Experiences with non-techies

[Guest andyysplash]

And then you bring up Linux... after which they shut their traps...

Or come up with lame excuses normally containing "it's not Apple", " but it's free so surely its a virus" and/or "what the hell's that? Something technical for nerds???????? Look at my shiny. The logo lights up"

[Guest andyysplash]

Just as a mini disclaimer: I'm a potential future customer RE: macs for audio purposes (CoreAudio is a fantastic audio subsystem)

[DigitalHermit]

Just as a mini disclaimer: I'm a potential future customer RE: macs for audio purposes (CoreAudio is a fantastic audio subsystem)

 

Did the 2009 iMacs have that? I might've experienced it firsthand when I worked using an iMac...

[pspfreak]

Or come up with lame excuses normally containing "it's not Apple", " but it's free so surely its a virus" and/or "what the hell's that? Something technical for nerds???????? Look at my shiny. The logo lights up"

My logo lights up, and i dont even have a mac. I have an hp laptop from 2009

[babbaj]

I'm starting to make a name for myself at my school as "The kid who is good with tech"

Bad idea

[Extingquish]

Bad idea

I'm trying so hard to keep a low profile, while still helping people

[BuntzenB]

ALL THE TIME people are like "Hey Ben my Mac has been acting weird lately with ads and stuff and its slow and I cant open stuff" (for the record I have a Windows). And I'll say something along the lines of "Do you have a virus?" And without fail every single one of them is like "Macs don't get viruses dumb ***" and I will just facepalm for the rest of my life (and install something like AVAST) One time I even had to do this for my sister and it was realllly bad (and i think her HDD was dying because it was making the weird clickies) and I installed AVG and she left it sort of running for around 2 days without checking on it and when she turned it on it hung on the login screen and she brought it into the Mac store and blamed me for breaking her Mac, and then to make matters worse at the Mac store the dude there told her that AVAST is bad for her computer and it doesnt need anything else because it can't get viruses. WOW

[Guest]

ALL THE TIME people are like "Hey Ben my Mac has been acting weird lately with ads and stuff and its slow and I cant open stuff" (for the record I have a Windows). And I'll say something along the lines of "Do you have a virus?" And without fail every single one of them is like "Macs don't get viruses dumb ***" and I will just facepalm for the rest of my life (and install something like AVAST) One time I even had to do this for my sister and it was realllly bad (and i think her HDD was dying because it was making the weird clickies) and I installed AVG and she left it sort of running for around 2 days without checking on it and when she turned it on it hung on the login screen and she brought it into the Mac store and blamed me for breaking her Mac, and then to make matters worse at the Mac store the dude there told her that AVAST is bad for her computer and it doesnt need anything else because it can't get viruses. WOW

No idea how that person managed to be come an apple "genus"...

Also when you installed AVG and the guy at the store said avast was bad?

[rrgghh]

I work at a tech helpdesk for a software company so I have a million of funny stories that would be perfect for this post. But my favourite would have to be a lady that called up and abused me for 10-15mins because her emails wouldnt send off. When she finally calmed down I asked if she had IT i could contact on her behalf (many sites have IT that manage their practice). Shes then tells me their IT is currently next to her and has been working on their internet for 2 hours because it was down. Best thing about the whole situation is that our company has nothing to do with emails.

[WinNut]

Nrr...Norton for Mac is a thing, so now my dad's going to install that bullshit on my Mac if I get one...

[Extingquish]

Nrr...Norton for Mac is a thing, so now my dad's going to install that bullshit on my Mac if I get one...

"But macs don't get viruses" 

 

That's been said way too much in the last 2-3 pages I know

[BuntzenB]

No idea how that person managed to be come an apple "genus"...

Also when you installed AVG and the guy at the store said avast was bad?

 Well avast was on there also. But this just demonstrates the genius of this apple genius

[elecxonica]

-snip about Macs and not geniuses-

They once told my mum that the business class Sophos was the reason that her mac was kernel panicking constantly.

[Wardojack]

 Well avast was on there also. But this just demonstrates the genius of this apple genius

Yeah, but you shouldn't really have multiple antivirus programs running together. This reminds me, my friend keeps spouting this nonsense about how he's got like 5 antiviruses installed and has them set up so they don't conflict...

[Boink]

I really hate it when people see me using my phone and ask me if it's the new iPhone. It happens so often that all I have to hear is "Is that the new..." before I can answer their question.

"No, it's not an iPhone. It's a Nexus 5."

