# Who do you think you are, computer repairman? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663 "2009-12-02T02:56:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/21 "2009-12-02T16:32:41Z")
> [@THespos](#): > > I doubt they actively sought out to download and install these applications on your machine. Somebody was probably careless in downloading updates and didn’t pay enough attention to checkboxes during the update process. Safari likes to bundle itself with Quicktime updates, and if you’re not careful, you’ll try to update QT and end up installing Safari. Y! Toolbar rides along with Java updates in a similar fashion. > > Yeah, I know you brought the machine in for a hardware repair, not a software repair. And I think that the repair tech ought to be keelhauled, but I don’t think it’s as malicious as you might think. The repair tech probably thought he was helping by updating your software and ended up installing some programs accidentally. I’ve worked in computer businesses that had repair departments. I came across technicians that seemed to think the computer was theirs to do with as they liked. Not only were they abusing the customer’s privacy, they were wasting company time. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/22 "2009-12-02T17:50:23Z")
> [@Gryff](#): > > What!? No, it is completely irresponsible to update some ones software unless you have been asked to. There is no shortage of incompatibilities with different versions of software requiring people to use an older version of something for various reasons. It is even worse with some versions being nigh on impossible to roll back (I am looking at you Microsoft!) I do believe it’s irresponsible and I do think the tech should be held accountable. I’m just trying to explain how it might have happened without malicious intent. That’s all. I sincerely doubt the tech thought “Lemme take Airman’s computer and download a bunch of programs onto it for shits and giggles.” It was probably more like “Hmm…Quicktime wants to update. Maybe I better let it. Oops - I accidentally let Safari slip in there…” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/23 "2009-12-02T17:57:37Z")
Why would he have needed to connect it to a network to fix the power supply jack? ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/24 "2009-12-02T18:21:01Z")
> [@THespos](#): > > It was probably more like “Hmm…Quicktime wants to update. Maybe I better let it. Oops - I accidentally let Safari slip in there…” Then that person shouldn’t be allowed within 10 yards of another person’s computer. Period. It’s like a pet-sitter who decides that since the dog keeps whining, they’re going to give it chocolate to shut it up. Sure, they didn’t \*mean \*to poison your dog, but they’re still too fucking stupid to ever be allowed to take care of your dog (or anyone else’s) again. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/25 "2009-12-02T18:23:11Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > like a pet-sitter who decides that since the dog keeps whining, they’re going to give it chocolate to shut it up. Well, it _would_ shut the dog up… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/26 "2009-12-02T18:26:22Z")
Unless it doesn’t get a lethal dose (probably won’t, especially if it’s milk chocolate), in which case it would probably just ending up whining more \*and \*shitting all over everything. Moral of the story: force-feed the dog baker’s chocolate if you \*really \*want it to stop crying for a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/27 "2009-12-02T19:28:35Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Why would he have needed to connect it to a network to fix the power supply jack? Ding Ding Ding…I think that’s going to be the magic question to ask the manager. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/28 "2009-12-02T20:10:27Z")
> [@Gryff](#): > > What!? No, it is completely irresponsible to update some ones software unless you have been asked to. There is no shortage of incompatibilities with different versions of software requiring people to use an older version of something for various reasons. It is even worse with some versions being nigh on impossible to roll back (I am looking at you Microsoft!) That’s why I have all my Windows stuff on a separate partition on my mac hard drive that I can wipe out with a simple command. 🙂 Add me to the “that is inexcusable!” pile. You, repair tech, don’t get to decide what I load onto my computer. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/29 "2009-12-02T20:22:40Z")
If I were you, Doors/Robyn, I’d go get malwarebytes and run it real quick, just to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/30 "2009-12-02T20:48:06Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Am I missing something here? Is MsRobyn actually Mrs. Doors? I am, in fact, the lovely and talented Mrs. Doors, and I have been since 2002. I sent an e-mail to the company’s owners this morning, and I got a very nice call back from the guy who actually fixed the jack. He’s not sure what happened, either, but he would like to see the install logs to find out when the software was added. He seems to think that it was added after he reassembled, and that it was supposed to be installed on someone else’s machine, but someone in that area made a careless mistake. Considering that it was legit software and not something malicious that would have installed itself, I’m inclined to agree that it was a careless mistake on the part of the repair shop. No harm, no foul, and they get points for trying to make good on it. On the scale of things that are worth being upset about, this is down at the bottom near a slightly overcooked steak. ---
