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  • There Is Nothing I Can Do

    Just got off this call. I wouldn't exactly classify the guy as Sucky, just frustrated, but we went around and around for almost fifteen minutes on this.

    So it transpires that [User] has been having nothing but problems since he was transitioned from ONE to ENVY (the network environments at The Client). Key among his issues are problems with his mouse going "zippy" (unresponsive, or the cursor goes zipping all over the screen from the slightest of movements) and with his word program being extremely slow.

    The mouse issue had apparently been fixed earlier that day, when a tech came by and swapped out the mouse. However, the problem returned, and even when the user swapped out another mouse, it persisted. Hence, the problem is not with the mouse, but with his workstation, or with the toggle device that allows users to switch between ENVY and the other networks The Client uses. In either case, it means a tech has to visit his workstation to troubleshoot, and at 8PM, that won't happen until tomorrow. There is nothing I can do from ITSD.

    The word program issue has been ongoing for almost a week now. He could type out a sentence, and it takes several minutes for the letters to appear on the screen. Ditto for deleting things. His major concern, however, is that he needs to go home for the day, but he is unable to save his work.

    It's worth mentioning that [User] is apparently one of those users who doesn't realize that there are keyboard shortcuts in word programs like this. Ctrl+S is a common save function. But no, apparently [User] uses the mouse to click the Save icon or go through the menu. And with a zippy mouse, that's virtually impossible to do.

    [User] wanted me to remote in to see if I could troubleshoot it, but he admits that he wouldn't be able to click the buttons that grant me access to do so, due to the mouse problem.

    I tell him about the Ctrl+S shortcut, which works, but again, he doesn't know how to use the keyboard for when the mouse won't work, and he can't get the cursor into the file-name field any other way.

    And then, to top it all off, his workstation locks up completely. Even his keyboard won't respond, and his monitor is frozen. At this point, the only option to unfreeze it is to perform a hard shutdown.

    Naturally, [User] doesn't want to do this, not without saving his document. He asks if there's any way I can do an auto-save, but I explain there's nothing I can do without access to his system, and if his computer is completely frozen, that means there's even less I can do.

    We went around in circles a few more times as he reiterated how long he's been having this issue with his word program, and the mouse issue, and I reiterated for him that I had re-opened the mouse issue's ticket, and that I'd sent an escalation request email to the tech and team assigned to the word program's ticket. Apart from that, however, there was nothing more I could do.

    I explained there is an auto-save feature in the word program, and since [User] has apparently been working on this particular document for a few months, he won't have lost everything. At most, only everything he'd done that day, at best, only a few minutes' worth of work. There's no way to tell, I told him, until after performing a hard reboot.

    Finally, [User] accepted that, as I'd been patiently (or near to it) explaining, there was nothing I could do, and he hung up.
    PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

    There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

  • #2
    TAB may be able to navigate to that filename field. It SHOULD, anyway. Not that he'll remember it. Odd issues to be having. Virus or spyware issues, perhaps, or just a hard drive/workstation about to die?
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    • #3
      Quoth EricKei View Post
      TAB may be able to navigate to that filename field. It SHOULD, anyway. Not that he'll remember it. Odd issues to be having. Virus or spyware issues, perhaps, or just a hard drive/workstation about to die?
      It's probably just a profile issue. The slowness was ONLY affecting his word program, so it might just be an easy 'repair word program' fix, it might require a profile refresh.

      In either case, there was nothing I could do to help him. I couldn't remote in to repair the word program due to his workstation locking up, and ITSD doesn't have access to refresh profiles.
      PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

      There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

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      • #4
        Reminds me in school when all the mice were broken because kids at school kept stealing the mouse balls to throw at each other, so by neccesity, we had to become masters of navigating a computer and doing all the tasks we needed to with no mouse.
        I am the nocturnal echo-locating flying mammal man.

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        • #5
          Quoth RayvenQ View Post
          , we had to become masters of navigating a computer and doing all the tasks we needed to with no mouse.
          I seek out kb shortcuts just 'cause I find going from mouse to keyboard and back slow, but it REALLY comes in handy in situations like this.

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          • #6
            Quoth RayvenQ View Post
            Reminds me in school when all the mice were broken because kids at school kept stealing the mouse balls to throw at each other, so by neccesity, we had to become masters of navigating a computer and doing all the tasks we needed to with no mouse.
            At my school, they had to upgrade to optical mice early because of that. I got to keep one of the last ball mice that still had balls.

