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  • #2166167

    Gawd, do I need to rant

    Locked

    by jdclyde ·

    Does anyone else work in a situation where anytime something doesn’t work, it HAS to be “your” equipment?

    We have some networked copiers that allow the user to scan something in, and have it emailed to their account.

    A user was not receiving these emailed scans (that are saved as pdf files).

    Our email “administrator” sent me a message asking ME to go through the firewalls spam filter because it was blocking these emails.

    I wrote back that since these messages NEVER leave our lan, they NEVER pass through the firewall to get blocked.

    Anyone else have to deal with this?

    How good are you at staying civil with these “look everywhere else first” people that have accidentally gotten themselves an admin job they are not competent enough to warrant?

    This is far from the first time, and has been going on for years. I find I have less and less tolerance everytime. One time was in front of the boss where she flat out attacked me for doing something, and I had to explain (in front of the boss) that what she was accusing me of was impossible and if she knew the basics about the system, she would know that. The boss DID know the basics, and knew I was right. (again)

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    • #2988195
      Avatar photo

      Defiantly not something to get me started on there JD

      by hal 9000 ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      I used to get it all the time once and not just from Incompetent people that where supposed to know better. If it’s plugged into a wall socket of some description I’m Responsible for it no matter what it was.

      Back in the days when a computer weighted tons and took up the best part of an entire building I would get Sales Staff sell the wrong thing and then hit me to fix it. After all it was a computer so it had to do the job that they sold it to do. Didn’t matter if it was a Printer Terminal it was still a computer and they wanted it to Compute. 🙁

      I did however like one where I was called in to fix a problem and I found a TIG Welder not working. Because it Plugged Into a Wall Socket it was my responsibility but the cute thing there was they wanted to save power so I was the one called in. I pulled the plug and said it can not use any electricity now. Go Figure I don’t know. :0

      Col

    • #2988193

      You dumbass

      by dmambo ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      You HAVE to be good to these people, they’re your job security. Remember, a lot of people working did not grow up with PC’s even though they’re so ubiquitous now. They just want it to work. I know that my factory could replace me in a matter of days, probably for less money. So I thank the people who cause the ID10T errors; not for making my job easier, but for making my job.

      Of course, as the phone’s ringing, I do scream “Now who the FU<|< is that and why don't they leave me alone!!!!" But by the time I answer it, I'm pleasant as can be. EDIT - Anyway, you picked a good place to rant rather than in front of your co-workers.

      • #2988176

        I don’t mind USERS

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to You dumbass

        If they knew my job, they wouldn’t need me, huh?

        MY problem is when TECHS try to push their problems off as mine just because they don’t understand their own job.

        It is a problem I CAN’T fix because I don’t work with the email, just the servers (other than that one) and the network.

        And yes, I have learned to NOT vent openly. It doesn’t do anyone any good.

        • #2988173

          Is there a SPAM filter blocking it?

          by w2ktechman ·

          In reply to I don’t mind USERS

          maybe not the firewall at all. I have seen SPAM filters block internal only email before

        • #2988163

          There IS another SPAM filter

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Is there a SPAM filter blocking it?

          that the “admin” is in charge of, running on the email server…… :p

          Still her problem, not mine. ;\

    • #2988191

      And another thing…..

      by dmambo ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      You want a rant? Listen to this. Someone here popped the GFCI receptacle that the coffee machine is plugged into. When I went to make coffee on this MONDAY morning, there was no hot water in there and it came out looking like weak iced tea. Then when I waited a while, it apparently wasn’t enough, so I’m drinking little more than warm dark water. How’s that for incompetence????

      • #2988172

        Ah, the dreaded coffee machine

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to And another thing…..

        I had some users in a remote building decide to plug their coffee machine into the power strip that ran all the network equipment.

        I got a call that the network was down.

        Guess who blew a fuse, knocking it all out? Bingo.

        They were less than pleased when they were informed they were NOT allowed to plug anything into the outlets in the network closet.

        • #2988140

          Had the same problem with a microwave.

          by dmambo ·

          In reply to Ah, the dreaded coffee machine

          Plugged into the same circuit as the switch for one of the work areas. It took me a while to figure it out because users would use the microwave at the start of break and reset the breaker if it went out then go to break. When they got back, their network connection was restored, but the ERP program we use would wig out if the connection was dropped. It might be an hour before anyone used the ERP program, so there could be a long time between the circuit breaker and the user reporting an error.

        • #2988139

          Double post (NT)

          by dmambo ·

          In reply to Ah, the dreaded coffee machine

          .

        • #2988130

          “Your stupid crap server is down again”

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Double post (NT)

          I just KNOW that is what you heard, repeatedly….. 😀

          I know I haven’t heard that in at least three days…. ;\

        • #2988117

          Naw, they’re nicer than that.

          by dmambo ·

          In reply to “Your stupid crap server is down again”

          It was more like “what are you doing on the server to make us lose our connections?”

          On the other hand, maybe that’s not nicer. Instead of blaming the server, they were blaming me. Those bastards!!!!!!!!!

        • #2988105

          :D

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Naw, they’re nicer than that.

          nt

        • #2988114

          exactly what I say almost every day

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to “Your stupid crap server is down again”

          hmmm, sometimes several times a day even.

          Of course, it was running mostly fine a few years ago, then they moved the data center a few states over, and never increased the bandwidth from here to there.
          Sometimes it will run almost as well as my home comcast connection, however, on average, it is ssssssssssssssssllllllllllllloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

        • #2988102

          I deal with hearing about slow

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to exactly what I say almost every day

          I let them know, all they have to do is agree to their department getting charged about 1k more per month, and we would be happy to increase their bandwidth…. :0

          In the mean time, I am always looking for ways to optimize the network, and streamline wherever I can.

          Actually have SOME users using FTP instead of email to transfer 10 meg files to other locations…. ;\

        • #2988096

          So, what is better

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to I deal with hearing about slow

          increasing the bandwidth for the company, or having everyone sit — and sit — and sit, waiting for something to happen.

          On average Word/Excel/PPT (even when opening a local copy, since it opens all network connections first) takes 2-5 minutes to open. Now that is productivity there.

          Do this several dozen times a day and no wonder people take lots of breaks to walk around the floor — they are waiting for that 200 page contract to open!

        • #2988080

          Point to Point?

          by jellimonsta ·

          In reply to I deal with hearing about slow

          Are you using the Internet/ VPN tunnels for the other sites? Or point to point T1? If T1 you really should look into using CBACL QoS.

        • #2988075

          MPLS

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I deal with hearing about slow

          And I must say, I am not impressed.

          We DID have point to point frame and I think it ran much better. 🙁

        • #2988069

          MPLS

          by jellimonsta ·

          In reply to I deal with hearing about slow

          Cisco routers on each end? You should be able to use QoS. Even if your provider only accepts 4 classes. You should create a Critical, High, Normal and Low priority que and assign subnets or hosts using ACL. You can either assign a fixed number or % of bandwidth to each class (only use 75% bw total).
          You could actually have a ‘scavenger’ class too that you throttle down to a low % so that it does not impede Internet usage too mcuh (in case Internet is high priority for some position functions).

        • #2988065

          We have the QoS set

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I deal with hearing about slow

          with 2801’s at each end.

          The problem is, users out of ignorance create huge files, and then wonder why it takes so long for it to transfer.

          I also get blamed because the customer they are working with bounces back their email with the same 10 meg file….. [i]~double sigh~[/i] Amazing how many people STILL have a 5 meg cap on emails.

          MOST of the complaints went away when I went to the MPLS because we also tripled our bandwidth. B-)

        • #2988090

          Even better

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to Ah, the dreaded coffee machine

          An installer (allegedly a former level 2 or 3 service tech) came through replacing dot matrix printers with Lexmark E350’s. Instead of just connecting the laser printers to the outlet freed up when the dot matrix printers were removed, bright boy plugged a laser printer into a store controller UPS [b]at every single site[/b]. :0

          He didn’t even turn them on before he walked out of the store. X-( Needless to say, when the stores decided they actually wanted to [u]use[/u] their new printers, all hell broke loose when they turned them on.

