The IT Guy

How often do you find porn on machines you get asked to look at?

Asked by armnhammer over 12 years ago

In the corporate environment not so much, but when you do side jobs or help people out they have a tendency to stick around while you work on the PC. (you find out why soon enough) Then you stumble across the files and cookies that show some pretty crazy websites. The look on their face is priceless, they act as if they have no idea how it got there. We really dont care it is just funny when you bust them. Most of the time the wife has that look on her face of i cant wait for him to get home. Glad I am long gone by that time.

Other than just being polite, what's another good way to get in good with my IT guy so that if I'm in a pinch he'll move me to the front of the queue?

Asked by Q_Bert over 12 years ago

Honestly, I will help the people who I see or talk to on a regular basis. If there is someone who say's hello to me everyday, or we have a work friendship, I will generally put those people first. For the people who ignore me on the elevator, but then are at my desk 3 hours later with a huge issue, I wont jump them to the front of my list. So the lessen is, be nice to the IT guy, ask how weekend was or how his kid is, etc. It makes a huge difference. Don't only talk to us when you need something, we are more than just the geek in the corner of the office or the creature who emerges from the server room.

Do you think computer science should be a mandatory class in K-12?

Asked by ruth over 12 years ago

considering that my 2 year old daughter has been ipad and mac proficient for months, yes I think it is important because there is no escaping technology.

I'm sure everyone that comes to you thinks their problem is life or death, but what kinds of IT problems are the REAL holy-crap-drop-everything emergencies??

Asked by mixed upppp over 12 years ago

When the corporate domain crashes, the PBX goes down. Anything the really stops production. when someone cant open a file or convert a format that is critical to them to us that is just day to day calls. When a server stops responding or the telephones can't make or receive calls that is the a very bad day. normal staff do not understand all the design and hard work that goes into supporting the real workings of a network or phone system they just call or email and think things just work. they have no respect for the hours and hours of hard work that we put in to get things running.

Do you like the other IT folks you work with, or do you keep to yourself? Seems like a cranky bunch in every office I've ever worked in - no offense! ;)

Asked by -7-7-7- over 12 years ago

Well do keep to ourselves. I have a few select people i go out of my way to talk with during the day. When it comes down to it we have so many things going on and maintaining operations. Some are cranky, some just goof around but the serious ones are the guys that work 24/7/365. We have a job to do and it takes as long as it does to complete. So we are under a lot of stress. That shows through in some IT people, because people think things always work and never know how hard we work, and get no respect. Sounds like Rodney Dangerfield but it's the truth

What's the the stupidest question you've ever gotten?

Asked by k.g. over 12 years ago

More of a story than question, About 5 years ago I was working at a customers location when a guy I have known for years ask me about an issue with his home laptop. I asked the normal questions, when did it start, did you load any software, did you open any funky email attachments? The standard trouble shooting skills every IT guy has in his belt. So at the end I asked him if he could just bring the laptop in so I can see it with my own eyes. So the weekend passes I go out of my way to stop by his office and when I see him he shows me a picture of his laptop!!! I looked at him and say "what am I suppose to do with this?" he looks at me and goes you said you wanted to see it. I dont have to explain anymore about this.

When someone calls IT with a really dumb question and the answer turns out to be really really obvious, does the person usually admit it was dumb, or make some excuse as to why it wasn't?

Asked by ytrewq over 12 years ago

Well it usually starts out with "I have a dumb question" that is a sure tell sign it will be something ridiculous. With that being said they know it is dumb; but we have to entertain it anyway. After you answer them they normally admit "oh yeah thats how I do it at home" for whatever reason they seem to lose any knowledge of PC's when they arrive in the office. Sometimes they just make you get it working then run to a meeting or some other excuse when you try to explain so you dont have to repeat yourself each week when they run the same report all the time.

Do most companies monitor their employees web-surfing?

Asked by Jay over 12 years ago

Yes they do, well most have the bad sites blocked at a very high level if the department has the funds to install the software/hardware to monitor. Bottom line is if you are part of a company network they are watching or can very easily find what you have been or not been doing. There is software that records all phones calls and all PC activity....... that you cannot deny once confronted.

