then the people should be able to do it themselfs or pay up.
how to take care of a pc is ssomething everyone can learn to do its not like you must go college. stop beeing lazy or pay
whiles hes trying to justify them beeing lazy
Accepting money to fix a work mate/ friend's computer?
- Thread starter LEE929394
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then the people should be able to do it themselfs or pay up.
how to take care of a pc is ssomething everyone can learn to do its not like you must go college. stop beeing lazy or pay
You were being an idiot when you replied to my previous post and yes, basic computer literacy does not amount to IT skills.99% of people who ask for your help are clueless and can't get their head around even the most basic IT principles... I have been there, seen it, got the t-shirt, etc etc. Teaching people how to install Windows would not necessarily be a quick simple thing... and would need to be backed to by explanations on lots of other little things. Same goes for half the stuff engineers are required to do. If you don't think any of that is in any way "IT" then surely i'm not the idiot...
This elitist attitude held by pc 'enthusiasts' is nonsense. There is nothing whatsoever difficult about installing windows, anyone could do it. If you have had so little success teaching people such basic skills then I would suggest your communication skills aren't that great before I start labeling everyone 'clueless'.
So now they're being lazy. Weren't we talking about our friends here? Show them how to double click a file and they will soon learn, I promise.
From a friend I'd accept booze, or just them oweing me one. For a work colleague I'd take cash or a decent amount of booze
Thats what i do.
Soldato
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I agree with a lot of what you've said, I don't and wouldn't charge my friends much bar a basic IOU/some drinks etc, however some people can be a lot of work even for the basics
Defenatly charge, otherwise your going to be lumbered with crap pc after crap pc which sucks up hours and hours of your time wiping it, upgrading it etc etc.
Why do this for nothing? I sit at work all day doing IT Shizzle I dont want to come home and spend my time doing it for the rest of the evening for nothing.
If they want your services, let them pay
Why do this for nothing? I sit at work all day doing IT Shizzle I dont want to come home and spend my time doing it for the rest of the evening for nothing.
If they want your services, let them pay
Soldato
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My friend your being augmentative, it does not take 5 minutes to set-up a system with Vista, if your setting a system for a friend that doesn't even know how to install an operating system then you have to also make sure the system is fully updated, drivers and security software installed at the very least, otherwise that machine is coming straight back to you, and can't just dump a freshly installed OS on a system and pass it over to a computer illiterate person (friend or otherwise) and expect everything to be OK, even when the system has a restore option there is usually work that still needs doing once the system is restored due to it restoring back to an out of date state that is unfit for internet usage and has out of date drivers that may not work with the costumers current gear, also don't forget 99% of the time you also have to back-up their work.
Yes, obviously my poor communication skills are the reason almost my entire family and street are incapable of installing Windows and removing viruses. I should have thought of that sooner, thanks for the heads up, i'll get on it right away.
on a more serious note some people just cannot grasp the fundamentals... and I do not have time and the patience to sit there giving repeated seminars to people who forget the same instructions time and time again. I really do have better things to do with my life...
Again, wiping a PC does not take hours, if it does, your doing it wrong.
Maybe your friend is asking the wrong person for help.
Install OS (5 min of actually sitting in front of pc), install security (1 min to click NEXT/OK/Finish), turn on auto-update (1 min).
15 minutes max of you actually sitting in front of the PC. I've done it before, it doesn't take up an hour of my time.
If your friend is constantly needing his PC re-formatted, why don't you create image backup of the clean and ready state of the OS and give him/her the DVD for future use?
I would charge him 50p for the DVD unless of course he supplies his own.
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See I just have not found this to be the case.
How to install windows:
1) Set boot drive
2) Reboot
3) Wait
4) Enter Serial
5) Wait
6) Choose disk/partition
7) Wait
8) Enter account details
9) Wait
It's this thing called friendship.
Apparently we're not talking about peoples mothers here, we're talking about friends.
I disagree. The full process
Backup users data
Wipe and cleanly install XP
Download and update drivers because "They" lost the driver disks
update windows
put all the basics on
put all the software back on that they had originally
create a ghost image
and oh yea, were talking about a pc thats from the dark ages. And before you ask, yes, an upgrade is taking place, but that usually arrives after the install has been completed.
Can you do that in less than an hour?
If it were for immediate family or very very close friends i would do it for free but "in my own time when i have time" else I would charge and get on the case straight away
Soldato
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If your only actually going to count the time your using the mouse that is just silly, that's like paying a chef only when he has a knife or spoon in his hand, or a mechanic only when he has a spanner in his hand rather than paying by the hour for the total job, it's a stupid (and pedantic) way of looking at it.
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Fair enough, sounds to me like a rushed job tbh, surely the install of XP alone takes ~ 30mins give or take.
and we are not denoting weather or not your actually sat at the computer, time is time at the end of the day, when im at work and walk away from my desk i dont count that as time im off the clock
A chef/mechanic does not click buttons to get something done.
You click buttons and then the installer package does all the work for you.
I have done these kind of favours for friends for ages, its really annoying and has to stop. Some bloke I hadnt spoken to in 2 years rung me up a few months ago asking if i can help sort his computer problems out.... Just because I did it for free once.
It really isnt 5 mins work.
Firstly there is transport.
Secondly there is 5 - 10 mins of diagnosis. I mean if anyone here is told that someone's computer is misbehaving and doesnt spend at least 5 or 10 minutes having a look at the issue in hand rather than reaching straight for the windows disks they are a fool.
Thirdly, then if it is a reinstall, you then have to hang around for half an hour whilst clicking next every now and then.
Followed by finding drivers, usually done in the hanging around bit, on your own laptop if you have one. However sometimes this can be a right PITA. I tried a reinstall on my mates acer notebook, half of the drivers and software that came pre-installed didnt exist on their website. ended up rooting around the net finding all the rubbish software that he uses on the laptop (acer media playing stuff).
either after or somewhere in between you end up downloading and installing AVG.
Then you have transport home.
so in total id say for a reinstall you are looking at between 30 mins for the quickest and easiest machine and up to 2 or 3 hours if the machine in question is slow or/and requires awkward drivers or/and the internet at said persons house is sluggish.
Just not worth it imho, without some kind of ££ reward.
Also there is the problem of one you have fixed it once every little issue the friend get they will come crawling back, expecting more free help.
It really isnt 5 mins work.
Firstly there is transport.
Secondly there is 5 - 10 mins of diagnosis. I mean if anyone here is told that someone's computer is misbehaving and doesnt spend at least 5 or 10 minutes having a look at the issue in hand rather than reaching straight for the windows disks they are a fool.
Thirdly, then if it is a reinstall, you then have to hang around for half an hour whilst clicking next every now and then.
Followed by finding drivers, usually done in the hanging around bit, on your own laptop if you have one. However sometimes this can be a right PITA. I tried a reinstall on my mates acer notebook, half of the drivers and software that came pre-installed didnt exist on their website. ended up rooting around the net finding all the rubbish software that he uses on the laptop (acer media playing stuff).
either after or somewhere in between you end up downloading and installing AVG.
Then you have transport home.
so in total id say for a reinstall you are looking at between 30 mins for the quickest and easiest machine and up to 2 or 3 hours if the machine in question is slow or/and requires awkward drivers or/and the internet at said persons house is sluggish.
Just not worth it imho, without some kind of ££ reward.
Also there is the problem of one you have fixed it once every little issue the friend get they will come crawling back, expecting more free help.
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