In Which I Fix My Girlfriend’s Grandparents’ WiFi and Hailed as Conquering Hero

[RickJ]

Lo, in the twilight days of the second year of the second decade of the third millennium did a great darkness descend over the wireless internet connectivity of the people of 276 Ferndale Street in the North-Central lands of Iowa. For many years, the gentlefolk of these lands basked in a wireless network overflowing with speed and ample internet, flowing like a river into their Compaq Presario. Many happy days did the people spend checking Hotmail and reading USAToday.com.

But then one gray morning did Internet Explorer 6 no longer load The Google. ...

An entertaining read:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/in-which-i-fix-my-girlfriends-grandparents-wifi-and-am-hailed-as-a-conquering-hero

[tzachs]

Beyond awesome!

[Darth Mandarb]

Well do I know situations such as these.

I had a neighbor of my parent's that couldn't get his printer to print.  He confessed to me that he had attempted to force some paper into the ejection area (where the printed paper comes out I mean) in the hopes that "maybe I could get it to spit out what I tried to print".  As if some evil creature was hiding in there keeping the paper from ejecting!!

I asked him if he had the software that came with the printer; yes.  I asked if he ever installed it; no.  I installed it.  It printed.  I told him that installing the software killed the evil paper-stealing creature inside (I didn't).  He gave me fifty dollars for my trouble.  I considered it doofus tax.

[Wyz]

That was an awesome tale, I wish I could think as heroic about my escapades in the depths of the living room corners. I would tell how my elbows and knees were riddled with scars from previous battles. Oh I could tell them about the putrid taste that never would quite leave your mouth afterwards; a combination of decennial old dust and burned plastic. The beads of sweat forming on your forehead when trying to overcome the ghastly grip of the power socket. The soaring pain when you try to fit your hands into positions they where clearly not designed for. Oh I wish I could.

[Ponch]

Thanks for this, Rick. Like most of the people here, I'm the "computer guy" for my friends and their aged parents (<-- Them, most of all).

"Why does my 486 run so slow? It didn't do that when I bought it back in '96. Can you fix it? While I tell you about my grandkids and other people you've never met."

Time well spent. That's what that is! 

[ThreeOhFour]

Haha oh holy crap, it's my life story written as a ballad!

[LUniqueDan]

Priceless 

(That's also explain why thee tech warriors are underpaid and fed with Jello)

[RickJ]

Darth:  My printer does have evil paper-stealing creature.  He is covered in black & white fur and has sharp claws and teeth, evil whiskers and a mighty tail, otherwise know as Bambino my cat.  Whenever he hears the printer startup he comes running from the other side of the house or even the basement and pounces on the paper tray where he periodically peeks inside the machines various openings anticipating that magical moment.   And when the paper begins to emerge he goes into a predatory frenzy; clawing, chewing, wrestling, devouring ect that irresistible sheet of paper.    As far  as he's concerned it's the next best thing to Red Dwarf's food dispenser when he can continually order "Fins!", "Fish!", "Fish!" ...

My other kitty, Gigi, a little girl and my guardian angel keeps the evil spirits away from me that lurk  inside the answering machine, fax, and cell phones in the house.  Whenever the offending machine comes to life she dashes there and thrashes the evil thing to within an inch of it's life.  If not for her eternal vigilance I surely would have by now been spirited away by some malevolent apparition to so horrific fate.   

[8BitFreak]

General solution to most computer/peripheral problems seems to be for me, check the cables, update the drivers, restart the computer/router/printer.  One or all three.