**Author:** ![THespos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/31 "2009-12-02T21:35:33Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Then that person shouldn’t be allowed within 10 yards of another person’s computer. Period. It’s like a pet-sitter who decides that since the dog keeps whining, they’re going to give it chocolate to shut it up. Sure, they didn’t \*mean \*to poison your dog, but they’re still too fucking stupid to ever be allowed to take care of your dog (or anyone else’s) again. I’m sorry. You’ve accidentally confused me with someone who was defending the tech. The OP asked “Who do you think you are, computer repairman?” as if the tech deliberately loaded up his machine with unwanted stuff. I was just explaining how that could happen as the result of incompetence rather than ill intent or a sense of entitlement to surf porn on a customer’s machine or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/32 "2009-12-02T21:36:56Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > a slightly overcooked steak. Darn Texans…just because it’s not mooing doesn’t mean it’s overcooked! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/33 "2009-12-02T21:47:00Z")
> [@THespos](#): > > I’m sorry. You’ve accidentally confused me with someone who was defending the tech. I want you to do me a big favor and take a deep breath. Hold it for a second. Okay, now you can let it out. Calmer? Ready to listen? Good. _Just because a post is in reply to you doesn’t mean that it’s attacking you._ Get it? You, me, these other people, we’re all having what we like to call a “conversation.” And sometimes, in a conversation, one person says something that stimulates a response from someone else. Now, sometimes that response is saying, “You’re full of shit and here’s why,” but other times, it means, “I take your point, but here’s my addition.” This, since apparently you couldn’t figure it out on your own, was the latter. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/34 "2009-12-02T21:50:43Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I want you to do me a big favor and take a deep breath. Hold it for a second. Okay, now you can let it out. Calmer? Ready to listen? Good. > > _Just because a post is in reply to you doesn’t mean that it’s attacking you._ > > Get it? > > You, me, these other people, we’re all having what we like to call a “conversation.” And sometimes, in a conversation, one person says something that stimulates a response from someone else. Now, sometimes that response is saying, “You’re full of shit and here’s why,” but other times, it means, “I take your point, but here’s my addition.” This, since apparently you couldn’t figure it out on your own, was the latter. But _that_ post was “You’re a giant asshole. Raaar.” ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/35 "2009-12-02T22:08:28Z")
Use the system restore feature to bring your computer back to the state it was in before the repairs. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/36 "2009-12-02T22:30:10Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Use the system restore feature to bring your computer back to the state it was in before the repairs. I wanted to, but the last restore point was the day after the installations took place. [QUOTE=Lute Skywatcher] You know you can just uninstall the toolbar from Firefox’s add-ons menu, right? [/QUOTE] No, you can’t. I looked. In fact, let me check again right now… Nope. The Uninstall button will not highlight. The only functional command is Enable and when I enable it the only functional command is Disable. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/37 "2009-12-02T23:13:07Z")
> [@THespos](#): > > I’m sorry. You’ve accidentally confused me with someone who was defending the tech. The OP asked “Who do you think you are, computer repairman?” as if the tech deliberately loaded up his machine with unwanted stuff. I was just explaining how that could happen as the result of incompetence rather than ill intent or a sense of entitlement to surf porn on a customer’s machine or something like that. Incompetence or malice is irrelevant. You don’t let incompetent techs work on customer machines and competent techs shouldn’t be installing software on customer machines. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/38 "2009-12-02T23:36:10Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Use the system restore feature to bring your computer back to the state it was in before the repairs. Be kinda funny if you did that and the jack broke. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/39 "2009-12-03T00:19:15Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I am, in fact, the lovely and talented Mrs. Doors, and I have been since 2002. Before 2002, of course, she was the ugly and worthless Mrs. Doors. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663/40 "2009-12-03T01:21:40Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > No, you can’t. I looked. In fact, let me check again right now… > > Nope. The Uninstall button will not highlight. The only functional command is Enable and when I enable it the only functional command is Disable. Hm. Must’ve been changed since I wanted to uninstall it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-think-you-are-computer-repairman/519663.md?page=3)