          This was not the first time this assclown (love that word, JD 😀 ) had screwed up in a major fashion. It is my pleasure to report that he is now employed elsewhere…outside IT!

          Edit: ed too soon!

        • #2988077

          We had a kid on staff

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Even better

          nephew of some of the owners.

          He was sent on a simple job at one of our remote locations. (2 hour drive each way). He had a list of what to do, and one thing was to replace a cd drive.

          About the time he gets back to the office, the user called that their cd drive still didn’t work. He forgot to plug the #@!@#’en thing in, and never tested it before leaving.

          To make a point, my boss made him drive back and “fix” it, even though there was someone on-site that could have handled it.

          After MANY documented such occurrences, he is no longer employed with us.

        • #2988017

          When I was a team lead

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to We had a kid on staff

          for a desktop support team, with NT4 (that long ago :0 ) there was 1 ‘special’ person there. Well, not really a ‘special’ person, just someone with about as much sense as a rock.
          anyway, we had written instructions for a fix with a Symantec issue. every file in a specific directory starting with ‘sy’ needed to be removed or the systems would BSOD.
          He looked over the instructions and said he understood and could follow them. Nobody else (9 others) had any issue with following them, and I wrote it up very specific about each step AND since I had a nextal, I was to be called IF there was any question/problem.

          This numbnut called after an hour — he was trying to follow the instructions however after rebooting, the system could not find ntoskrnl or some such. I asked specifically, step by step, what he did.
          Instead of typing del sy*.* he went to Windows directory and then typed del *.*, what’s worse, he didnt understand why it didnt fix the problem and had no clue as to what to look at next.

          This was from someone who was on a helpdesk for over 2 years prior to joining my team.

        • #2988006

          Passive Aggressive

          by gsg ·

          In reply to We had a kid on staff

          I worked with a guy that was quite passive-aggressive. He was told to go to another site and fix a server, and instead of A) saying he didn’t have a car that day and couldn’t do it, B) Riding shotgun on our shuttle van that was leaving in 10 minutes, or C) taking a cab, he opted to not say anything and walk the 10 miles to the other location.

          Needless to say, the users kept calling, we couldn’t find the @sshat, and his boss had to drive over and fix the server. He started walking at 10am, and showed up over there sometime around 3pm.

          He left his desk with all his belongings in hand by 4pm.

        • #2987997

          Hmmm, was there a

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Passive Aggressive

          nudie bar somewhere in between on the route?

          Sounds like something that I might do 😀

          Edit: new question — did he have a roll of ones or fives upon reaching the destination??

        • #2987986

          No explanation

          by gsg ·

          In reply to Hmmm, was there a

          He just decided to walk. He’d been in trouble just the day before about not doing what he was told, so he did exactly as he was told.

          Did I mention this was in mid-summer. I think the temps were in the 90s and the humidity was in the 90s as well. He risked heat stroke to prove his point.

        • #2987972

          At least

          by jamesrl ·

          In reply to Hmmm, was there a

          He had the decency to continue being stupid and stubborn, to the extent that he could be let go easily.

          All too often, they remain passive agreesive but realise they need to walk the fine line to avoid being fired.

          I would have suggested that having good judgment and a brain were part of the job requirements, and it was obvious he was lacking.

          James

      • #2988153

        you have my sympathy, DMambo

        by jck ·

        In reply to And another thing…..

        *sips his cup of hot coffee* :^0

        Sure ya don’t wanna buy a house in FL? We have lots of water here. 😉

        • #2988151

          Maybe he should

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to you have my sympathy, DMambo

          burn his lump of coal from Santa to warm his coffee? 😀

        • #2988059

          oh hell no

          by jck ·

          In reply to Maybe he should

          local newspaper wound n bound works better and for longer 😉

    • #2988170

      Not wanting to be the devil’s advocate…

      by fregeus ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      ..But I’ve been guilty of this before, and it was not intentional.

      I analyzed the situation and I honestly thought that it was a network issue (BTW, I am a network analyst). But, I do not have access to the network devices where I work, so I called support and asked them to ask the network department to check my network connection, thinking it would speed up the process to ask it that way.

      Turns out it was a problem with my laptop and had nothing to do with the network. To say that I was embarrassed is an understatement. But I learned my lesson. From now on, no matter how sure I am of a problem, if I am not the individual that takes care of the systems, I will not push my limited knowledge and understanding of the situation on the administrator. There are far too many things I don’t know to be sure.

      Embarrassingly Yours

      TCB.

      • #2988165

        Don’t feel bad TCB….

        by thumbsup2 ·

        In reply to Not wanting to be the devil’s advocate…

        I don’t think there is one person among us who hasn’t been wrong, on occasion. We’ve all been there and we’ve all had the same egg smeared on our face. :8}

        • #2988158

          It is one thing to be mistaken

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Don’t feel bad TCB….

          but to constantly try to push off every problem as “it must be YOUR equipment” is quite another.

          A few months ago, it took ME two weeks of tracking down a problem to figure out there was a problem with HER server AND how to fix it, and not a networking issue. X-(

      • #2988160

        That is a different situation

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to Not wanting to be the devil’s advocate…

        And from the sounds of it, a one time event.

        This is a regular event for me, that has been going on for about 8 years now…. 🙁

        She was there when I showed the diagrams of the network, and she KNOWS the only thing that goes through the firewall is internet traffic, so WHAT would ever make her logically think LAN traffic could be effected by it?

        • #2988057

          No, your right, that is different.

          by fregeus ·

          In reply to That is a different situation

          If the person is constantly pushing problem your way, then there is something wrong somewhere.

          And, yes, thank god, my event was a one time thing. 😉

          TCB

        • #2988045

          There you go …

          by dwdino ·

          In reply to That is a different situation

          You have repeatedly used the pronoun she and the verb think in the same sentence without a negative adverb (didn’t, hasn’t, can’t, etc.). This is your problem.

          You would do much better to assocaite appropriate tasks with the given gender (follow, obey, cook, etc.).

          [ducks]

        • #2988038

          LOL

          by jellimonsta ·

          In reply to There you go …

          You better hope Mae doesn’t see this or you will feel the wrath of ‘the shovel’. 😀 :p

        • #2988004

          If Mae’s not available

          by gsg ·

          In reply to LOL

          I can use my foot!

          I’ve done it to others, and apologized after, and learned something, but I’ve more often had others do it to me. The only way is to show them that it’s not your issue, but theirs, and if they keep pushing it, shame them into looking at their system in front of their peers/boss.

        • #2987965

          If Mae’s not around

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to LOL

          I’ve got a staple gun.

        • #2987964
          Avatar photo

          Hisssssssssssssssss

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to If Mae’s not around

          Quick Davette I think I hear an Air Lock opening grad onto something to make sure that you don’t get [b]Sucked In[/b] to a Hard Vacuum. :0

        • #2987954

          Euphemistic opportunity abounds.

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to Hisssssssssssssssss

          😀

        • #2987962

          Now..why would you feel the need to duck?

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to There you go …

          That’s your opinion. Have the testicles to stand by it without ducking.

          Besides, if you are NOT ducking, you make an easier target.

        • #2987946

          I have heard …

          by dwdino ·

          In reply to Now..why would you feel the need to duck?

          … the echos from others impacted by your uncontrolled outbursts. I wisely choose to stick my tongue out and not participate.

          😛

          😉

        • #2989214

          Hardly

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I have heard …

          Mae’s outbursts are anything but “uncontrolled”.

          Unyielding, maybe.

          Devastating, likely.

