Device “problems” resolved with simple solutions.

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
I act as tech support for my clients, a few friends, and occasionally even my kids. Over the years I’ve learned to start with the most basic solution to resolve a problem, learning with trial and error that the majority of problems are resolved with the simplest fix.

A couple of examples to illustrate my point…..

Client is convinced their computer is broken because no matter what they do, it just won’t turn on! I’m tasked with going and buying another one for them, taking it to the computer store to diagnose, etc. Before attempting any drastic measures can you guess the first thing I check?

Yup, the computer was unplugged if it’s a desktop, or has just run out of charge if a laptop! The cleaning person or the husband of one of the grandkids unplugged it to plug in a vacuum or charging cord for their phone, or used the laptop for games or social media and ran it completely out of charge. 🤦‍♀️

Or they suddenly have no Face Recognition on their phone. It was working fine yesterday! But now they can’t get into their phone without manually tapping in the code. And of course can’t use any of the apps they routinely use because they’ve got Face ID enabled and it doesn’t recognize their face any more!

There’s a front camera system on Apple phones called a TrueDepth Camera. You can’t even really see it because it isn’t a regular camera lens. Instead it maps your face using a dot projector, an infrared camera so it can read the dot pattern, and an invisible infrared light to illuminate your face so it can work in the dark.

So the very first thing I do is clean the face of the camera, making sure there are no smears or drips or other crud obstructing that front camera from doing its job. Voila!

The more technical the problem seems to be, the more basic my diagnosis gets!
 
Thank you so much for sharing this. It is so wonderful to see your sharp, troubleshooting mind at work here, and your post really brought a smile to my face.

Your perspective actually got me thinking about something much bigger. What you described about technology is such a perfect analogy for the modern world we live in right now.

We have built these incredibly complex, highly technical systems—politically, socially, and technologically—that often feel completely beyond our comprehension. When things start going sideways and the world feels like it’s going haywire, we tend to look for massive, complicated reasons to explain the breakdown. We analyze the "code" of the situation from every angle, completely baffled by the crisis.

But if we follow your golden rule—tracing the most technical problems back to the most basic root—we usually find a very familiar culprit: human beings. More often than not, we are the ones who accidentally unplugged something, smudged the lens, or pushed a button we didn’t understand, completely unaware that we caused the mess in the first place. We look at a chaotic world and wonder what broke, forgetting that our own hands were the ones tinkering with the machinery.

The deeper the technical maze, the more we need to return to the basics of human nature to find the solution.

Sending you a lot of warmth and looking forward to your next tech-support dispatch! :)
 
One of the funniest tech reports I've read is when a person called tech support because their computer wasn't working. After asking if the computer was plugged in, the tech set to diagnosing the problem.

He asked the customer for the ID number on the back of the tower. The customer said he would have to go get a flashlight as he couldn't make out the number......BECAUSE the power was out and there were no lights in the house.

Bada-bing......
 
Easiest fix I ever performed and the guy thought I was a genius LOL. Just over a couple of decades ago now ...

During my Naval career, I maintained and repaired electronic equipment for Combat Systems and Navy Tactical Data Systems.
I was standing watch at the trouble desk aboard ship one evening when a call came in /

Petty Officer Smuckatelly:
Every time I try to boot the computer,
I get an error message that says, "NTLDR is missing. Press any key to restart”
I press a key and get the same error message.
I even tried cycling power on the stupid computer and get the same error message every time !!!
I'd like to put in a trouble call to have someone come fix it.

Me:
Do me a favor first please. Reach down and press the "Eject" button on the floppy drive.

Petty Officer Smuckatelly:
How did you know there was a floppy disk in there?

Me:
Now press any key and tell me what happens.

Petty Officer Smuckatelly:
It booted up normally ... I've been trying for a half hour. Who is this ?!?!?!

Me:
Chief Naturally

NOTES: "NTLDR is missing. Press any key to restart” was a standard error message when a floppy disk that wasn't bootable was in the disk drive and a computer reboot was attempted. I knew that. Someone had left a disk used simply to store data, in the drive and powered the computer down. BIOS checked that drive first every time a bootup or reboot was initiated. When the boot file wasn't found, the boot sequence was halted and the error message would appear.
 
Last edited:
jujube said:
One of the funniest tech reports I've read is when a person called tech support because their computer wasn't working. After asking if the computer was plugged in, the tech set to diagnosing the problem.

He asked the customer for the ID number on the back of the tower. The customer said he would have to go get a flashlight as he couldn't make out the number......BECAUSE the power was out and there were no lights in the house.

Bada-bing......
Click to expand...
The rest of the story.... The tech asked the man if he had the original box. The man said yes, and the tech said, put it in the box and take it back, to the store-you are too stupid to have computer.
 
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