Being Tech Support for Friends Sucks

[Peter.Steele]

Girl at work sent her computer home with me to take a look at, because she thinks it's full of viruses. When she told me about it ahead of time, she said it was a pretty badass gaming computer.

I said sure, I'd take a look at it. So she brought it in to me.


She told me she'd brought it at the very end of the day. When it had been sitting in her car all day long. With the temperatures like they've been.

I brought it home, and today I opened it up.

Looked like I'd opened up a pillow. I had to break out the air compressor to get rid of all the dust bunnies. Took literally 15 minutes out in the driveway with 120 psi air to get the insides more or less cleaned out. It was 10 minutes before I could even see the ASUS logo on the motherboard. The CPU cooler was packed solid with dust. Some of the case fans were seized up. There was still dust coming out of it when I gave up on the air compressor, but Jesus it was better than it started off.

Anyway. I took it back inside, plugged up a monitor / keyboard / mouse / power / ethernet ... and all it did was go in a cycle with the POST. Just on, POST, reset, POST, reset, POST.

Blah.

Looks like it's an ASUS P5N-D motherboard and an EVGA 8800GTX. Don't know what else is in there. It's really not worth fixing, though.

I hate being the one that's smart with computers.

[joefrank64k]

Wow, sounds like it may have had ACTUAL viruses with all that dust!

[NytWolf]

[img]Boring pic.[/img]

[stilly]

Wow, sounds like it may have had ACTUAL viruses with all that dust!

No doubt... She caught some organic viruses... They must have materialized through the solidified dust contacting the hsfs that were in direct contact with the cpu and chipsets...

So what is wrong? can't get out of the cycle? bad PSU?

[monk]

Pshh, a real tech could fix it with a paperclip.

[Peter.Steele]

So what is wrong? can't get out of the cycle? bad PSU?

At this point? Don't know, don't really care. I'm leaning toward CPU or RAM problems, rather than PSU. I can't tell what the message is at the end of the POST.

It's not really worth fixing though. It's almost 6 years old as it is. It's time to just suck it up and get something different.

[todd2968]

I hope she was at least cute and there are a few interesting pictures on it.

[Peter.Steele]

I hope she was at least cute and there are a few interesting pictures on it.

She's ... a linebacker. Really. For a semi-pro women's football team. Well, she used to be, a couple years ago.

There might be pictures there, but even if I could get the computer to boot up and see them, I don't think I'd really want to.

[Ricky-Ray]

Pshh, a real tech could fix it with a paperclip.

MacGyver would just need duct tape an a swiss army knife.

[Peter.Steele]

MacGyver would just need duct tape an a swiss army knife.

My dog is clever, but I don't trust him with duct tape or knives.

Or computers, for that matter.

[MixedMotives]

kinda dated if its running a 8800

[Peter.Steele]

kinda dated if its running a 8800

That's why I said it's not really worth fixing.



That said, right now I'm using my old desktop computer instead of my laptop. It's an AMD Phenom 9850 with a pair of 4870's crossfired.


Not sure why I'm using it, tbh. My laptop's a Sandy Bridge i7. I guess I'm debating whether I really want to put the money into rebuilding it right now. I kinda-sorta think I do.

[stilly]

At this point? Don't know, don't really care. I'm leaning toward CPU or RAM problems, rather than PSU. I can't tell what the message is at the end of the POST.

It's not really worth fixing though. It's almost 6 years old as it is. It's time to just suck it up and get something different.

So, you were asked to do a job, and you are deciding to say **** it? It aint worth it?

Maybe there is something on there that is important. And maybe you are one of the few people that she trusts or knows that can do it. So ask for some lunch money ($20) and diagnose the damn thing.

I am not a certified tech by ANY means, but if someone gives me a comp to check out I WILL fix it or at least figure out what is wrong. Yeah so what. I am typing this up on a socket 939 machine with 4GB of RAM and a 6800 GS. What the hell is THAT supposed to mean? This computer that I am on has been up and running since 2007 and I aint about to shelve it any time soon. Machines that are old have the BEST memories (get it? ). When I was working for the city once I found two machines on the side of the road. I picked them both up and put them in the back of my city truck, then later on I took them home and started exploring. One was an e-machine and one was a pentium 3, but they both had some funny things on them. Now of course they are in the front office about to be zapped into NIX zombies...

Yeah I dunno, maybe it is just me, I like to break machines and loot their info but as a tech I see everything as a challenge and if you don't WANT to fix it, then give it over to someone that DOES want to fix it... (PM sent)

At least figure out the issue and giver HER the decision.

[bg]

I too do this for co workers. I have received some that are flat nasty and have
made it a point to open the side if a tower while the person is still there
to see what might be inside. I get 25.00 to completely clean out the
unit and reset the chip to sink with Shin Etsu G-751 paste. If any
of the fans are dead, that's extra. After the cleaning, then the diag
and repair start, but as the OP stated, some are so very old, it's just
not worth dumping money into, but almost all tell me to get em going....so ok.

If a laptop, I look at the screen for cracks and traces of bug residue as
well as any physical damage and also if they will at least boot while
the person is still there.

The ones I WON'T mess with are the ones that have bugs running around
the inside as in cockroaches ! Nope, no, no way, adios. I always make
a point of opening in co workers car trunks or if an SUV, in the back.

I don't want any critters getting loose in my truck or home. Uh, uh !

Sorry for the thread jack, but I can easily relate to the OP's sometimes
dilemma and reluctance in doing this, though for me, I was able to
stash around 1100.00 for repairs last fall, winter, spring. That came
in really handy.

[bg]

some of us don't like to be forced into change when we're not ready for it or have had time to prepare..

If only MS had listened to their legions of customers before turding
Windows 8 and Windows RT..