          Mentally crippling always.

          They are more of a surgical strike than a carpet bomb. After all, she has had a lot of time to practice. 😀

        • #2989123

          “a lot of time to practice”

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to Hardly

          Damn! You’re pushing your luck…

          😀

          I always have a sneaking admiration for the totally foolhardy. So long as I’m out of blood-splatter range.

        • #2989086

          I can’t decide

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to Hardly

          If I want to say thank you or if I want to destroy your judy garland albums..

          some decisions are just so hard.

        • #2989083

          What??

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Hardly

          Some people just don’t know how to take a compliment…..


        • #2989076

          And some people

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to Hardly

          can’t spell compliment.

        • #2989068

          Got by the speel cheeker

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Hardly

          strange, because usually FF does a better job of catching that…. 🙁

          Oh well, if the worst I have to worry about is you correcting my spelling, life is good. :p

        • #2989065

          Neil

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Hardly

          my boys went into giggle fits last night when I told them about the thermometer bit…. 😀

          I see Mae is learning from Galliger and putting out some visqueen first, so that should reduce the splatter zone… ;\

          Besides, if I wouldn’t have slipped that last part in there, Mae would have thought I didn’t like her anymore…. :p

        • #2988922

          JD, would you mind awfully much

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to Hardly

          going back in and closing that < font > tag?

          I read the threads in “View all” and everything is font size 5 and bright red!

        • #2987236

          :(

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Hardly

          you never let me have any fun…. :_|

        • #2987202

          :^0 :^0 :^0 — Who is your Daddy JD

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Hardly

          ??? :^0

        • #2989107

          I am many things..

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to I have heard …

          uncontrolled is not one of them.

        • #2987119

          Ok, ok.

          by dwdino ·

          In reply to I am many things..

          Maecuff, you no longer qualify as a woman and have obtained man status by way of your self control and logical response.

          Oops, um, nevermind.

          But the mood IS better in here now. 😉

        • #2987115

          Not a woman?

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to I am many things..

          Are you kidding me? I’m as girly as they get.

        • #2987111

          So what am I to do?

          by dwdino ·

          In reply to I am many things..

          I can’t insult you.
          I can’t compliment you.
          I can’t tease you.

          Please tell me, what is the secret to the Maecuff?

        • #2987104

          Same as the secret to any other woman.

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to I am many things..

          We’ve told you guys a thousand times, too. Either you’re not listening, or your capacitors are shot. 😀 😀 😀

        • #2986915

          I see the problem!

          by maecuff ·

          In reply to I am many things..

          You think that if I respond to your teasing, that means you can’t tease me. Of course you can. That doesn’t mean I won’t have a response.

          Errr..and where, exactly, was the compliment? 🙂

          And there really isn’t any secret. I’m a very simple creature.

        • #2988902

          I think the REAL problem

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I am many things..

          he is not sure how to react, as he is not used to having someone with such a sharp wit to battle with.

          A battle of wits with an unarmed man? 😀

          I suppose though, it does take some poking and prodding to find the acceptable boundaries between teasing and just being mean.

          Keeping respect is key, ya?

        • #2987945

          :^0 :^0

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to There you go …

          couldnt have said it better :^0

          now, just ducking is not enough, you need to
          Hiding 2

        • #2989212

          More like

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to :^0 :^0

          RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!

    • #2988162

      Not exactly the same…

      by notsochiguy ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      …but nowadays, just about anytime you do actually call in for some sort of vendor support (and let’s be honest, we all try to avoid those calls like the plague; since we know we’re only asking for a headache), they walk you through more steps to show it isn’t their products fault as opposed to actually trying to rectify the issue.

      On the positive side, the fact that most of these types are half a world away probably saves me from going to prison. If they were stateside, the temptation to take a drive or board a plane to wring one’s neck would prove very strong (now there’s a blurb they can use in CIO Magazine’s next article on why outsourcing is good…keeps domestic talent away from criminal charges). 😉

      I have had issues similar to this in the past; most notably at my last employer. The IT departments were silo’d, and each specific ‘ownership area’ (I think that is the fluffy name they gave it) reported into someone different. So, you had helpdesk guys pointing fingers at net admins pointing fingers at mail admins pointing fingers at desktop support pointing fingers at net engineering, etc. etc. etc….the situation was a real mess. Of course, since they all went to managers, and those managers had different directors, you literally had to climb 3 or 4 branches (depending on which departments were involved) in order to find a management wonk that had equal footing in both areas and could make the call definitively. All the while, the users suffered, and overall morale was scraping bottom.

      Modern management outcomes…the warmth you feel isn’t a happy-happy-joy-joy moment; it’s us p-ssing on your leg, and telling you it’s raining!

      • #2988155

        Now THAT would be a nightmare

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to Not exactly the same…

        It amazes me the incompetence that is applied to the division of responsibilities and accountability.

        I will go to great lengths to avoid the multi-vendor-clusterfuks.

    • #2988156

      my worst incident

      by jck ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      I was working as a computer services section head, and had the finance director come in screaming…yes…screaming…that MY system had messed up HER accounting numbers.

      I tried to assure her that, after the same RPG code running for over 15 years, the system would not just decide to stop working like it has.

      She kept yelling, and eventually my boss (the director) came in and took her out and talked to her.

      I ended up spending a day and a half finding looking manually through flat file records for the problem, and I found it: her A/R supervisor had misentered data.

      I got an apology, which she was told she had to give me by my boss’ boss…the executive director (evidently he’d heard her screaming at me too).

      • #2988152

        The last time someone dared to yell at me

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to my worst incident

        I stopped what I was doing, looked at them, and asked them “Who do you think you are talking to?”

        They realized that I was not one of THEIR minions that they were used to screaming at in order to get things done, apologized, and we sat down and worked out their problem.

        And yes, their problem was outside of my duties, but I still got them going.

        A few days later, I got an email apologizing for they way they talked to me, and expressed gratitude for the assistance they did receive. My boss and his boss were both CC’ed in the message.

      • #2988118

        The best kind of apology

        by dmambo ·

        In reply to my worst incident

        “which she was told she had to give me by my boss’ boss”

        Doesn’t that make you feel warm all over when people apologize after being told that they HAVE to do it. It makes it so sincere.

        • #2988100

          It IS kind of sweet vindication

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to The best kind of apology

          to have them have their noses rubbed in the crap they were throwing around…. ;\

          If nothing else, they MIGHT think twice before coming unhinged again? [i](yeah, right)[/i]

        • #2988083

          oh she did think twice

          by jck ·

          In reply to It IS kind of sweet vindication

          She never yelled at me again. Besides I think the boss telling her to watch out, I think she realized how big I was and that I could probably lift her with one hand. Not that I’d ever have done it, but I think her boss had a “Come To Jesus” meeting with her about the realities of a 6’5 supersized computer geek. :^0

        • #2988084

          sorta…

          by jck ·

          In reply to The best kind of apology

          What made me feel real good…is when the executive director came down and apologized…cause, she was his underling…and i told him not to apologize for her…because she already had.

          That’s when he said “I know. I told her to.”

          He was cool as hell that guy…77 years old, and didn’t let anything get by him…and definitely didn’t let any of his employees make an ass of him.

    • #2988149

      Work with me….

      by jamesrl ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      I used to see this kind of thing all the time at the company I used to work for. We had separate groups for desktops, LANS and telecom equipment, and the telecom guys were part of a different company. We had a packet switching network that routed through a serial cable on the phones, and they would always say its the PC’s problem because they didn’t know PCs.

      The only way I would solve the problem is if I worked with them – not by playing telephone tag but by making an appointment for them to meet me at the users desk. I would walk them through my troubleshooting, and then ask them to do theirs. I learned about their environment, they learned about mine, and most importantly, they learned to trust me. So much so that eventually, when something failed at midnight, and they knew I lived 5 minutes from the office, they would ask me to go in to solve, knowing they could walk me through it and have me fix it before they could drive to the site.