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            • #7
              Quoth RayvenQ View Post
              Reminds me in school when all the mice were broken because kids at school kept stealing the mouse balls to throw at each other, so by neccesity, we had to become masters of navigating a computer and doing all the tasks we needed to with no mouse.
              -insert joke about playing with mouse balls here-

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              • #8
                Quoth sms001 View Post
                I seek out kb shortcuts just 'cause I find going from mouse to keyboard and back slow, but it REALLY comes in handy in situations like this.
                I used a combination of keyboard shortcuts and an Atari-compatible joystick with the Commodore 64 and GEOS 2.0 software.

                When I finally upgraded to a Windows computer, my brother was checking out the mouse and commented "It has balls."

                Me: "It's a boy mouse."

                Nothing like taking the ball out of the mouse and cleaning it down with rubbing alcohol and taking the q-tip to the rollers inside the mouse. I was elated when the optical mouse came out and I didn't have to worry anymore about dirty balls.
                Human Resources - the adult version of "I'm telling Mom." - Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (NCIS)

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                • #9
                  I've seen some (post-secondary level student-access computer) labs where the covers over the mouse balls were glued in place. I guess the lab operators figured that it would take longer for a mouse to become useless due to gunk buildup on the rollers (glued cover preventing cleaning) than it would for a mouse to become useless due to theft of the ball.
                  Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth DGoddessChardonnay View Post
                    I didn't have to worry anymore about dirty balls.
                    MUST.....resist....urge....to.....make....joke.... .
                    How ever do they manage to breathe for themselves without having to call tech support? - Argabarga

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                    • #11
                      MEMO

                      Re: Replacement of Mouse Balls.

                      If a mouse fails to operate or should it perform erratically, it may need a ball replacement. Mouse balls are now available as FRU (Field Replacement Units). Because of the delicate nature of this procedure, replacement of mouse balls should only be attempted by properly trained personnel.

                      Before proceeding, determine the type of mouse balls by examining the underside of the mouse. Domestic balls will be larger and harder than foreign balls. Ball removal procedures differ depending upon the manufacturer of the mouse. Foreign balls can be replaced using the pop off method. Domestic balls are replaced by using the twist off method. Mouse balls are not usually static sensitive. However, excessive handling can result in sudden discharge. Upon completion of ball replacement, the mouse may be used immediately.

                      It is recommended that each person have a pair of spare balls for maintaining optimum customer satisfaction. Any customer missing his balls should contact the local personnel in charge of removing and replacing these necessary items.

                      Please keep in mind that a customer without properly working balls is an unhappy customer.


                      ~ Because someone had to do it ...
                      When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Kaylyn View Post
                        -insert joke about playing with mouse balls here-
                        This happened in High School, so I don't think you can make any joke that hadn't already been made.

                        Then again, at least missing mouse balls were better than the guy who'd mix in random assorted exploding floppies (pun intentional) amongst everyone.

                        I may or may not have been the one who told the guy how to make them, but, in my defence the idea in it was hyptothetical, I certainly didnt prod him to really make them. Aslo I may have been the one who accidentally found out how to hack our school systems so you could get into any of the studens personal folders on the network. >.>

                        Ironically that guy ended up in the Army as an explosives Engineer.
                        Last edited by RayvenQ; 04-30-2014, 01:57 PM.
                        I am the nocturnal echo-locating flying mammal man.

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                        • #13
                          See, pranksters CAN apply their skills to real world jobs!
                          My Guide to Oblivion

                          "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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                          • #14
                            Oh, man, mooncat, you best me yo it! That was the first thing I thought of when the discussion veered to mouse balls.
                            At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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                            • #15
                              Quoth Jay 2K Winger View Post
                              Key among his issues are problems with his mouse going "zippy" (unresponsive, or the cursor goes zipping all over the screen from the slightest of movements) and with his word program being extremely slow.
                              My mouse was doing something similar to this today, but I didn't bother calling IT/informing a sup (or moving to a different cubicle as that's what the solution would have been, and I like my assigned spot). I just turned the mouse upside down and picked the lint that had accumulated out of the way of the light beam. Voila problem solved.

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