I too, am an IT person (a damn good one too! Ouch! I just broke my arm patting myself on the back). I would like to give you a look at what we deal with on a daily basis and just why your so-called problems that really aren’t major are pushed to the bottom of the pile sometimes.  You, the users, have to understand that we are responsible for more than just your issues and things have to be managed in an order of importance.  I’m not saying that your problems aren’t important, but you being unable to change the background of your computer to a family portrait versus an entire fleet of computers crashing are on two different levels here. Sometimes, things need to be placed in front of others.

Another thing that you need to get out of your pretty little heads is that we are the root of all evil and inconvenience when it comes to your phones, desks, computers, desk trolls, copy machines, coffee makers, wall portraits, microwaves, and fax machines. We are not the masters of the universe here and firmly believe that a network upgrade is not going to cause the microwave to explode your cup of soup. Stop sticking foil in it and you won’t have those problems anymore. The software upgrade didn’t cause your home phone line to stop working, so stop calling us when you can’t use up your four million hours of America Online (AOL) because there is no dial tone.

If you want good and fair treatment from your office IT person, here are some things to avoid doing/saying to them:

1)      Ask us to come over and look at a computer problem that you’re having and then go for coffee out of the building.  That way you’re not there when we arrive.  It’s okay, we can wait.  It’s not like we have anything better to do according to you.

2)      When we come over to move your or set up computer, don’t provide any help whatsoever when it comes to running wires under your desks.  We have extendable arms and have no problems stretching that far.

3)      Call us to help you fix iTunes or any other music playing software.  IT people don’t really care about their jobs and have no problem violating the company’s acceptable use and anti-piracy policies when it comes to music and movies.

4)      Second guess us when you are given a correct answer, especially if you didn’t want to hear that particular one. IT people love having their abilities challenged by second-rate employees who stare at spreadsheets, get coffee, or pass out mail for a living.

5)      Let your kids play with the company laptop at home.  IT people love finding endless amounts of pornography, viruses, spyware, and Webkins that can crash our servers the next time the laptop is connected to the company network.  After all, what is disaster recovery for anyway?

6)      Make yourself sound more important than you really are when we have to consult other members of our team for a problem.  Use buzz words like “lead-time” in your attempts to pressure us.  Solitaire will be running by the end of the day, don’t worry.

7)      Copy our boss, our boss’s boss, and his boss’s boss when you’re feeling neglected while we’re trying to solve your problem 20 minutes after the incident.  We love having our work questioned by 12 different people…it builds character and proves to be quite exhilarating.

8)      Get angry with us when your personal pictures can’t be recovered from the company computer you crashed. We deeply regret that we can’t get back “Little Timmy Riding His Bike for the First Time” since the only place that you kept it was your work computer and not somewhere safe.

9)      Tell us you’re young son can fix the problem faster than we can when you see us struggling. Industry certified IT professionals love having their abilities compared to those of obese 10-year olds who spend all day playing World of Warcraft eating twice their weight in junk food.

10)   Call us over for an emergency when all that you need is a toner cartridge changed.  HP and Ricoh just put instructions on the box to make it look pretty.  Apparently the orange tab that says “Remove” isn’t clear enough and you need a Master’s to figure it out.

11)   Stand next to our desk/cube/office door and glare at us while we’re on the phone doing remote troubleshooting. The pressure makes us work faster…we live to serve.

12)   Drop your computer off at our desks with no description of the problem, password, or power cable. We love a challenge, especially when the battery is dead too. It also not a big deal for us to remember everyone’s password.

13)   Call to complain about not knowing how to do your daily job functions. Since we are all knowing, we should have to know how to do yours, ours and everyone else’s jobs. We entered all of the data in your Access databases too, so complain when the results of your queries are not accurate.

14)   Call and yell at us because your home internet connection is slow. We control that too, that’s why we always sign the checks when you mail the payments in.

15)   Don’t offer to help whatsoever when you see one of us pushing a dolly with expensive equipment on it. Opening doors with our heads and asses is a skill they teach us in Geek School.

16)   Don’t ever use Google! You might actually solve the problem on your own and then you won’t need us anymore.

17)   Ask us to help you log into personal use and social networking websites. That way you can blame us when your bosses write you up for being a slacker. If we would have never helped you, you would have never even thought of browsing to that website or shopping online.

18)   Demand that we come over to your desks to work on your computers when you’re sick with the Swine Flu, Black Plague, SARS, TB, Smallpox, or any other terminal illness. There’s no such thing as remote assistance and we don’t want to be a burden by asking you to click “OK” when we try to connect to your machine. Plus, we like being sick too and want to spread your illness to our loved ones at home.  That way, we can all share in the misery!