      It takes time to build these relationships. You have to position it properly. Too many times people dump problems onto others, instead of asking them to collaborate on an issue. I bet if the email admin had said that “she” wanted to find the solution, but wanted your help, it would have been much much easier going down.

      It isn’t about who is right and who is wrong, the customer doesn’t give a gawd damn about that. The customer wants a solution.

      James

      • #2988146

        I have tried to build that bridge many times

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to Work with me….

        but her insecurities and pettiness always get in the way.

        I approach IT fairly egoless. I never hang a fellow tech out to dry, publicly or otherwise, and ALWAYS offer to assist where ever I can.

        Most of the REAL admin tasks for the server, she has the kid (28?) that does the programming do for her because she has still not learned *nux, despite having going through the same training I had. She just does not know HER job, and that is the problem.

    • #2988132

      Try this, jd

      by maxwell edison ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      Although the e-mail spam filter isn’t [i]blocking[/i] e-mail from that particular source (whatever the return e-mail is on the scanner), per se, and it doesn’t appear on a blocked list, try adding that e-mail address (whatever the return e-mail is on the scanner) to the e-mail server’s White List.

      Doesn’t make sense, I know. But I’d bet you a beer that it’ll work.

      P.S. I realize that you’ve indicated it’s the e-mail admin’s problem, not yours, but I love it when I can solve someone else’s problem that they can’t (or won’t) solve for themselves.

      Later…..

      • #2988131

        You owe me a beer

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to Try this, jd

        user error…. 😀

        • #2988127

          Wow, that was a fast reply

          by maxwell edison ·

          In reply to You owe me a beer

          What kind of user error?

          And what kind of beer?

          It figures – I went 0-for-4 on the NFL games this weekend. So now I’m 0-for-5.

        • #2988120

          ID 10 T error

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Wow, that was a fast reply

          This is one of my “special needs” users that listens to [i]~shudder~[/i] kim Cammando all the time.

          He had been on vacation for two weeks, came back and forgot how to run the machine….

          Had another user go and try it out, worked like a charm.

          Process of elimination, my dear watson! B-)

          Edit to add, only AFTER the first incorrect assumption that it HAD to be my equipment, of course. ;\

        • #2988108

          But you forgot to answer the important question

          by maxwell edison ·

          In reply to ID 10 T error

          What kind of beer?

        • #2988098

          anything micro brewed

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to But you forgot to answer the important question

          or getting into the reds.

          I drink beer because I like mixed drinks…. ;\

    • #2988109

      I can see yoru frustration

      by oz_media ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      But you have to see reality too.

      When an issue is computer related, or network related, it is YOUR issue to deal with, end of story.

      So, someone has no idea what the flow of data is, they don’t understand if the spam filter (the bane of most office staff)is in control or not, SOMETHING isn’t getting through to the desks and its YOUR problem, regardless of who’s problem it SHOULD be.

      I don’t see what the big issue is really, it sounds like a very common and normal thing to have to address, so what if the boss tore you a new one, get over it, its only someone else’s inability to deal with stress and work, not YOUR problem.

      “and I had to explain (in front of the boss) that what she was accusing me of was impossible and if she knew the basics about the system,”

      HUGE mistake, ‘If she knew the basics of the system?” Too condescending, whether true or not, wrong attitude.

      Whether she does or doesn’t, irrelevant, she doesn’t HAVE to know anything about the system, that’s IT’s job.

      Seems like you just don’t want to be the whipping boy anymore, unfortunately that IS how IT is seen by most bosses, whipping boy that is in charge of making it all work…all the time. as for who’s fault or who should be addressing it, again completely irrelevant, if its not YOU, YOU should be sorting it out and seeing it is taken care of, whether that’s your role or not….you are IT.

      So many people seem to think office staff care the slightest about who’s job is who’s in teh IT department, but they don’t.

      Something goes wrong and they look for one of “those computer guys”. The hirearchy means nothing at all, “You geek? Fix!”

      If it was user error, that’s your fault too of course, for not instructing the user or choosing a system that was more user friendly.

      Sorry jd, sounds like run of the mill IT BS and office politics to me, nothing too absurd at all.

      • #2988095

        You missed something Oz

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to I can see yoru frustration

        she IS IT. She is the email administrator, not an end user.

        If it were an end user, I wouldn’t expect them to know anything other than it didn’t work, and maybe an error message.

        It is HER JOB to manage the email. Because she after over a decade still can’t trouble shoot this, it falls directly to me, regularly, and 9 out of 10, it turns out to be on her end, not mine.

        • #2988073

          She’s a woman though?!

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to You missed something Oz

          Still don’t see what part of this you don’t get. ‘SHE’ says it all.

          (waiting for hail of feminist flames, DUCK!!!)

        • #2988067

          I have resisted going down that road……

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to She’s a woman though?!

          After all, there are so many other things to give the ladies of TR a hard time about, why go for the easy one? 😀

          No, she isn’t a blonde. ;\

        • #2987943

          Ah..now

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to She’s a woman though?!

          Your expectring us to rise to that aren’t ya..
          so..not gonna..nope…

        • #2987230

          Nah

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to Ah..now

          I know you’re above it, not everyone is though. 😉

        • #2987909

          No feminist here.

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to She’s a woman though?!

          But I do have a fresh supply of staples with which to practice…

        • #2989146

          Same here..

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to No feminist here.

          I can handle that attiutde from guys..as long as they can handle that they must take out the trash, mow the lawn, pay for dinners out etc…
          🙂

        • #2989052

          sounds like heaven…

          by jck ·

          In reply to Same here..

          i already do all that…having someone around to ask me nicely to do it would make it better. 😀

        • #2989026

          Having been married, I can vouch

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          It is NEVER “asked nicely” to take out the trash.

          Is is a cross between a nag and a hassle, because said female will ONLY DEMAND it be done while you are enjoying something else, and there is NOTHING that pisses a woman off more than seeing a man enjoying something. ;\

          Right now, you do it when it needs to be done, not when someone else WANTS it to be done. BIIIIIGGGG difference…. :p

        • #2989003

          having never been married, i can say

          by jck ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          i won’t mind a bit. some guys don’t have the attitude that their free time shouldn’t be stopped by a request from their lady.

          and besides, i’ve seen marriages both ways.

          my neighbors are totally not like what you say marriage is like. she always asks him “could you please do…” and he is like “why sure.”

          and no, it’s not an act.

          just that when some people in this world get married, they have enough respect for each other not to demand or be snippy or condescending.

          and that’s one reason i’m not married yet. i want to find a lady, not a trophy wife or honey-do expert or maid.

          i want someone i love and respect, and she me too.

          otherwise, i’m staying single for the long haul…and i’ll adopt a 20 year old woman from Belize or Argentina. ]:)

        • #2988998

          JD…

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          if you guys could just figure out the difference between full and overflowing, we wouldn’t have to (grrr…) ‘nag’. 😀 😀 😀

        • #2988997

          i know the difference between them!

          by jck ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          Full is when the beer stays in my glass…and overflowing is when i have to slurp it off the bottom of the glass as not to let it waste away falling on the floor!!! :^0

        • #2988994

          The definition of “full”

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          the last person that tries to throw something away, and it won’t balance on top of the stack, has to take out the trash. 😀

          And yeah, we always have to take ANOTHER bag, move all the stacked stuff into that, and take TWO bags out.

          You would not believe how much of a guycave I live in…. ;\

        • #2986952

          Guys..

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          Would it be so hard to think for yourselves in this regard?

          It would be great if ye’d do the chores WITHOUT being asked, nagged, b!tched at!!