Is it true that Macs don't get viruses?

Asked by algrayson over 12 years ago

They can get viruses it is not a myth. Apple products are just harder to crack because they use an old unix code that is a lot safer than windows. Newer Macintosh operating systems, such as the Mac OS X, is built on the Unix kernel, which is one of the oldest and most secure operating systems available. Microsoft Windows is used by a lot more people than the Apple Mac OS. Because more people use Microsoft Windows, it is a much better target than Apple computers. Most of the computer virus writers are more familiar with the IBM platform and Microsoft Windows, which means its easier for them create a virus for that platform. Many of the tools and scripts used to help users create viruses or other malware are designed for Microsoft Windows. Hence the reason why at home I only have Apple products. I let my 2 year old hammer away on the windows machines...why because they will break anyway so might as well let her have fun destroying something that will crap out on it's own.

Outside of the office, are most IT guys Mac or PC guys?

Asked by jon over 12 years ago

I can really only speak for myself here. I am a full on Mac shop at home. Most are PC guys because that is the bread and butter for them. I have so many issues at work during the day the last thing I want is to come home and fix a Windows PC or a dead phone. So I use Mac so I have no worries. Think of it like this, would a chef come home and make minute rice, frozen preformed burgers and frozen vegetables? No he would make it fresh because he knows what is right.

Am I vulnerable in any way when I connect to an unknown and unsecured wi-fi hotspot at a hotel or coffee shop?

Asked by starfk over 12 years ago

Anytime you are using a shared open connection you should be careful. Make it quick and just browse none personal websites. Don't do all your banking and personal web based services. You could also get yourself a hotspot form any cell carrier and that would be a secure connection just for you, for around 30 bucks a month it is worth it and you always have it with you. A dollar a day is better than your personal info getting leaked into the wrong hands. then dealing with the nightmare of identity theft. Just be smart , be safe and if it can wait till you are home wait.

I work for a billion dollar company, yet our office computers are a decade old. They are so slow it's ridiculous. Is there anything I can do to speed it up. The IT dept couldn't care less that my work computer is a dinosaur.

Asked by Mishy over 12 years ago

IT has a tight budget because people think well it works no need to replace. Well that is fine until the companies production goes down and they are out of business for a few days. Any company should spend the money to keep the systems and workers PC up to speed. They don not have to be the lastest and greatest but seriously when people take twice as long to get things done thing of how much that cost the owner when people are unproductive?? What it cost to give someone a nice 22 inch monitor and a fast PC is around $500, one time. a small investment to have people get more work done if you ask me.

How far ahead of the 'good guys' do you think hackers are these days?

Asked by anton over 12 years ago

The bad guys will always have the edge. The only reason the good guys write code or try to shut them down is because the hackers are so far ahead of the game. Just like any great rival, Tom and Jerry, spy vs spy, my bank account versus bills that are due.(I tend to have a bad spending habit and the money is not always there) Some one always prevails. Don't get me wrong there are some bright good guys but the only reason they are busy is because some bad guy found a loop hole. Think of it like Vegas, when they bust a conartist or someone that cheated the casino they hire them to run security. Why you may ask???? Because they are that damn good!!!!!

If you fix someone's problem and try to tell them how to avoid it in the future, do they welcome that advice or just tell you to get lost until they have the same problem again?

Asked by l-town86 over 12 years ago

Depends on their position at the company. Upper management types just assume you will always help them right away and never ever say Thanks. (They think since you are in the office things just work perfectly with no issues EVER) They don't want to know how or why they just want it fixed yesterday. In the same breath they say "If you are here you must not be doing your job otherwise this would not be broken" They will also say this should never happen. Everything should just work all the time.......100% uptime. The regular people will say thanks and go out of their way to remember what you did or explained what the procedure is. So they don't go on the pay no mind list. Usually they do and only call when they get jammed up again. Or they get promoted and fall into the other category mentioned above.

How can I get around the block that my company puts on accessing Facebook?