19)   Call us when your desk lamp shorts out and smells up your cube. It doesn’t matter that you have your cell phone charger, mp3 player charger, space heater, curling iron, warm plate, phone headset, monitor, and computer all plugged into the same outlet. That’s not a fire hazard and couldn’t possibly be the reason why the light doesn’t work anymore.

20)   Come over to our desk to ask us something, then insult us by looking at pictures of our wives, kids, etc. and say things like “How much did you pay that woman to pose with you? I didn’t think computer geeks had girlfriends let alone wives and children. Are they nerdy too?”

If you can honestly say that you’ve treated your IT person like any of the ways listed above, then shame on you. No wonder why your stuff is pushed aside (because you’re going to criticize it no matter what). We are here to help people. That’s why we made this a career in the first place. Think of what we do in relation to a medical doctor.  They work on people, we work on computers.  All in all, we both fix things. Do you really want your IT person to be labeled as the Brooding IT Guy with a meek exterior that is hiding a quiet, seething rage? Keep in mind that the “Brooding IT Guys” know more about you and your computer habits than yourself, so assign them mundane tasks at your own peril in that case.

We are not the bad guys here. All that we ask of you, the user, is to listen to what we’re saying when we are trying to help you. Write down the ways to fix the small errors so that you can be a little more self sufficient with your computer. What we do is complex, that’s why there are so many of you and so few of us. We have to balance time and prioritize certain tasks, which mean that other requests may get serviced before yours. If you can’t live with that…then tough, sorry, get over it. If you go to our bosses, they probably already know that you are one of the people who always have problems and 9 times out of 10 it’s the same problem. How do we know that? We’re IT people, we document just about everything. Individually, I can look up every problem that my users have ever had. So don’t think that you’re going to pull a fast one on us because it’s not going to happen. Just remember, if IT people were really malicious (there are some in this world), they can make your lives pretty miserable in the office. Files can disappear, your passwords may not work anymore, all of your precious desktop settings and icon placements can get screwed up, the list can go on but it doesn’t have to. Treat them with respect and you’ll get the same.

Post from: RogueDeals

Rules for Dealing with IT People in the Workplace

“I’M A MAC!  I DON’T HAVE PROBLEMS, VIRUSES, OR HARDWARE CRASHES LIKE PC’S DO!!” 

This is not a history lesson discussing the company. What I will tell you that in the 80s and 90s there were two main computer giants, IBM and Apple.  When a consumer purchased software, they always had to read the box and see if it was Apple or IBM Compatible.  These two platforms were not interchangeable, which means what worked for one would not work for the other.  Presently, Big Blue (IBM) has somewhat disappeared from the consumer market and have been focusing on the corporate/enterprise side of things.   Apple however, remained in both markets and with a little help from an unexpected friend (Bill Gates)*, they were able stay afloat and become the powerhouse they are today (the stock price is over $180 as of the day this article was written).

Don’t get me wrong, I love some of Apple’s products.  I currently own a Macbook, two iPods, and an Apple Airport Wireless-N router with a built in 1.0Gbps Ethernet port and USB print server.  I have over 4,000 songs in my iTunes library as well as many digital copies of movies.  The fact that I can print from anywhere in my house wirelessly is also a huge bonus.  I just need to explain something to all of you about Macs just so you all are not caught with your pants down when you get your first virus. 

Before Apple allowed Intel and Microsoft to be a part of their computer design process, they used a type of hardware infrastructure with firmware/software that was impervious to viruses.  The G series processors were either too complicated to crack or weren’t cared enough about for viruses to be written specifically to infect them.  That is why Macs never needed any type of antivirus/anti-spyware software.  Present day, Macs use an Intel Processor.  As we all know, Intel processors are typically used to power PCs that have a Windows operating system (OS).  Everyone knows that Windows is susceptible to viruses because everyone has had one at some point in their lifetime of using computers.  When Mac adopted Intel, they have left themselves wide open for malicious software.  Before all of you die hard Mac enthusiasts scoff at me and say “Doesn’t matter, still won’t get infected! It’s a Mac!” I think you should know that if Apple was so confident that their machines couldn’t get viruses, why are they allowing vendors to release security programs for their operating systems? Norton, Intego, and several other manufacturers are releasing anti-virus/anti-spyware programs geared specifically towards Mac computers.  Apple has actually made it worse for themselves by sponsoring programs like Parallels and BootCamp that allow Windows enthusiasts to load Windows XP/Vista/7 on their Mac and use it just like they would any normal PC.  This software even allows “sharing” of programs and files between the OS’s.  As a matter of fact, Intego actually released a dual-protection anti-virus/spyware program geared towards the Parallels users to protect both operating systems.  Oh, and those of you computer geeks who will also smirk at me and say “You can’t infect a virtual machine (VM) on Parallels”  I have more news that will tick you off…there are programs out there that specifically attack VMs.  Are you in denial? Ever hear of the “Red Pill” or “Scooby Doo” attacks? They are attacks specifically designed to attack a virtual machine and reveal and infect the host OS.