 

I get that most smartphones look similar but, really? The Nexus 5 and iPhone 6 have some huge differences between them.

[Guest]

I helped a friend build his Pc, he really didn't have a clue what anything did. He knew the basics but not enough.

 

I had to tell him all of the components to buy and explain that not just 'any' will do.

[legoset0]

My mum still uses windows vista. She also thinks that us using the internet slows her computer down. She also says that when her computer is slow there must be heaps of people on.

[UNFKNBLVBL]

A big one for me is "my computer is running slow I think I need a new one" and thats normally with a pc 6-12 months old it is always bloatware and adware plastered all over the computer that "installs itself" luckily I have this from linus to save me explaning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOCbIPiX81c

 

A lot of friends also don't understand the need to format a pc and might need linus to do a video explaining why that is import for windows pc's 

 

I also get asked a lot, what to buy and I normally give a lot of reasons of what to get and why, keeping prices down with only spec's they need

Most friends want a Mac or a PC/laptop with an i7

I hate Apple and try to convince them that they are overpriced and locked down, only good if you want to do video and software editing because of the software

And I have explained so many times that an i7 will not make a difference for everyday/light gaming use but they just don't seem to understand

 

Had a similar issue with the new gopro's explaining that the 4 black 4k recording capability is pointless to the consumer, most aren't going to upload at 4k and most can't view at 4k

Luckily on that occation I was listened to

[Mistersprinkles]

In 1999 I was shopping for a new computer for myself (this was an era before I started building my own). I go to a "Mom and Pop" computer store. The guy shows me his list with all the different builds he does. He goes "I recommend this one for most people" 

 

It was a 486DX66!! I sh*t you not. In 1999, this guy was pawning off 486DX66's on people. He was selling the tower for a good $900. No doubt he was getting the chips and boards for like fifty cents a shot. I called him a b@stard and left.

[DigitalHermit]

In 1999 I was shopping for a new computer for myself (this was an era before I started building my own). I go to a "Mom and Pop" computer store. The guy shows me his list with all the different builds he does. He goes "I recommend this one for most people" 

 

It was a 486DX66!! I sh*t you not. In 1999, this guy was pawning off 486DX66's on people. He was selling the tower for a good $900. No doubt he was getting the chips and boards for like fifty cents a shot. I called him a b@stard and left.

 

Don't worry... We've got shops selling P4s for 10kPhP (approx 200USD) and they sometimes sell them as "gaming" PCs to raise the prices...

[kirashi]

My girlfriend is broken. If I bang her will she be fixed?

 

No, that's not how it works. Only the younger brother of @Mike_The_B0ss can fix things by banging them.

Give her to him and she'll be fixed. The OP says so, so it must be true.

[Geekazoid]

Some of these stories are quite ridiculous. It really goes to show just how uninformed a lot of people are. The one thing I hear a lot, which I know has been said, is people calling the computer case the CPU or Hard Drive. That one I just have a good ole laugh at.

EDIT: Grammar correction.

Edited November 8, 2014 by Geekazoid

[Fgtfv567]

In 1999 I was shopping for a new computer for myself (this was an era before I started building my own). I go to a "Mom and Pop" computer store. The guy shows me his list with all the different builds he does. He goes "I recommend this one for most people" 

 

It was a 486DX66!! I sh*t you not. In 1999, this guy was pawning off 486DX66's on people. He was selling the tower for a good $900. No doubt he was getting the chips and boards for like fifty cents a shot. I called him a b@stard and left.

Have you seen the pics of Office Depot "New Computer Services" I posted that are total rip-offs? anyway that same store sells DDR1/2 ram and a Radeon 6850 I believe

Edit: it's on page 578

[Mohenjo]

I once had someone approach me saying that her Web cam wasn't working and when i went to her house to fix her problem her "Web Cam" was an old Camera from the 90s on top of her computer not even plugged into anything. 

[Mistersprinkles]

Last night my mother calls me over. She's on her ipad. "How to I put this in facebook". 

"How do you put what in facebook?"
"This" (points to two links)

"Cut and paste it"

"How do I do that?"

(I highlight, cut)

"Go to facebook now and paste it"

(she goes to facebook)
"How do I paste it?"
"Double tap"

(she does two taps 3 seconds apart)

"No double tap faster. Ok now tap paste"

"This isn't what I wanted"

"But these are the links you wanted to copy and paste, mom"

"No this is two things I only wanted one thing"