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40 Comments
- cbrack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1definitely useful... although by this time i've already learned most of those tricks just because i've had to fix so many damn computers. Nice for those who haven't been the computer-geek/slave of the family yet.
- Nougat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1My only disagreement is with user education. Users refuse to be educated on anything. The rest of this article is pure gold.
- craigm01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Users refuse to be educated on anything." - Quoted for truth
So many users don't want to know ANYTHING, and it's always those users that cause the most problems, I'd like to add a baseball bat to my toolbag for those "special clients" - dwhitbeck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Make sure it's plugged in is a good one. Someone calls you, they tell you, "It don't work." You ping the device, no ping. You walk a couple of hundred yards back in the plant. Its not plugged in.
- adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Amen craigm01..
I hear "well when I turn it on it should just work. I don't want to set up anything or update anything. I paid (or was given this to do company work) for this and it should just work damn it" way to often. - ProfHognutz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The reason it is windows-centric is probably because 98% of clients in the enterprise are windows. That guide is probably intended for IT people. A little remedial in that case though.
- biffman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0dugg
Because in the past I have enjoyed books written by mark minassi. - acidzebra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0good article, but too many anecdotes and fluff. Also not really geared towards end users.
1) reboot first. Solves a lot of *****.
2) check/replace cables
3) check network settings
4) ping stuff on the LAN and the net
5) google and MS KB are your friends
6) error messages are important, write them down.
7) go for a smoke to calm down, then try again. - cbrack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0and i agree with acidzebra... there is a lot of fluff. the google tip is a good one, i wish more people knew how to search google to solve their problems
- Lobster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Good advice "make sure it is plugged in" - that covers 90% of it already . . .
- ssmith39, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I attended one of Mark's seminars several years ago. I found it informative and enjoyable (Mark has a great sense of humor). All too often, technical seminars tend to be dry as dust (hello Cisco!).
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Good advice "make sure it is plugged in" - that covers 90% of it already . . ."
I run into this one all the time... sometimes they even fail to check if the computer is plugged in to the AC power.... Also on the plugged in thing, make sure some moron hasn't plugged a loopback between two network drops... This also happens too frequently around here... for some reason, the switches have problems when you connect two of their ports together... go figure... - SDawg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is pretty good stuff. It is aimed toward the Administrators than an actual end user. I think this is very useful stuff.
@ craigm01 " I'd like to add a baseball bat to my toolbag for those "special clients" "
I understand completely how you feel. - CorpT, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Why do Windows people think they are networkers? That's not troubleshooting networking, it's troubleshooting Windows. Networking is layer 1-4. This was mostly 5+.
- SGT.SHIZZO, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Earth shattering digg news? Probably not.. but it's not a bad thing to listen to when you have nothing better to do I guess. Gives some insight into the mundane world of support if you are into that sort of shizzo.
- geniarse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0adml_shake
Well that's different then. Previously you implied that it was unreasonable for a user to expect a computer to have been set up or updated for them. I must have wrongly assumed by this that you expected your users to setup their own computer and keep them up to date.
As you have just said, "my copmany spent a LOT of time and money to have them trained", and like I said earlier "some light training to show them how a new product or concept can increase their productivity."
It seems that other than a slight (Reasonable in my opinion) misunderstanding we agree on this issue. - geniarse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0adml_shake
--Quote--
I hear "well when I turn it on it should just work. I don't want to set up anything or update anything. I paid (or was given this to do company work) for this and it should just work damn it" way to often.
----
Why should users not expect to turn it on and it to just work? The purpose of the IT dept is to service users. You know: the people who bring in the business for a company. If your 'solution' is too difficult for your user to use and understand, then you are probably doing something wrong. Maybe it's as simple as assuming the user is more IT literate than they actually are. What ever the issue, it is not up to the user to learn things about IT. It is up to us to make their job easier and more productive. This may include making a transition to new software painless or even transparent, or some light training to show them how a new product or concept can increase their productivity.
E.g. email was new once, and I'll bet that when that was introduced a lot of people didn’t see the point of it, and rebelled against learning it…You try taking email away from the masses now!
….It should just work damn it - osbjmg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Good points, especially the "change one variable at a time" bit.
- adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"adml_shake
--Quote--
I hear "well when I turn it on it should just work. I don't want to set up anything or update anything. I paid (or was given this to do company work) for this and it should just work damn it" way to often.
----
Why should users not expect to turn it on and it to just work? The purpose of the IT dept is to service users. You know: the people who bring in the business for a company. If your 'solution' is too difficult for your user to use and understand, then you are probably doing something wrong. Maybe it's as simple as assuming the user is more IT literate than they actually are. What ever the issue, it is not up to the user to learn things about IT. It is up to us to make their job easier and more productive. This may include making a transition to new software painless or even transparent, or some light training to show them how a new product or concept can increase their productivity.
E.g. email was new once, and I'll bet that when that was introduced a lot of people didn’t see the point of it, and rebelled against learning it…You try taking email away from the masses now!