Listen.  I have nothing personal against Apple Computer Corp. The graphics capabilities of Macs are un-beatable in my opinion. I just want all of you to take your proverbial heads out of the sand.  Technology has problems…it’s almost as certain as death and taxes.  If technology wasn’t made to break, then why are there so many repair shops out there?

*In 1997 Microsoft and Apple formed a partnership where Bill Gates and MS conditionally invested $150 million into Apple. 

“If we want to move forward and see Apple healthy and prospering again, we have to let go of a few things here. We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. We have to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job. And if others are going to help us that’s great, because we need all the help we can get, and if we screw up and we don’t do a good job, it’s not somebody else’s fault, it’s our fault. So I think that is a very important perspective. If we want Microsoft Office on the Mac, we better treat the company that puts it out with a little bit of gratitude; we like their software. So, the era of setting this up as a competition between Apple and Microsoft is over as far as I’m concerned. This is about getting Apple healthy, this is about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry and to get healthy and prosper again.”__Steve Jobs

Post from: RogueDeals

Macs…Are they Invulnerable?

You all know the drill. The phone rings, on your caller ID it states some number that you’ve never seen before. You pick up the phone and BANG! Now you’re trapped with this guy/gal that is just yapping and yapping without letting you get a word in edge-wise. I’m sure this usually ends with a hang up, telling the caller to forcibly insert something into a very uncomfortable place, or screaming at them. Yet, after all of this abuse, they still call you back! The nerve of those sons of bitches!

Allow me to give you some insight into the world of telemarketing…based on my own personal experiences. Yes, I have done this horrible job and never wish to return to it…NEVER! People are rude. Let me rephrase that, people that you call on the phone are rude. You are bothering them and they get pissed off. What they don’t realize is that you’re allowed to call them if you are a telemarketer and are calling for a company that had a previous relationship with that person.

Now, there is such a thing as the National Do Not Call Registry sponsored by the Federal Government. Their website is www.donotcall.gov and I encourage all of you to register every possible number that you have with that list. Now, here’s where the gray areas lie. If you are on that list, telephone sales people can still call you if there was a previous relationship established with the client. These companies have their own Do Not Call (DNC) lists and unless you specify, they are not going to willingly put you on it. The trick is, when one of these “scumbags” calls you, don’t be rude to them. Don’t swear and carry on a tantrum about them getting a real, respectable job. These people are just trying to get by just like everyone else in life and they have no choice of who they call. All of these phone numbers are stored in a computer system called a “dialer”.

How the dialer system works is quite simple. Telemarketing companies purchase “leads” from vendors such as Visa, Macy’s, Playboy and Maxim Magazines, etc. Because of those existing relationships, the marketing company is allowed to call you. Now, here is how you get rid of them.  When they call and you either don’t want to speak to them or don’t care about what they have to say; all you have to do is politely ask them to add your phone number to their DNC list.  After a week or so, your number will be removed from their dialer system and you won’t get anymore calls.  That’s pretty easy, huh?

Now, if you scream, hang up, let your answering machine get it, or are a real jerk, the Telemarketing Sales Representative (TSR) has the right and ability to mark your lead as “Not Home, Answering Machine, etc.” When that happens, your number is recycled and called again and again until it receives a disposition that tells the system not to call you anymore. So, the message is…don’t be a jerk to these people.  They’re trying to make a living too.  If your’e nice to them, they’ll be nice to you.  If they’re selling something, they need to hear a “No” from you at least three times before they are allowed to sign off.  The quickest way to get them off of the phone is by asking to get added to the DNC list.  They have to comply because all of their calls are on tape. Happy calling!

Post from: RogueDeals

How to get the Telemarketers to Leave You Alone.

The Graphical User Interface is broken down nicely into 4 main categories which you can easily navigate through to find what you’d like to clean-up. Below, I outline each so you can appreciate what CCleaner has to offer.

Cleaner – cleans many places on your hard drive that collect temporary data. It searches web browsers for temporary internet files, history, cookies, index.dat, recently typed URLS (search bar history) and auto-complete fields. It searches windows explorer for recent documents, start menu items, Run auto-complete and explorer MRUs. It continues by searching the System for files in the recycle bin, temp files, clipboard data, memory dumps, chkdsk file fragments, and shortcuts. There are advanced options to remove additional hard-drive space hogs… one of the most notorious being Hotfix Uninstallers (every time Windows releases a patch it makes a special folder with the ability to reverse out of it) these take up a ton of space over time.

