It's still on the CD

[Skandranon]

My boss isn't the most computer wise person around. He can handle most day-to-day things, but every now and then a small detail eludes him. I'm not incredibly computer wise either, but I can usually spot his mistakes, so he turns to me if he's having trouble. This was such an occasion.

He calls me up saying he can't save a Word document. We puzzle over the problem for awhile, before he lets on that the document is on a CD.

Me : Wait... you've transferred it to the computer already, right?
Him : I... think so?... no?
Me : You can't save files while they're on a disc.
Him : You can't?
Me : No, you have to put them on the computer first.
Him : How do I do that?
Me : Click and drag the file to your desktop.
Him : Wait, wait.... click and...drag?
Me : Yeah.
Him : How do I do that?
Me : *bangs head* Click. Hold mouse button. Drag. Let go of button.
Him : Where's the file?
Me : *bangs head more* In your CD file. Where you opened it from.
Him : So its....
Me : ...
Him : ......where?
Me : How do you not know this?
Him : Well I knew it until I had to think about it.

[Alephcat]

that sounds like so many of our users. They come and ask me questions which are obvious to anyone who thought about them for more than 30 seconds, in fact I quite often end up just asking them to think about it and they answer the question themselves

[Dragonlover]

I have moments like that with computers. I'll know exactly what I'm doing, then something makes me lose my train of thought and I forget things like where the Program Files folder is. Makes me feel really fecking stupid.

Dragonlover

[cpux]

Or he could just try something like

C:\>copy d:\paper.doc "c:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents"

Of course, I'd never expect him to figure out the command line prompt.

[LostMyMind]

Just curious, why didn't you just tell him to use the "file-save as" and select "my documents"?

[technical.angel]

Get out of my head, Lost!!!! I wanted to say that!

[Reyneth]

Just curious, why didn't you just tell him to use the "file-save as" and select "my documents"?

Yup, probably the easiest and most fool-proof. Of course, in that case it might not have worked.

At my work we can have from 3-6 computers on the system, 3 of which I am accessing and saving on regularly and one of those with two drives. It can make it interesting finding things if you don't get into pretty strict routines and systems!

[JustADude]

Yup, probably the easiest and most fool-proof. Of course, in that case it might not have worked.

You know what they say: Every time someone invents something fool-proof, nature goes and makes a better fool.