Windows Troubleshooting

My job description are including but not limited to computer's troubleshooting. Which means, that if the average user in my office can't connect to an internet, can't connect to a network printer, can't access their mailbox, et cetera, they called my extension. It's by far the most humiliating job that i've ever had. However, given the circumstances, it's also the easiest job that i ever had.

Okay, most of, well, everyone but me (proud Apple user) in the office were using Microsoft Windows. And one lesson i learned (in a fast and a hard fashion) that Windows needs to be restarted. That's all. One day, one user can't find a brand-new network printer. I tried to connect it from my Mac, in three minutes the printer churning a colorful image from my Mac. This user, who uses Windows XP, tried as he (and i) may, still can't find the same printer even though that i had given the correct parameters to it. Minutes later, i learned that if you feel you did everything in your book about troubleshooting and still the response was nowhere near your expectation, restart the goddamn machine.

In days to follow, i still believed that there's still a logic way for these misbehaviours, i.e, it should work when it should work. However, the experience proved au contrarie with my assumptions. For instance, one day, a user said that he can't connect to a network using wireless. What did i do? I was mulling over the settings, the switch, and various other methods only to find that the solution was a mere button away. Yes, restart. Also, once a user said that the Microsoft Outlook he used to read his mails refused his password. I tried using mine, and worked, so i said, restart. And yes, it worked. One of the mysteries of the computing world. When your Windows misbehave, restart, most of the time, it worked. If not, then it's really the time to call your IT Department.

That's why i didn't miss using Windows at all, in fact, the Toshiba Satellite that was given to me by the office was mostly unused. I prefer, much prefer, using my MacBook which i never shut down for about 12 days and counting as of now.