Registry – as the name suggests, cleans the system registry that can get convoluted with invalid and old entries left by programs you’ve uninstalled, missing system files, start-up processes, etc. It also allows you to backup your registry before it makes any changes just in case it causes harm to your computer. It is a nice precaution that doesn’t take much effort to do. Once you backup the registry, you can go through the list one-by-one to fix it or auto-fix the entire list with one click.

Tools – This section allows you to clean up your installed programs, start-up processes and system restore points.

Not only does the Uninstall feature allow you to uninstall your programs but also allows you to delete the entry if there is a corrupt program in the list that you’ve removed but it hasn’t disappeared from the list.

An area where this section could be improved would be to link the Startup processes with a knowledge base. Many times even I do not know what a certain exe file does or why it is starting up with my computer. I know there are web sites that dedicate themselves to explaining what these miscellaneous files are… so it would be nice if CCleaner could pull some data about the EXE down to it or link you to a web site or even a search engine query for potential answers.

The System Restore part of this section allows you to delete older restore points as they tend to take up a lot of space unnecessarily.

Options – There are some configuration customizations available that allow you to tell CCleaner how to operate. You can change the language of the GUI, run when your PC starts, add right-click menu options (shell extensions), automatically check for updates, exclude cookies, etc. Actually, the vast options you have really make me appreciate this tool even more. You can set it up just the wait you want to it works how you need it to work.

Conclusion – For a free tool, this cannot be beat no matter how you look at it. Every time I’ve used it, it works flawlessly and fast so it is enjoyable to use. You should try it out and let me know how you like it. Download CCleaner

Post from: RogueDeals

Free System Optimization & Privacy Tool

• Advanced Anti-Malware technology
• Kernel-level 24/7 Active Protection
• Boot Time Scans kill rootkits
• Small memory footprint
• Runs great on Windows Vista and XP!

Antispyware Software

Post from: RogueDeals

CounterSpy Antispyware Solution

• USB 2.0 to IDE/SATA Interface
• SATA cable
• IDE power cable
• Power supply
• Power supply cable

Everything in the box feels pretty well built except for the 12v power supply. User comments on Amazon suggested some issues with this part, but it worked for us flawlessly during testing.

Features

• Use your 2.5″ / 3.5″ IDE hard drive or SATA hard disk as an additional external hard drive
• Connect your SATA / IDE device to your computer through a USB port
• Compliant with USB 1.1 and 2.0 standards
• Supports SATA Hard drive, 2.5″ laptop hard drives, 3.5″ desktop hard drives,
• CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-RW Combo devices

• Suggested Applications: 2.5″ IDE Hard Disk / 3.5″ IDE Hard Disk / SATA Hard Disk / CD/CD-RW ROM / DVD/DVD-RW ROM, etc.

Using the Adapter. I hooked up my PS3 hard-drive to the adapter pretty easily. Make sure when you use this that all the power connections are securely in place before you plug in to an outlet. If you disrupt the power when using the hard drive it may corrupt the data.

I heard my hard drive spin up and the USB icon by the clock did see a hard drive, however, I was unable to see any files. This is due to the PS3 having an odd file structure and not to mention it being formatted in FAT32, which only supports up to 32GB hard-drives. If you run into this problem with the FAT32 limiation, you can still view your hard-drive statistics and format it using CompApps Swissknife V3

Verifying the PS3 hard-drive. Since I was able to see all the stats of the hard-drive with the Swissknife tool, I am fairly sure now that my PS3 has fallen victim to the Firmware 3.0 update, which according to many posts and articles on the internet causes damage to the actual cpu and gpu solder joints if not the actual hardware.

If you have any need to verify data or get data off an old hard-drive, this is a very cheap and efficient way to do so! It may not be built like a tank but for the cost, this utility is something worth having in your arsenal.
 

Post from: RogueDeals

USB 2.0 SATA IDE Adapter

Our price: $79.24 Buy it now for $79.24 (List Price: $80.60)

Post from: RogueDeals

Ed Hardy Limited Edition Tattoo Pack 4GB

Our price: $20.59 Buy it now for $20.59 (List Price: $21.00)

Post from: RogueDeals

Ed Hardy Limited Edition Notebook Skin

Our price: $28.24 Buy it now for $28.24 (List Price: $28.00)

Post from: RogueDeals

Ed Hardy Limited Edition Optical Mouse

Our price: $14.24 Buy it now for $14.24 (List Price: $14.00)

Post from: RogueDeals

Ed Hardy Limited Edition Mouse Pad