... and so my shitty Friday continues

[Papa_Complex]

On Friday I ended up dealing with two issues, that were caused by other people's stupidity. I can handle when things just go wrong, but when someone actively screws up something he doesn't have a clue about?

The first was an issue with an antivirus programme. Said antivirus got a bad virus definition file, about a month back, that marked the programmes updater as a virus. It also marks any installation programmes and updaters as viral. No big deal, since it's still running. Takes about 2 minutes to fix it.

Unless someone uninstalls it. Then you have to reinstall Windows, because the manufacturer didn't come up with a mitigation process. Guess what someone did.

Then there's the issue with these systems we have, around campus, that display date, time, news, and advertisements both for on- and off-campus clients. We had some trouble getting a couple of them to update so techie boy from the programme's manufacturer remotes into them, to tweak them. For some reason he reboots one of them before he has reset the auto-login profile name. As a result he loses access and the system is just displaying a login screen. No problem. I go on-site and fix it. He then seems to have decided that he didn't like the drive letter assignment for some bizarre reason (no idea why, since it doesn't have any effect on the software's ability to run) and completely pooches the RAID array that acts as the secondary drive. At least I THINK that's what he's done.

And here I am spending yet another day, trying to recover from these two screw-ups.

[Trip]

What's a programme?

[Papa_Complex]

What's a programme?

It's when you refer to a piece of computer software in the correct manner, without being too lazy to add the final two letters.

[njchopper87]

Heh.. yeah, sounds pretty typical. I'm learning how to deal with people that think it's the end of the world if they can't perform one of their job functions. Types in an email "I can't save this document. An error pops up." copies supervisor on (expected) copies VP of the institution on (being a bitch). "I can't access My Documents." copies supervisor + VP..

Do not like problematic department. It's not like the added pressure helps solve any strange issues, it just hurts since I'm now nervous to perform an attempted fix that could hinder them further (granted I can reverse it, but they don't understand that!). I'm not a genius; I don't know everything! Some things can't be fixed in 5 minutes.. damn.

On the bright side I'm learning how to use Dell Kace products, so that's pretty fun.

[Papa_Complex]

I'm fine with it when things simply break. I'm fine with it when a user needs a little education. I'm fine with it when someone makes an honest mistake.

It drives me bloody batshit crazy when people think they know what they're doing, when what they're actually doing is lobbing a live grenade into a room.

[njchopper87]

Yeah, I understand. In the small time that I've been at the place I mistakenly helped uncover several "quick fixes" performed by support. We don't have the time to monitor what they're doing while they're in the system, or at least every move they make. I can tell you one thing though, in light of a recent discovery we're making it a point to ask exactly what they did to fix the issue at hand. Both for documentation purposes and to cover our asses..

[dubbs]

I'm fine with it when things simply break. I'm fine with it when a user needs a little education. I'm fine with it when someone makes an honest mistake.

It drives me bloody batshit crazy when people think they know what they're doing, when what they're actually doing is lobbing a live grenade into a room.

Yup.. I left early Friday and see that a client lost connection to the internet. The ISP said there was an outage. I get a call on Sunday that the ISP says there isn't an outage (first ISP tech lied to us for some odd reason) One of my low level techs was troubleshooting for hours.. VPN worked, but internet didn't.. I looked at it for about 10 minutes after he goes.. Yeah I was clicking around inside the firewall and the internet went out at the same time.. Weird huh? :wtfru:

He unchecked the rule that allows internet traffic out... :?:

[fasternyou929]

On Friday I ended up dealing with two issues, that were caused by other people's stupidity. I can handle when things just go wrong, but when someone actively screws up something he doesn't have a clue about?

The first was an issue with an antivirus programme. Said antivirus got a bad virus definition file, about a month back, that marked the programmes updater as a virus. It also marks any installation programmes and updaters as viral. No big deal, since it's still running. Takes about 2 minutes to fix it.

Unless someone uninstalls it. Then you have to reinstall Windows, because the manufacturer didn't come up with a mitigation process. Guess what someone did.

Then there's the issue with these systems we have, around campus, that display date, time, news, and advertisements both for on- and off-campus clients. We had some trouble getting a couple of them to update so techie boy from the programme's manufacturer remotes into them, to tweak them. For some reason he reboots one of them before he has reset the auto-login profile name. As a result he loses access and the system is just displaying a login screen. No problem. I go on-site and fix it. He then seems to have decided that he didn't like the drive letter assignment for some bizarre reason (no idea why, since it doesn't have any effect on the software's ability to run) and completely pooches the RAID array that acts as the secondary drive. At least I THINK that's what he's done.

And here I am spending yet another day, trying to recover from these two screw-ups.

So I'm curious, in scenario one do you fault the user for uninstalling or the antivirus vendor for failing to mitigate such a rudimentary troubleshooting step?

[Papa_Complex]

So I'm curious, in scenario one do you fault the user for uninstalling or the antivirus vendor for failing to mitigate such a rudimentary troubleshooting step?

The first scenario is something that I've seen happen with every antivirus I've ever worked with, and there are quite a few of them. I blame the manufacturer for not having a process by which the elements of the antivirus can be removed easily, by script, in case of such an eventuality.

I blame the so-called 'technician' for trying to deal with an issue that was clearly over his head. The indications from the antivirus, that were right in front of his face, were of a massive virus infection. He's not a technician, which is why I keep putting the word in quotes. My group exists specifically to deal with the sort of issues that he saw.

