How do you help your friends and family with computer problems?

[orangecat]

Lately I have been really lazy and I have been redirecting friends and family to the LLT forums because i'm tired of helping them with basic stuff like my recycle bin is gone. Do you send people here when they need help?

[Snickerzz]

No, i do it myself i enjoy it although my families not constantly needing help

[MathijsZ77]

I only help them if it's not something I've helped with 100 times. Like drag & drop....

[Joshua]

I hate giving people in my family help, but unfortunately I've got the reputation for being a 'computer whiz' so I'm the one they go to. If they pay me, I don't mind so much.

[WoodenMarker]

No, i do it myself i enjoy it although my families not constantly needing help

This

 

--except when I'm told they want a simpler explanation of how to "just get it done" when I was already doing so.

[orangecat]

I hate giving people in my family help, but unfortunately I've got the reputation for being a 'computer whiz' so I'm the one they go to. If they pay me, I don't mind so much.

LOL true I only really help when they can't fix it themselves like their HDD dies or they cant boot anymore.

[Ps_domingo]

They usually feed me after or buy me PC stuff after a while so I dont really mind. :) 

[LDX]

only family, friends already know they need to bring a BigMac 

so long time that I havent heard from them...

 

But I often log in my Mom's computer to help her, she spents a lot of time in her netbook

so she always gets into troubles.

[Nexus]

Im fine with helping but sometimes im not allowed because they don't understand what i'm doing. It does get annoying.

At least i get to lord it over them for sometime afterwards...

[Adamz946]

I like helping them out, especially when it's friends so I can just teamviewer over and do it for them, family tend to want a "dummy" explanation of what was wrong etc. 

The thing I don't like is family offering my services to fix computers without asking me first!  :mellow:

[Broseephus]

99% of the time the problem is they are dumb and won't take the time to learn the basics of operating systems.

 

For the other 1% of the time I have them get Teamviewer and I just login and fix it.

 

 

I used to show them what the issue was, and how to avoid it in the future. Then I realized it was a huge waste of time, as they will not retain the information and will call me for the same thing in the future.

 

A lot of times I just tell them to google it and figure it out. I used to try and fix every issue when I was a teenager, but now it's just annoying as fuck.

 

The only person I still help virtually every time is my pops, but that's because he still pays for my greens fees whenever we go golfing. 

[SirReallySam]

I do the little things like, how to backup my mums HDD fortunately my dad is pretty good with tech so she usually just asked him.

[911^NEmeSis]

They usually feed me after or buy me PC stuff after a while so I dont really mind. :)

Yeah same here so I don't mind :D

[ShiverMePenguins]

i think when i did deal with that stuff i would just give up. i'm not one for family anyways (at least the american ones). sounds horrible coming from my culture but it is the worst thing to ask for help then reject it when it is given. it is so rude.

[MrPete1985]

My family has gotten better over the years, there was a time when they would not even install a program by without me.  I finally got fed up and went off on them, saying that it's not rocket science and to read what the box says.

 

once in a while I still get the call about the internet being down, then I tell them to power cycle the router and if that does not work call our ISP

[mybeat]

Used to help family and friends when I was younger.

Still help my mom and grandma, but stopped helping friends after I've got calls like: "Hey, you've did something to my computer, now I can't install this pirated game I've just bought." 

[Snickerzz]

"Hey, you've did something to my computer, now I can't install this pirated game I've just bought."

bahahahaha

[Rommer2258]

i hate fixing my family's computer problems, because mostly because half my family dosnt believe in me doing it they'd rather take it to the geek squad and my other half i have a stack of 7 laptops to fix for them. oh and my old last gen system my brother fried my old I-7 950 and the 480 sli in it, because he ran the loop dry... 

[M4XvPA1N]

I just go over and help my family out. My friends already know a lot about computers so they usually only come to me if they are completely stumped (rarely happens). My family on the other hand ie: "Max help me add my friend on my gmail so I can email them." <-Derp

[ofr057]

I send them to the Local IT shop they need the work and I dont have the time , most of the time they wont listen to me anyways

[XiaoPigs]

I usually just go over fix whatever the issue is and get paid or a free lunch. I'm the tech savy guy in my family so everyone calls me for help. It gets annoying sometimes but I enjoy it most of the time since I like tinkering around with the technology.

[rainbrodash666]

I use teamviewer to fix problems for my friend who lives in new york.and my parrents as long as they are not too bad

[SkilledRebuilds]

My Mum has lived with all my PC'ness before, and has learnt a lot when I was living with her, she can build her own PC easily, would rather fix it herself now than call apon me or my brothers, mothers become a little techie enthusiast herself.

However she still calls me for some things she cant find solutions for.. usually something that requires a hardware change, not that she doesnt watch or try to learn :)

But hey, A Mother who gets it!

[JaeDee884]

Point and laugh. Point and laugh.

Mostly cause I find it pathetic when my family asks me for tech help, mother did a bachelors in IT and dad did a diploma. 
So of course I charge them for basic assistance and give them free help if its genuinely complicated.
most of my mates aren't techies but so I help them willingly, but only if they're prepared to listen and learn.
 

[Skull Leader]

I give them my brother in law's phone number.