big $ signs comes into play.

And that's why I do not volunteer to play around with anyone's network to get something working. I might have a look, but if nothing stands out, I leave the damn thing alone. I don't want to be responsible for crippling a server.

More often than not though, the server's are headless or password protected.

[CompyTech]

I started out as a kid with a Mac. Moved to PCs as a teen mainly cause Macs did not have the games or the specs to run them at that time. Built my first computer around 13 or so (with help of course). Upgraded it, swapped parts out etc, kept it for about 6 years+. I just got into tech about that time frame, watched a lot of Tech TV, like 24/7.

Got my first computer job as a part time bench tech/office goolie.. Then moved into the copier field. I do mainly 75% of time, mechanical work on machines. I have developed the skills for networking etc that comes from on the job experience/ learning. It's not always cut and dry, but gets easier over time.

We are also moving into a world where its not just computers now in the traditional sense. I try to follow mobile tech as well. Soon you will get a service call where customer can't print from their iPad, but laptop works fine. I had this happen. I told them "well it's not going to print using 3G, try using Wifi"

[fixthecopier]

If you don't use it, you lose it. And the only way to really learn something is to do it. That is why my IT knowledge is limited.

On base, they have their own It contractors and I have no access. Fortunately my 325 bizhubs are not connected, for security reasons. This only applies to the Special Ops area I work. The rest of base has theirs connected, and that copier company pretty much has to keep an IT person on base, but he has no access to their system either. Has to be a nightmare for him.

I work on a lot of printers and that is where I but heads with IT. The contractors who do IT are not mechanics and from a mechanics view, are not sharp at all when it comes to printing. To win their contract, they included that they would work on the printers. Then they put in the contract that they could only use HP, to keep everything simple for them. The contract also states that the HP's have to have a 3 to 4 year warranty. So if it is really broke, they are supposed to call HP, which means the only thing they do as far as working on them, is to change the fusers and transfer belts that the customer can change themselves. Nice huh?

That's where I come in. I get paid to save the printers that IT told them to replace. Some of these "broken" printers have a bad toner cartridge or need feed rollers. It told them to buy a new printer.

Some of the network problems I get drug into...

Clean and replace fuser in HP 4600. Get call later that it won't print. It says it is something I did. I explain that is not possible. After my third trip over this issue, I made them put it in my truck, took to my shop hand discovered that it no longer liked pcl drivers, would only print on Ps.

Sold new HP 5200. Cust called and said it wouldn't print correctly. He was right. Would not match paper size. Could not get IT to change drivers. Took to shop to prove it worked correctly.

Change a feed assembly on a HP 4525. They call and say they can't print. Once again I am trying to explain that my repair had nothing to do with that. Fortunately this unit had an in house IT person and when I talked to her about it, she told me not to worry about it, it was a server issue.She said "I bet none of those guys told you they can send windows test prints all day long, it just picks and chooses which packets it wants to print." No they did not.

Most recently, I get a call for an HP4700 that will not wake up. When in sleep mode, they send a job and it will not print until they open and close something on the printer to wake it up. When the job is sent, the data light blinks one time then stops. Open and close the door, and it wakes up and prints. I am thinking firmware. I order a card and the day it comes in, the building next door calls with the same problem on the same model printer. These are part of the same unit and on the same network. This changes everything. What are the odds. I go to the new call and put the firmware in and it does not fix the issue. It is the network I told them, change the drivers first. Then I am told that they called IT first, and the guy spent hours out there doing that and declared that the problem was in the printer. I explain that the IT guys are idiots, keep a band of drivers that they keep loading from and are therefore loading bad drivers or have a server issue. This is in an operations center, and printer is critical, so I tell them that I will solve this right now. I insist that they load it in a truck, follow me to the shop where I put it on our network and it works just fine. Now when the customer listens to the IT person, and replaces the perfectly good printer with another newer model, and the new one works, well the new one got new drivers loaded, so it appears that the IT person fixed it. I would guess that the IT contractors on base send millions of dollars of perfectly good equipment to their death every year. Those are wasted tax dollars.

You can't bring a cell phone or laptop into any of my buildings, and you can't use thumb drive ports on any military computer. Makes it a little more difficult to troubleshoot in one call.

The other thing that comes to mind is overhearing the IT guys cussing because they went out and fixed a problem, but get called back because the customer has let someone else , a relative or friend who knows just enough to be dangerous, in their network, and they have undone everything. Our shop sends the IT guy to hook you up the first time for free, after that you get charged.

I would love to expand my computer knowledge, but it happens just a little bit at a time.

Oh yeah, one time I went to a printer that would not print. The IT rep was there. I ask "Can you ping it?" She tilted her head to the side and replied "Ping???"

[Akitu]

Oh yeah, one time I went to a printer that would not print. The IT rep was there. I ask "Can you ping it?" She tilted her head to the side and replied "Ping???"

Great stories, your last one here reminds me of an install on a Ricoh SP 3410DN I did last year. I was relaying to their company's IT support that the gateway address does in fact, matter. If the gateway is not identical to the network it would not be able to print, scan etc... I could hear him flipping through pages of his beginner's manual as I was doing it, they tried to ream me out for not setting up the machine to their specs. I had said "I can do it your way, or I can do it the right way that will work".

After a week of having it set up to their specifications, and not working, they finally called me back to try it the correct way. It saddened me to know that guy was probably getting paid much more than I was, and knew absolutely nothing about his job. I've since heard the situation has not gotten any better, and I feel bad for the one lady who works in that office. She's very nice and very understanding that it's not our fault, it's on their end.