I blame our helpdesk for either not paying attention to instructions on how to mitigate this issue, or not understanding what they were told and not asking the necessary questions if they didn't understand. I have talked complete computer illiterates through remediation of this issue in under 5 minutes, over the phone. I can do it myself, on-site, in two.

Basically I was handed a cluster fuck; a case in which not one person did what was expected of them.

Yup.. I left early Friday and see that a client lost connection to the internet. The ISP said there was an outage. I get a call on Sunday that the ISP says there isn't an outage (first ISP tech lied to us for some odd reason) One of my low level techs was troubleshooting for hours.. VPN worked, but internet didn't.. I looked at it for about 10 minutes after he goes.. Yeah I was clicking around inside the firewall and the internet went out at the same time.. Weird huh? :wtfru:

He unchecked the rule that allows internet traffic out... :?:

Every now and then I get a call from a user who swears that the network is down and it turns out that he just accidentally disabled his network connection via randomly clicking on the network icon in the tray.

[Rangerscott]

ill take all that crap over the weeks worth of intestinial pains Ive been enjoying.

[Papa_Complex]

ill take all that crap over the weeks worth of intestinial pains Ive been enjoying.

And if I you were dealing with that WHILE this other crap was going on?

[Rangerscott]

And if I you were dealing with that WHILE this other crap was going on?

Id show everyone whats coming out my back door.

[Papa_Complex]

So I didn't even need to ask, to know the answer :lol:

[Cutty72]

Ugh, I feel your pain. One of my "subordinates" is out for 2+ months for a hernia surgery. (not sure why so long?) So I get voluntold to do his work for him. Finding out that he really hasn't done a damn thing in 6+ months, but I am expected to fix it so it's right by the time he gets back, PLUS do my own work.

Oh, and my supervisor is on half days due to medical, so I'm covering her work too.

[Rangerscott]

What? Yall dont enjoy doing extra work for same pay.

[Tmall]

So it added four or five extra mouse clicks to your day? I can see why it would bother you.

[njchopper87]

So it added four or five extra mouse clicks to your day? I can see why it would bother you.

It's funny how many people where I work think all I do is sit and browse the internet all day while they do "everything." Then they get upset when something doesn't work as intended and I don't know the answer right off the bat. And, the world ends when I'm helping someone else. "You have to be available!" This is true, and I am. It's just I have to be available for everyone in the institution and not just you! And they wonder why those new PCs sitting in the back haven't been deployed yet..

The best part is I'm just an assistant. I can't imagine the stress my supervisor is under.

[Papa_Complex]

So it added four or five extra mouse clicks to your day? I can see why it would bother you.

In the case of the display system it resulted in me having to drag a 75 pound rack mount computer a Kilometre away where I swapped it for the system the remote tech killed. I then dragged the dead one a Kilometre back to my office where I figured out what he had done to it (incorrect passwords, screwed up RAID configuration, wrong software settings...), and how to fix it. After that I dragged the system a Kilometre away back to the original location, where I swapped it out for my backup system. I then brought the swapper back to my office. All this for special software that I have received absolutely no training on, and yet somehow know more about that the company's support techs.

In the case of the buggered antivirus I humped the system from 4 floors above my office (I'm in the sub-basement) where I backed up the user's data to external drive (about 20GB), then reinstalled Windows XP and the 140+ updates that have been released since SP3. Then I hauled it back up to her office and got it back into service.

Yup, just 4 or 5 mouse clicks.

[Papa_Complex]

It's funny how many people where I work think all I do is sit and browse the internet all day while they do "everything." Then they get upset when something doesn't work as intended and I don't know the answer right off the bat. And, the world ends when I'm helping someone else. "You have to be available!" This is true, and I am. It's just I have to be available for everyone in the institution and not just you! And they wonder why those new PCs sitting in the back haven't been deployed yet..

The best part is I'm just an assistant. I can't imagine the stress my supervisor is under.

Funny thing is that I'm actually surfing right now while simultaneously dealing with three of those display computers I mentioned in order to get them ready as emergency replacements (so that I don't get caught out like the last time). While doing that I also took 6 phone calls for assistance, emailed a supplier, and did the paperwork to close out the work orders I completed today :lol:

[OneSickPsycho]

It's funny how many people where I work think all I do is sit and browse the internet all day while they do "everything." Then they get upset when something doesn't work as intended and I don't know the answer right off the bat. And, the world ends when I'm helping someone else. "You have to be available!" This is true, and I am. It's just I have to be available for everyone in the institution and not just you! And they wonder why those new PCs sitting in the back haven't been deployed yet..

The best part is I'm just an assistant. I can't imagine the stress my supervisor is under.

The biggest issue with technology folks is a lack of understanding... Nobody understands what you do and when you explain it, you have to explain it like they are 3 years old just so they could follow, and as a result it all sounds super quick and easy. That's why tech departments are generally at the top of the list of shit to cut when it's time to downsize...

[Papa_Complex]

The biggest issue with technology folks is a lack of understanding... Nobody understands what you do and when you explain it, you have to explain it like they are 3 years old just so they could follow, and as a result it all sounds super quick and easy. That's why tech departments are generally at the top of the list of shit to cut when it's time to downsize...

Clients have told me that I should teach, based on my ability to break things down to words of one syllable, so that isn't much of an issue for me. It also helps that my particular specialization is actually generalization, so users get to see a good chunk of what I do to help them out.