          We get tired of having to remind you…

          I can actually see my hubby panic sometimes when I am in cleaning mode..he’s not sure what to do..should he just pick a chore and do, should he offer, or should he shut up and wait till asked..

          amusing actually.. ]:)

        • #2988904

          Shell, hubby needs to learn the proper response

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          “I have to go to the store, back in a bit!”

          And then go to Hooters and watch the football game. 😀

        • #2988876

          God, I am glad I am different

          by jck ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          Shell…i already do everything in my house.

          I don’t have or need someone to take care of me.

          As for doing the chores without “her” having to ask…that’d be a given. I hate having trashcans full and dishes in the sink, so it’d be done before she’d think of it probably.

          I was just referring to things like…if my wife wanted a cup of coffee or tea, she’d just have to request it of me and i’d go to do it for her.

          I’m very accommodating like that to someone I love.

          Although…Hooters does sound tempting…be right there, jd!!!! :^0

        • #2988755

          I agree!!!

          by tonythetiger ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          [i]I hate having trashcans full and dishes in the sink,[/i]

          There’s nothing worse than going to the kitchen to take a leak and finding dirty dishes in the sink 🙂

        • #2750159

          I don’t have to nag

          by jessie ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          Cuz I work 9 hours, then come home, fix dinner, and go to school for 3 hours, come home, go to bed, and I don’t even bother to look at the state of the house. If it’s a mess, well, I just have to take care of my bedroom, and make sure my potty isn’t gross when I go in to do my business. Other than that, if my hubby wants to live in a trash heap… he can… and does… I’m thinking he and the kids all have selective vision… they never actually SEE that the trash is overflowing, even when they [i]have to[/i] stack things next to the trash because there’s just no room in the can.

        • #2750146

          The answer is obvious, Jess

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to sounds like heaven…

          you just need a bigger trash can! 😀

          Living with just me and twin boys, you can imagine what my house looks like right now…..

          At least I took almost all of the extra computers and parts downstairs for Christmas. B-)

          Sure, I have baskets of clothes all over the house. At least they are CLEAN clothes, right? ;\

        • #2988993

          I’m ok with that…new rant warning…

          by forum surfer ·

          In reply to Same here..

          But I recently started dating a part time substitute school teacher. Single mom, very good person and ridiculously over attractive for a guy like me, lol.

          Here’s my dilemma. She is a part-time substitute teacher for public schools. No other job, very little child support. She has a fully loaded 1 year old yukon (the one with captain’s chairs in the back). She has a 2500 square foot, very nice home. She has a below ground swimming pool. She dresses very well and her kids have nice, name brand stuff. Is it polite to ask how the hell she affords all that working 2-3 days a week on a substitute teacher’s salary and two kids??? I mean her standard of living is on par or above mine and I know I make 3-5x more than she does a year. I don’t care if she’s more secure or makes more money…hell I’ll be a house bitch, lol. She even takes the check (forcefully) from time to time at nice restaurants. Wtf?! I don’t want to insult her but you have to wonder where that money comes from? I haven’t seen any keys of coke lying around so I’m perplexed. I checked online and took the top substitute pay grade for our county, subtracted a yukon payment figuring a 40% down payment, subtracted the average median home in that square foot range and subtracted a low estimate for the cost of two kids per month. My numbers were way, way negative.

        • #2988980

          The benefit of a teacher

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I’m ok with that…new rant warning…

          If you do something wrong in bed, she will make you do it over and over and over, until you get it right…. ]:)

          As for the estate, I would bet the ex paid dearly for it all. At this stage, enjoy the ride.

          If you look to get serious, there will come a time to get all finances out in the open, but that is not for when you just start seeing someone.

        • #2988947

          I agree JD about waiting…

          by forum surfer ·

          In reply to I’m ok with that…new rant warning…

          But given the area’s sub teacher salaries it’d be like the domino’s guy delivering pizza in bimmer. The ex didn’t pay dearly, barely pays child support. I know her family lawyer personally but I’d prefer not to find out behind her back. It’s just puzzling because it is so far beyond her means. I liked her when I first met her because she enjoys working with kids, great personality, very humble and not to mention she ain’t hurting in the looks department. Lol, but the financial thing would have anyone curious. Even with good credit and assuming the home is paid off, financial companies will only let you have so much stuff. If your out going payments exceed your monthly income you’re cut off at some point!

        • #2987234

          Might be a nest egg she is tapping into

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I’m ok with that…new rant warning…

          or she is getting more for support than you know.

          If it really IS a case of more going out than going in, it will all come tumbling down within 4 months when the repo man starts coming around.

          Until then, try not to think about it.

          Oh, and I know my ex walked into her current marriage with about 60k of debt, not including our shared home mortgage. B-) That probably doesn’t help, does it? 😀 Just know BEFORE you walk down the isle and AFTER you pop the question. None of your business until then. ;\

        • #2987224

          Don’t ask

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to I’m ok with that…new rant warning…

          If you ask her how she affords all of that, she’ll raise her rates. BADA-BOOM!!!

          Women are simply better with money, that’s why I am single now, can’t stand someone budgeting for me when I deem concert tickets and speakers more important than paying for the wedding ceremony.

        • #2988804

          All I have to say, jck

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I’m ok with that…new rant warning…

          being a happily divorced geek, I would not recommend anyone looking for a CONTINUED marriage to follow any of my advice…. :p

        • #2987226

          see now THAT makes sense

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to Same here..

          I watched a stand up the other day, freakin hilarious, Brendon Burns – So I suppose THIS is offensive now. He said his act doesn’t do well in teh PC USA though, they shut the lights off halfway through last time, because he said somethign about how you should kill your president. (No sense of HAHA? 🙂 )

          One thing he touched on was Womens Lib. Women expect equality, want power and strength, want equal pay etc. but still expect men to be men and open doors, mow the lawn, pay for dinner etc.

          I’m old fashoined in that respect, I like independant women (nothing worse than insecure, clingy women). Women with their own lives, don’t expect you to give up your own and devote all of your time to either living THEIR lives or including them in everything you do. However they are confident and able to SHARE life without either taking over yours or expecting you to adopt theirs.

          The opposite are women who have no life other than the one you share together. This makes it hard as now YOUR life is OUR life and not just sharing of each others interests and goals. You need your own thing so that you can feel comfortable with the lives you ahre together.

          But I still hold doors, pay the tab, most of the time and help women on with their coats etc. Actually as I love hair so much, I find I am obligated to help a women with her coat as otherwise I have to watch her pull her hair out of the back and it bugs me. SO I hold teh coat, you stick your arms in and I’ll make sure you don’t pich your hair in the collar. Sound wierd? It’s not that bad, its actually quite gentlemanly I think.

          Now if you see it in an archaic view of women ar ewomen and men are men, good for you. That doesn’t mean either one is any better or worse than the other, simply that there is a difference and that difference dictates out mental and physical capacities. Fair enough, it would be pretty boring if we were all the same.

          Give me my own titt1es and #%^$& I’d never leave the house though. 😀

          “Weee, look what I got! That’s it, my life is complete, no more work for me I have nothing further to achieve; I’m gonna stay home and play!”

        • #2987203

          Bevis and Butthead while watching a TOOL video

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          “If my hand could move that fast, I would never leave the house”.

          😀

        • #2987140

          he he….he ..he

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          That’s cooooooool!
          YEAH !!! YEAH!! Coooolio!!

        • #2986950

          Completely agree..

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          Men are men, womean are women…

          I’ve no time for this womens lib thing.. I’m a girl and i refuse to dirty my hands taking out trash if there is a male about the house. 🙂

          Its nice to be treated like a lady..very few men do it these days though..

        • #2988789

          On that note

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          It also means, if I take out the trash and you feel women have their place…where’s dinner and why don’t I have any clean shirts?

        • #2988782

          Get the priorities in order

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          it’s hummer time…… ]:)

        • #2988764

          :0 You want her to buy you a truck?

