lol @ tech support at my uni.
- Thread starter Kristoph
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Deleted member 64478
Deleted member 64478
I work in a college and I get this all the time. First thing I would say is for the user to run spyware/antivirus/malware tools. The reason I say this is because it's not my job to tell standard users what they should do with their own systems, I can only recommend a solution.
If the user has no knowledge of IT then I definatly would not suggest backing up their work and reformatting because this would just confuse the hell out of them.
To the op, if you stop thinking you know it all and let the technician get on with his jobs and stop posting comments like that then you might acctually get a job working in IT one day and you will understand what it is like to be pestered by users everyday with other peopls problems.
If the user has no knowledge of IT then I definatly would not suggest backing up their work and reformatting because this would just confuse the hell out of them.
To the op, if you stop thinking you know it all and let the technician get on with his jobs and stop posting comments like that then you might acctually get a job working in IT one day and you will understand what it is like to be pestered by users everyday with other peopls problems.
exactly. and if youre in an environment where the user needs their laptop fixed yesterday then its often a quicker turn around to wipe and start again than it is to scan and disinfect the system.
Tech Support = unappreciated.
I hate it when people say why dont you do your job properly.
It takes a whole what ten minutes to download an image onto a laptop rather than spend ages trying to get rid of a "virus". They have other things to do rather than fix student laptops...
seconded (or is that about tenth'd by now ?)
i work in tech support and simply refuse to take this sort of job on. You can spend hours and have the customer come back hours later reporting its all come back because it embedded itself into the windows kernel.
Its just not a productive use of time when i could be doing more important things like setting up servers for new customers etc.. instead of fixing somebody else's mistake that can be easily rectified by "only way to be 100 % sure that you've removed anything is to reformat"
Deleted member 64478
Deleted member 64478
I acctually refuse to touch a student laptop because there is the chance of it breaking and if the user has no backups, which we all know this is very common then I will be deemed responsible for my actions and could result in disciplinary actions.
Deleted member 64478
Deleted member 64478
I'd only do it for a clients non work machine if she was fit
Now I know this I definatly would not hire you! * Futre reference noted *
Deleted member 64478
Deleted member 64478
Well formatting the machine is the best way to go but most of the times you get people that have a computer infested with viruses, trojans since they have no AV's installed and if they have any installed their definitions are 2-3 years old, they have no back-ups and they want their files to be retained.
Depends on the customer aswell since some customers are willing to do anything you tell them to do like and people who tell you what they need like fixing their PC's without formatting since they have no-backups and want the problem to go away.
Depends on the customer aswell since some customers are willing to do anything you tell them to do like and people who tell you what they need like fixing their PC's without formatting since they have no-backups and want the problem to go away.
Don't worry I'm not intending to. It would bore me to death. A career in forensics sounds a bit more fun than working in tech support.
I didn't say I knew it all when I came in here, as I've said....
This was a student, who obviously didn't have a clue what to do.
Some of you just don't get the point and are talking about copying images onto the HDD. Did you actually read the post or use one bit of sense?
He needed to ask someone at tech support how to remove a virus, you think he's going to have backed up all his work ready as an image? HAHA.
IN HIS SITUATION... it would be quicker to run a couple of pieces of software. IF he still has the problem then format it. But for this students laptop in particular (NOT one of your workplace machines ffs?) it would be quicker for him to scan it a few times.
He didn't have a clue what to do with his computer, going through all his stuff and then working out how to format it is going to take considerably longer.
My field is IT technician. No it won't be quicker. For one thing the IT tech guy doesn't have to help him, it's not his job. If he attempts a clean and the machine BSOD the user will then blame the tech guy.
So it's better to backup the files BEFORE doing anything, yes the backed up files could be infected, but that doesn't matter. Once you have a clean system you can then leave it scanning.
If a clients laptop was infected I would take the HD out, connect to a dedicated anti-virus scanning PC, copy all documents to another HD, run a scan and clean the files. Then can wipe the laptop HD, fit back into laptop and do a fresh install (actually it'll be a restore as all laptops are the same system) Then can copy back scanned files.
Although if I were doing it by the book I wouldn't even attempt to retrieve the files from the laptop, the user is supposed to save all files to the network, so it'll be wiped and if any data is lost, the user will be disciplined by there manager. It's a security risk for the user to save to local HD, they're instructed to save to the HD so if they ignore those instructions it's there own fault.
badbob has hit the nail on the head.
like most have said I wouldnt of touched the laptop if it wasnt my responsibilty to fix it. i would have advised to backup documents to a USB key or similar and run their system restore disk.
it would be quicker for them to do that rather than trying to get their head around scanning software when it seems the user is non-tech savvy. also when there is no guarentee that would resolve it anyway.
i 100% agree with what the uni techy said.
like most have said I wouldnt of touched the laptop if it wasnt my responsibilty to fix it. i would have advised to backup documents to a USB key or similar and run their system restore disk.
it would be quicker for them to do that rather than trying to get their head around scanning software when it seems the user is non-tech savvy. also when there is no guarentee that would resolve it anyway.
i 100% agree with what the uni techy said.