….It should just work damn it"
I'm guessing you've never worked IT? I don't expect them to beable to self configure their machines. Thats my job. They don't even have to make sure it connects to the network. Thats my job. What I DO expect is for them to beable to use the software that my copmany spent a LOT of time and money to have them trained in. And to follow the rules that we've laid down for them as far as email, internet surfing, and other items. If they can't to these BASIC things, then they either need to retire or move on to a less PC demanding job. I can't tell you how many work orders i've put PEBCAK on my work orders. - DellMonitorCup, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0yea im getting super tired of everybody being like damn sh!t be too simple well come on already do you think tech just grows on trees like orange
- redrover12345, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is excessively verbose. This could have been stated in a simple checklist.
- Burmask, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My experience tells me the first comment he made is really the best - "What changed?" 9 times 10 when something goes wrong, it's most likely that new hardware or software that is causing issues. If nothing has changed, then either:
A. Someone is lying
B. You have a real problem - Racoon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Its for windows only :/
And also "a set of 10 audio CDs for an introductory price of $225"
Nice free add on digg.com - youareretarded, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0You guys are a bunch of ***** tools!
"This is a windoze article! Unix doesn't have issues or end users that mess ***** up, anything that runs any OS besides windows doesn't have hardware issues"....sure
Who is this article for? I don't know maybe for the millions of people who post on message boards like anandtech or who watch systm episodes, people that want to fix their ***** themselves instead of taking it to compusa. Maybe it's for those beginner IT people or people whom are considered the family computer guy.
Just because you know this ***** already doesn't mean everyone else does and no one else would find this helpful.
Yeah the authors is selling something but that doesn't make the tips any less relevant.
"It's an ad"
I don't see you guys complaining about the countless dugg stories about apple products and press releases. - ojek, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Go up layer by layer, starting from layer 1 (physical) then up to layer 7 (application).
- valis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0You know ... a lot of people really need to pull their heads out of their posteriors. Can the windows/mac/Linux/my mother's better than your mother crap and just critique the article on its merits.
I have to agree that a) the article is not so easy on the eyes for the average user. However, troubleshooting some network problems is not something a lot of home users need to do. b) It is an advertisement, or at least self-promotional. Nothing wrong with that, really, because he offers up a lot of information. c) Other than being hard to read and a bit heavy with the anecdotes, it is a good resource for the intended audience. Dugg. - kosibar, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0My grocery store has these "SaniCart" things... how about SaniMouse? They're just these little disinfecting napkins in a "SaniCart" ... err... SaniMouse dispenser near the mouses. Wipe and click bacteria free!
Or you could just not disinfect your entire life and then your body will be able to handle a little bacteria here and there. (But maybe not as much as can be found on a mouse. I don't know.) - rodball, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0It is Windows-centric, so right there we can expect a lot of digg-flames. :)
I'm sure a lot of you know these tips already, but I certainly enjoyed them. Networking problems give me a headache. - MrDolomite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Excellent. Good details, moderate amount of technobabble, witty ancedotes. Need more articles like this.
PS - If you are an uber-guru who thought this was lame, you are lame for having to look at digg to get networking help. - tpoc, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0MMMMOOOOOOOOOVE!!
- LoaTao, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Nice advertisement. No digg.
- bitswapper, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0More about fixing windows, really. Very little networking advice of any substance. Interesting that he comments that telcos assume you are causing the problem. If the only OS you know is windows, you probably are. Learn Unix if you're going to take on serious networking. They both have similar problem-solving sets of skills. If you have a problem and you're on the phone with MS support, or have gone to the MS KB, its not a networking problem, its a windows problem.
Oh, and this bit of advice really stood out (he's referring to trying to think through a problem in a stress full and distracting setting): "Walk around the block and/or explain the problem to someone".
I have to agree about removing stress and distractions, but don't walk around the block in the middle of a problem. Unless you've got another job lined up. - kickarse, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0Who DOESN'T know this?
- ratsg, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0This was lame. This wasn't a networking article, it was a windoze article.
Go to the top, and report this as lame - jo42, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Lame arse.
Title should be "How To Troubleshoot Any Windows Networking Problem".
--digg; - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0nice thanks, definitly worth checking out...
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http://www.diggfans.com - Digg Deeper - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Oh, it was ana rticle? I tried to read through it but it looked Windows centric and actually came across as just one giant advertisement for something or another, so I stopped after a couple paragraphs.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Who is this for? My mother?
http://www.gfx.com - stoops, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0"good article, but too many anecdotes and fluff. Also not really geared towards end users.
1) reboot first. Solves a lot of *****.
2) check/replace cables
3) check network settings
4) ping stuff on the LAN and the net
5) google and MS KB are your friends
6) error messages are important, write them down.
7) go for a smoke to calm down, then try again."
8) Go out and buy a mac
Until now, I have never heard of this so called "Troubleshoot Network" - golgotha, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0keep in mind that this is for "windows system administration", which is just as silly as it sounds.
with advice like, wait 15 minutes, reboot it, cross your fingers, re-install,etc
linux/unix folks, nothing to see here. move along.
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