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          :^0 😀 :p

        • #2988750

          It’s painfully obvious…

          by tonythetiger ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          [i]it’s hummer time……[/i]

          … that YOU are single 🙁

          🙂

        • #2988590

          jd that’s nasty!

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          From the SAME woman, every night I beg long enough?
          Forget it, I’ll get my sex across the street; just make sure your feet are warm when I climb into bed, slave lady! You think that ring you demanded was free? You had your wedding day and your stupid, frilly dress, now go fetch my chicken pot pie dammit!

          That’s how artists are handled (sans the getting in bed with me part) and they MAKE money for me; as for her, well….I’m hungry and shut that bloody kid of yours up already, I’m watching the A-Team.

        • #2988588

          Its also painfully obvious

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to see now THAT makes sense

          That YOU are married, judging by your inability to accept male reality.

          You have been brainwashed to think that men can’t behave that way; amusingly enough, by a woman.

    • #2988107

      The web server is down…

      by jmgarvin ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      • #2989243

        LMAO. :D :D :D

        by boxfiddler ·

        In reply to The web server is down…

        Excellent. Thanks. Particularly the icon over-ride towards the end.

        • #2989219

          I’m pretty sure that I have at least 2 users that have organized this way..

          by jmgarvin ·

          In reply to LMAO. :D :D :D

          Sad, but true… 😉

    • #2988106

      OK, you want a rant?????

      by dmambo ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      Finally got a decent cup of joe, it did its thing, just like every morning. So, I follow my normal routine, but then I realize, too late, the toilet paper dispenser is empty.

      Just not my day. 🙁

      • #2988093

        Wash those hands! :0

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to OK, you want a rant?????

        I have learned a LONG time ago, check the paper BEFORE sitting down….

        Imagine if you wouldn’t have gotten the coffee FIRST? ;\

        • #2987220

          Who doesn’t? Women? Leave the seat up when you’re done!

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to Wash those hands! :0

          Women seem to blindly plop down on the throne without a second thought given to it. I simply don’t understand it.

          How do women fall in the toilet? Men sit half as much as women but still manage to stop and put the seat down if its up. Women that funble into teh bathroom and plop down on a cold rim simply baffle me. HOW can you be THAT blind? Don’t you look at it before you sit down?

          And why is it always MY job to put the seat down? Why can’t you remember to put it back UP when you are finished? Then women complain that men pee all over the seat, and while they don’t realze that’s all part of teh master plan, they also fail to recognize that if they put the seat UP when they are done, there would be no problems.

          But then when they fell in, it would be recognizing their own inferiority and that would be bad too.

        • #2987198

          Science daily says UP with the seat!

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Who doesn’t? Women? Leave the seat up when you’re done!

          http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081211081608.htm

          http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7779024.stm

          And get rid of the STUPID fuzzy covers that are put on for the sole purpose of making it so the seat WON’T stay up!

          I agree, I have NEVER “fallen in”, because as a man, I am SMART enough to look first! You would think someone that sits EVERYTIME would gain such intelligence.

          Years ago, the seat fell on ThingTwo. That was the LAST time I insisted on them lifting the seat before they went. I no longer cared if there was spray on the seat, and again, I was smart enough to look first.

          Now we start to get close to the “what happened to moms toothbrush just before she moved out”…… ]:)

      • #2988064

        Hey, buddy!

        by neilb@uk ·

        In reply to OK, you want a rant?????

        Any toilet paper in your stall?

        Nope. Just used the last.

        Ah. Got change of a ten?

        • #2988060

          Just need to pretend you are multi-cultural

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Hey, buddy!

          Just don’t confuse which hand you eat with and which you clean with…. I hear that is a bad thing…. :0

        • #2988054

          Over here in England

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to Just need to pretend you are multi-cultural

          We use a knife and fork. That way, if we mix up what we eat with and what we clean with, we know about it.

          :p

        • #2988052

          How can you tell the difference

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Over here in England

          between an oral and a rectal thermometer?

          By the taste….. ;\

        • #2988050

          At one of our plants

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to How can you tell the difference

          it is in a largely hispanic community, so the majority of the workers have only been in the US for a few years.

          They HAVE to have signs in the restrooms that say:

          [b]”please flush toilet paper. Do NOT throw in the trash”.[/b]

          In much of Mexico, if you flush the toilet paper, the system will get all clogged up…. :0

          The bad thing, people don’t post signs about stuff like that unless it was a previous problem….

          They also have the signs “Please do not spit on the floors” as it seems that is also very common.

        • #2987216

          We have that issue with Asian culture.

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to At one of our plants

          Oriental people spit continuously, on the street, even in the malls etc.

          I have seen numerous people stop at a light, open the car door and hork one on the ground, or the classic farmers blow always looks nice too.

          they now teach immigrants about that part of Canadian culture, we don’t spit in th emalls, or even on busy public sidewalks etc. It’s just not a publicly accepted practice.

        • #2988779

          And how is it being received?

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to At one of our plants

          I am sure here in the states we would hear the BS about imposing our culture upon other people, blahblahblah.

        • #2988559

          LOL, one more time

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to At one of our plants

          I know I’ve explained it many times before, but here it is again. In Canada we are militcultural. In the USA you are a melting pot.

          Multicultural nations, accept people of different culture and help them to fit in while still retaining their own culture. We make a lot of cultural allowances so that people aren’t forced to adopt our own.

          Melting Pots, will accept people of different cultures but expect them to lose that cultural identity and assimilate others native ot that nation.

          In that case, America, with no apologies given or expected, DOES push American culture on immigrants, that is what being a melting pot is all about. They mix in but melt into one uniform of what ‘an American’ is.

          In Canada cultural differences feed racism, but also make racism easy to ignore. WE accept people of all nations and accept heir cultures too. But we do laugh, cringe, sneer and bitch about their cultural differences as they stand out from the mainstream so (well not so much with Orientals as they ARE the mainstream by sheer number now ((this also fuels racism and cultural hatred)).

          The Oriental immigration people, public and private agencies that help Orientals adapt and meld into our society, are the ones who tell them about Canadian culture and what is publicly viewed as acceptable and what is not.

          Such as the Chinese training pants for children. They are CROTCHLESS!! not, velcro or zipper or buttons, completely crotchless. This way kids can just squat, male or female, and pee wherever they are.

          Of course this would be frowned upon but probably nobody would say anything, though it is pretty nasty, a health risk and not exactly publicly decent (even for a child).

          Now if WOMEN could also be forced to wear crotchless pants, I’d be a little more at ease over the whole thing. Sure would make a nooner a whole new experience…”hmmmmmmm, lets see, who do I want today?”

          But we do actually change our LAWS to suit other cultures, such as the Pakistani’s in the RCMP being able to wear turbans instead of the required Stetson like Smokey the Bear.

          They also tried to circumnavigate helmet laws the same way…to no avail though.

        • #2988048

          :D Ni-i-i-i-ce

          by neilb@uk ·

          In reply to How can you tell the difference

          And with that splendid funny, it’s going-home time here. We had some SAN problems over the weekend and I have spent the day juggling bandwidth to resynchronise all of my Disaster Recovery stuff. I think I have pissed off ALL of the users just a little bit by slowing down EVERYTHING just enough for people to notice but not enough to log a call about. I could have stayed late tonight and managed it better but, hey, I was fixing the damn problem at 1:30 this morning so everyone can share my pain.

          Just a little.

          😀

          Anyone Sysadmin who reads this – please accept some of my accumulated user anger as payback for your bad day.

        • #2987212

          Another

          by oz_media ·

          In reply to How can you tell the difference

          A very tired nurse walks into a bank,
          Totally exhausted after an 18-hour shift.
          Preparing to write a check,
          She pulls a rectal thermometer out of her purse and tries to write with it.
          When she realizes her mistake, she looks at the flabbergasted teller and without missing a beat, she says: ‘Well, that’s great….that’s just great….
          Some a$$hole’s got my pen!’