Asked by luuuuuuke over 12 years ago

Well I can't stand facebook, so I dont have to worry about getting on there and building my fake farm or worry that someone woke up and will not accomplish anything today (other than posting on walls and reading updates all day) If you must and cant live without facebook use your smartphone or bring your laptop and hook up to some WiFi. Unless you work for a PR firm leave your social media addiction at home. It robs bandwidth for people that actually need the web to get their job done.

Have you ever been tempted to go over to the 'dark side'? Do you think there's more money to be made doing black- or grey-hat hacker stuff?

Asked by anton over 12 years ago

If you feel that lifestyle is necessary and dont care about karma go ahead. Me I keep things legit and work hard for all i have accomplished and that is more satisfying than scamming.

Has anyone tried to bribe you to get their IT problem pushed to the front of the queue? (And did you accept?)

Asked by The Finch over 12 years ago

Can an internet service provider still see what i type in the url bar if I was out of range of the internet

Asked by DrPayback over 7 years ago

My tv antenna (nipple) has come off how do i go about fixing it? led tv and i notice it was attached to circuit board. Any suggestions? And is it possible to fix myself?

Asked by jay over 11 years ago

Before someone hires you to do IT, is it just a regular interview process, or do they put you through some kind of "I.T. guantlet" where they wanna see you troubleshoot a few things first?

Asked by Biff over 12 years ago

Hi, apparently someone i know is retrieving my deleted messages on my phone. He can even hack their numbers. He's using it to threaten me and the people around me. What should i do? I think he's using a software to retrieve it. I am on postpaid line

Asked by Hacked messages on android over 7 years ago

I'm pursuing a degree in information systems and I'm torn. I don't know whether to concentrate on business analytics or information security. Any advice would be awesome! Thanks!

Asked by Christopher Gentile over 9 years ago

So I have an ex boyfriend who somehow keeps going through my iMessage/email. I've changed all my passwords so I'm not sure how he's doing it. Any thoughts???

Asked by Susie almost 8 years ago

where can I get printer programs for a brother MFC-J6710DW?

Asked by Carla over 9 years ago

Can a person fake an email address? Can a person pretend to be a recruiter from a larger consulting agency or company and fake an email address so that the domain name looks like it came from a larger institution?

Asked by Jai almost 9 years ago

i opend a game and i presed the development points a coupl of times can it take money from my phone bill ???

Asked by dzoni over 10 years ago

What is the nature of a hard wired scanner? Is it connected to a LAN? And if so, does it need an 802.1 or higher certificate?

Asked by Jay about 9 years ago

What is the nature of a hard wired scanner? Is it connected to a LAN? And if so, does it need an 802.1 or higher certificate? I'm referring to a barcode scanner.
Asked by Jay just now!

Asked by Jay about 9 years ago

With increasingly higher quality HD displays will smaller tv sizes eventually become unusable. Like how small will we be able to make pixels?

Asked by Tyler over 8 years ago

Can a Cisco Catalyst 2950 switch be linked to a Catalyst 2960-S POE switch? If so how?

Asked by Dan S. over 7 years ago

hi there, iv just upgraded my graphics card to a Gefroce 1060 and when I used to play counter strike it was fine good frame rate, but now it seems laggy and slow, everything is on low settings aswell.

Asked by anthony about 8 years ago

I have started a virtual assistant business. Can I use Remote Desktop to access my client's server rather than a workstation, like I was another workstation in their office?

Asked by brantvla almost 10 years ago

How do I know if I've been banned from a site by my IP address? Thanks.

Asked by John about 8 years ago

I have dual band router. My iPod allows me to pick either 5ghz or 2.4ghz. My two laptops only connects with the 2.4ghz. The PC laptops only shows the 2.4ghz signal, does not show both like like my iPod. ?????

Asked by Tom McArt about 9 years ago

Given how much shift there's been to mobile and tablets, does your day consist more and more of dealing with those kinds of devices, as opposed to regular computers and laptops?

Asked by brikhaus almost 12 years ago

What kinds of technical problems reported by employees have stumped even you? Is there one in particular that sticks out in your memory?

Asked by Skye757 over 12 years ago