    • #2988101

      All the time

      by jiminpa ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      We have hundreds of pieces of equipment sending and receiving data from our system. Any time a single piece of equipment ceases to send or receive data it is immediately our problem and the burden of proof falls squarely on our team even though hundreds of other system across 2 counties and countless building are functioning normally it must be our problem.

      I think it happens because we are so much better equipped to troubleshoot than the owners of the other systems but it sure gets old. How about saying “Hey we thing we have a problem with one of our pieces of equipment, can you help us diagnose the problem?”

      Now ya got me all fired up JD 😉

      • #2988089

        :D

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to All the time

        As I said, I don’t care if a user calls the wrong person and it isn’t “my job”. I will do whatever I can to help them out, even if it ends up directing them to the person with the answer.

        My job is one thing, to make it so the users can do their job.

        I am lucky, we only have three remote locations, so it is a fairly simple network, now that I have rebuilt it from scratch over the last 3 years. B-)

    • #2988014

      me too!

      by xnavydk ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      I our internet is run off a WAP WAN. every time it thunderstorms, our internet is sporadic at best. And CC (Captain Caveman) comes over the PA, “Geekmaster come to my office, Geekmaster come to my office”.

      I always keep a smiley in my pocket. no matter how annoying it can be to explain it over and over that our network is up and the internet is down due to the storm. I’m not responisble for the internet being down, but its still my fault 😀

      Yippee!

      • #2988013

        “The Internet is down”

        by dmambo ·

        In reply to me too!

        How many have heard that complaint before? I always think that it’s going to be tough to troubleshoot that problem. I usually tell people that I’m going to have to check in with Al Gore. After all, he invented it.

        • #2989090

          LOL! AL gore!

          by xnavydk ·

          In reply to “The Internet is down”

          go AL, I bet hes going to claim he made the LHC in 10 years….

        • #2989079

          Not “made”

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to LOL! AL gore!

          algore “created”….. ;\

          And now algore is making a fortune off of global warming. The man knows how to turn a profit.

    • #2989061

      who left a tag open??????

      by shellbot ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      gigantic red font..nice one guys..
      ]:)

      • #2989032

        Pretty, ain’t it? :D

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to who left a tag open??????

        Had to play around with several font sizes to get it “just right”. ;\

        • #2988985

          well..its pretty..hideous..

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to Pretty, ain’t it? :D


          its wrekcing my TR experience!!!

          My boss can see the friggin screen from 40 paces dude!!!!!

          Its one thing to have a couple posts like that..but not all of em!!!!!!!!!!

        • #2988979

          It only stays that way

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to well..its pretty..hideous..

          until you click on another post.

          Can I help it tr code allows for the exploitation if your browser? ;\

        • #2987237

          For those of us who browse in “View All”

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to It only stays that way

          It stays that way to the bottom of the flippin’ page! X-(

          Please go back and close the tag! :_|

        • #2987233

          :p

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to For those of us who browse in “View All”

          sucks to be you…. 😀

        • #2987103

          Yet I notice

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to :p

          you closed the tag… 😀

          Don’t want to be blamed the next time TR breaks? Or afraid of withdrawal? :p

        • #2988906

          Actually

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to :p

          I had closed it when I saw your other plea, but before I saw this one WAY down here. ;\

    • #2989051

      In the network admin’s defense…

      by forum surfer ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      I have separate filters on internal email as well as external. Maybe he/she was saying inadvertently that she doesn’t mind circumventing the department hierarchy and he/she trusts your ability to look at it yourself without you screwing something up.

      Of course if it is just a lazy admin, then you can always go in and apply a new filter that drops any message larger than 1kb or reset the admin password without telling.

      🙂

      On my network, we have a few outlying shops that have their own pc/server support staff. I ALWAYS get blamed for any issues that go on in these places. Luckily for me management sees the bigger picture and I’ve been around long enough to be friends with the people who pay their bills. They respect my opinion and know bs when they hear it. But this has a downside as it further pi$$es these staff members off. Basically, they won’t be happy until they have domain admin rights and admin rights to the Cisco equipment. But then they’ll screw the pooch as they did in the past and I’ll take the blame for allowing access. It’s a no win situation for me. No matter how nice I try to be I’m the bad guy, the big brother guy trying to insult their technical ability.

      • #2989029

        Sucks to be them, huh? ;\

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to In the network admin’s defense…

        Don’t let them turn the tables. It is THEY who are insulting YOU and YOUR technical abilities by trying to gain control over what is your responsibility.

        As for my case, I am the net admin and she is the email admin. Everything was happening locally, so the email would NEVER have passed through the firewall to get blocked in the first place.

        • #2989013

          Oh make no mistake…

          by forum surfer ·

          In reply to Sucks to be them, huh? ;\

          I’m in control, lol. No one is going to change it. It took alot of work with management to get the network unified, costs down and stray departments like that rounded up and put under my team’s control. We’re in charge and if no one likes it that’s tough…

          I just get tired of their pissy little attitudes and not being allowed to drag them out back and beat their face in when they make snide little remarks. I hate it when people do that! I like sarcasm or smartassishness, but when someone does it in a spoiled little “I can’t have my way” attitude I have tendencies to want to squash the problem at the core. You know the guy…usually someone who says it sheepishly without looking you in the eyes or without speaking in his man voice, then talks about you behind your back.

        • #2988995

          Hey runt, did you snivel something? :D

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Oh make no mistake…

          You can use that, no charge! B-)

        • #2987199

          but why??

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Oh make no mistake…

          why are you not allowed?? Do it anyway, dont even worry about an excuse 😀

        • #2987112

          If he can’t man up

          by forum surfer ·

          In reply to but why??

          and look me in the eye to make a smart remark…what makes you think he’s going to take a beating as a lesson learned? No this is the kind of guy that runs to management at the first bit of foul language or the first time you get in a loud argument and end up squaring your shoulders off. Makes me want to stuff him into the trunk of his own miata and push it into a lake.

          I always win when he goes against me through management and they are aware he’s a troublemaker and a whiner. But still, he’s annoying none the less.

        • #2987100

          Hmmm — you want help

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to If he can’t man up

          I think I know someone that can do the lake bit to him

          Edit: umm — I didnt say that (for those officers browsing around)

    • #2988999

      My current one..

      by dumphrey ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      We are installing two receivers in a central station, connected to a high gain radio for picking up radio alarm accounts and pushing them into our automation software. Well, these two receivers are Redhat 7.3 boxes on some customized (nothing fancy) hardware. We mounted them in the rack, assigned ip addresses, etc…
      Now, we had to call the company to have them “activated”. The tech was unable to connect to them remotely. And of course it was my firewall, or my network, or my switch port… it definitely wasn’t the firewall on the receivers, since ping was 100%, and everything worked just fine when I disabled the firewall on the receivers….
      The tech tried to “fix” the ipchains, but when it rebooted, he had put in an incompatible ipchains, so everything but ping was locked out again.
      He is still saying we have an “intermittent” switch port error.

      • #2987081

        Systems Engineer vs Sys Admin

        by tinarr ·

        In reply to My current one..

        I got hired to administrer a network, fully honest about my abilities. Engineer gets hired and lies about his abilities. Anything goes wrong – I fix it, problem is he is usually the one that breaks it. Ask him for help – response is always “oh I haven’t done that for a few years”. I have done nothing but teach him over the last year. Last straw was when he broke one of my core switches – UGH !! on Christmas Eve!!. Finally gave his notice when he realized he was in way over his head – yahoo they walked him to the door and my systems are very happy right now 🙂

    • #2988817

      JD, this is for you :)

      by dadspad ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

    • #2975187

      Diet Coke

      by gsg ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      Just today we had one of our Doctors call a tech person becuase the Drs. Lounge didn’t have any diet coke.

      Ummm… ok… First, buy it yourself like we do, you make a lot more money than us, Second, what part of “Tech Support” and “IT” would make you think that we stock soda?

      • #2750225

        Scamper, oh minions…..

        by jdclyde ·

        In reply to Diet Coke

        Amuse me, someone play a fiddle while the rest of you monkeys dance for me….. B-)

        Gotta love people like that! :p

        • #2750213

          Oh, this thread again?

          by w2ktechman ·

          In reply to Scamper, oh minions…..

          ok, here goes.
          My new 32″ flat panel has been in the shop for almost a month, and these dumba$$ techs wont return calls or give a status.
          However, after their only call to me (a day after it was supposed to be fixed — 2 weeks ago) they were unimpressive — couldnt find the video issue (stated video fine, sound issue).
          ok, not much of a rant — nor was it meant to be. Just more of a comment on a rant thread that was dug up. good enough?

        • #2750200

          Eh

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to Oh, this thread again?

          i thought this thread was dead and gone..

          way to go wake it up JD..

          *yawn*

        • #2750172

          I think he’s engaged in learning something new.

          by boxfiddler ·

          In reply to Eh

          How To Raise The Dead 101.

        • #2750168

          This is how I feel

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to I think he’s engaged in learning something new.

          😀

        • #2750166

          it is ONLY a weak week…..

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Eh

          :p

        • #2750170

          Kind of a

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Oh, this thread again?

          rant about a rant? 😀

        • #2750140

          ya ya

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to Kind of a

          whatever ]:)

          b0ll0x..its only wednesday..had headache since last thursday..i’m on the verge of ripping my own head off..

        • #2750132

          poor sweet baboo

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to ya ya

          [i]~kiss on the nose~[/i]

        • #2750107

          ughh

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to poor sweet baboo

          i think its from my neck & shoulders..killing me..jsut won’t ease off..
          taking ibuprofin and codeine tablets..takes the edge off, but thats about all..

          if i don’t post for a few days i’m probably in jail for commmitting murder or soemthing..

          just found out my servers are being virualised next week..thanks for including me in those plans guys… just onemore effing thing to have to deal with this week..

        • #2750121

          Easy Fix

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to ya ya

          Studies have shown that lots of sex can cure headaches

          Edit: — ok, I added the ‘lots of’ part

        • #2750116

          well there we go

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to Easy Fix

          so does lack of sex cause headaches then?

        • #2750108

          I think there needs to be a new study

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Easy Fix

          JD??

        • #2751411
          Avatar photo

          Shelly not only does it cause Headaches & Stress

          by hal 9000 ·

          In reply to Easy Fix

          But it is part of the reason females suffer severe depression.

          According to studies females who do not retain seamen are 35 times more likely to suffer severe prolong bouts of depression than those that do.

          I’ll leave it to you to work out your own treatment. :0

          Col ]:)

    • #2750064

      Ok, a real Rant

      by the scummy one ·

      In reply to Gawd, do I need to rant

      WTF is up with newer versions of SW lately? I just dont get it, apparently the companies are so eager to get the new versions out the door, and they need to change it, that they just f**k it up and call it better.

      Ok, what set this off is Roxio/Sonic SW. These are to burn cd’s/dvd’s. So, when it works, they kill disks more than they actually finish them, usually they are killed at around 90%. Both Sonic and Roxio seem to do this, however that is not all — not in hte least.

      Ok, in older versions of both SW packages, if a filename is too long, it asks to rename them — easy enough, select yes. Now, both packages will not copy these files at all. You have to go in and manually change the names of each and try again until you get them all. WTF??

      Ok, next — when double clicking an image file, Roxio opens and then ASKS where the source file is?? WTF — I just f**king told you dammit! So now I gotta go and browse for it.

      Next — roxio seems to think that each part of the application should be it’s own install/uninstall. Why?? Do I really need to uninstall 7 f**king items to remove this sh!t SW?? And then on top of that it wants to reboot between each uninstall.
      If I fail to reboot after each (tried on 2x machines) an older version of Roxio fails to install. So, I gotta reboot 7 f**king times in order to actually remove it properly.

      I know I have run into more quirkes, but these are the ones that are on my mind right now.
      And to note — all of these problems go away when installing an older version, however, then I lose the ability to burn to DVD-DL unless I load another SW package from elsewhere. DVD-DL are too damned expensive to keep working with using Roxio or Sonic, since they like killing disks constantly. And no, these arent cheap ones, however I have not noticed a difference from the cheap ones vs. expensive ones as far as the copy goes.
      This info is provided free to warn y’all about not using Sonic/Roxio cd/dvd SW since their heads are far up their a$$es these days. Brought to you from many, many tries for using the SW, even reducing burn speeds, swapping dvd burners, using several types of burners, using XP and Vista.

      Edit to add: Oh yeah, another one — in Vista, Roxio needs to select files or folders individually, by choosing files or folders. No way to grab multiple folders if folders are selected. So each folder needs to be added separately. I havent bothered with the files option yet.
      In older versions, you can select lots of sh!t, and then remove as needed. The new navigation functions suck big time.

      • #2749485

        Oh

        by shellbot ·

        In reply to Ok, a real Rant

        quit being such a p$ssy
        ]:)

        • #2749469

          Well said luv!

          by jdclyde ·

          In reply to Oh

          B-)

          Well, I am off to the bar. it is beerthirty!

        • #2749440

          What? :0

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Oh

          you mean you actually like ‘new and improved’ completely worthless POS software, created for the sole purpose of having a new version???

          Wow, just wait until it doesnt work at all — and keep buying more cr@p

        • #2750667

          Meeeow

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to What? :0

          hahaha.. didn’t take much to get you going!
          p*ssy

          ]:)
          ]:)

        • #2750383

          OK, That’s It

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Meeeow

          you are off of my 2009 Christmas list!

        • #2749029

          ah come on now

          by shellbot ·

          In reply to OK, That’s It

          watb

          ]:)

      • #2749398

        Nice rant.

        by ontheropes ·

        In reply to Ok, a real Rant

        I’ll not be buying Roxio/Sonic SW anytime soon.

        Years ago I had a similar type rant with Delorme Street Atlas. Can’t remember the versions and it doesn’t matter but I agree, newer doesn’t always equal better.

        • #2749395

          cool :)

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Nice rant.

          I didnt think anyone was paying attention.

          This type of thing seems to be recurring in more than just this SW, and it is quite annoying in my opinion.
          For Roxio/Sonic, I wouldnt use them on my own except for 2 reasons. HP external devices (cd/dvd burners) seem to require it to be installed to load the drivers for the device 🙁
          And
          the images at work have them pre-installed 🙁

          On my systems I use alternates, that work just fine. However for everyone elses system I am constantly getting calls to replace drives, reccomend disks that work, etc..
          Right now it pisses me off because I have a whole bunch of systems sent to me for data recovery/backups. The easiest way is to burn some disks. However, after a long wait for the disks to constantly blow up, with the original drives or externals, means an alternate method. I have been reduced to opying all of everyones data to an external HDD and bringing it to my system to burn to disk. Just extra hassles that should not be needed if the SW was written even partially well.
          One time I even downloaded freeware that worked (and has been working) for someone who burns often. I havent been told of a bad disk since.

        • #2749375

          Have you tried Deepburner?

          by nicknielsen ·

          In reply to cool :)

          I’ve never had a failure since I’ve been using it. And it’s free. http://www.deepburner.com

        • #2749371

          Cool :)

          by the scummy one ·

          In reply to Have you tried Deepburner?

          a new one to try.

          I have tried several and had no issues. Even the one in Linux KDE (I think its called K3b or something like that). They all work fine.

          I am currently using cdburnerXP just to keep from moving everything over to my system to slow it down with burning

Viewing 18 reply threads