Tips to (not) get the most out of your IT department

[pallen]

I just need to ask something...Are Teachers asking you to create presentations for them? And more so, are you doing it? I dont get it :?

[TechMonkey]

reminds the time a member of staff asked if I could make a very quick show of some pictures with some music. Slapped them into Movie maker asked him did he desperately need music as I had none and he was absolutely sure. Dug around and the only CD I had was Queens of the Stone Age. So on went Killing Tree and Mosquito Song. Really bolstered the mood

[richard.thomas]

I just need to ask something...Are Teachers asking you to create presentations for them? And more so, are you doing it? I dont get it :?

 

Normally SLT before they do an assembly. Or for open days and stuff like that. I don't do stuff for the classrooms though.

[gwendes]

I think #21. is very appropriate in my school!!

 

Yup instant I read:

 

21. When you find an I.T. person on the phone, sit uninvited on the corner of his desk and stare at him until he hangs up.

 

 

I thought "good god that happens here far too often!!"

 

Here too - spooky

[rrichmond]

83. After we broadcast a message to all computers that the email server is being powered down for half an hour, feel free to ring us and ask why you can't access your email.

[plock]

I'm reading through these and it strikes me, isn't it lucky we love our jobs!

[joe90bass]

84. When Google displays "We're sorry...

... but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application"

 

Please ring and give us hassle, everyone knows we wrote the Google search Engine in our spare time!

[EduTech]

84. When Google displays "We're sorry...

... but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application"

 

Please ring and give us hassle, everyone knows we wrote the Google search Engine in our spare time!

 

HAha!! Love it lol.... Gosh this post has gave me some laughs today lol

 

James

[mrcrazy04]

 

HAha!! Love it lol.... Gosh this post has gave me some laughs today lol

 

James

 

Sure beats lectures - unless they're hacking lectures - they're cool.

 

 

 

85. Feel free to complain about the new webfilter you ASKED us to install when it blocks your favourite time-wasting website. It clearly needs tweaking so it doesn't block anything from you.

[torledo]

83. After we broadcast a message to all computers that the email server is being powered down for half an hour, feel free to ring us and ask why you can't access your email.

 

You mean to say you haven't disabled the messenger service on all your computers already.

 

Also, even i realise how annoying those messages are , so you've got no complaints if people phone up to hassle you.

[ZeroHour]

83. After we broadcast a message to all computers that the email server is being powered down for half an hour, feel free to ring us and ask why you can't access your email.

 

You mean to say you haven't disabled the messenger service on all your computers already.

 

Also, even i realise how annoying those messages are , so you've got no complaints if people phone up to hassle you.

That off topic. People use it and this is not the place to discuss the messenger service and its merits. Post a new thread if you want to but dont discuss it in this thread.

[mattx]

That off topic. People use it and this is not the place to discuss the messenger service and its merits. Post a new thread if you want to but dont discuss it in this thread.

 

?????

[ZeroHour]

You mean to say you haven't disabled the messenger service on all your computers already.

 

Also, even i realise how annoying those messages are , so you've got no complaints if people phone up to hassle you.

Not really a thread to start going on about the aspects of messenger service. Just nipping it in the bud before the tit for tat stuff starts again.

[rrichmond]

83. After we broadcast a message to all computers that the email server is being powered down for half an hour, feel free to ring us and ask why you can't access your email.

 

You mean to say you haven't disabled the messenger service on all your computers already.

 

Also, even i realise how annoying those messages are , so you've got no complaints if people phone up to hassle you.

 

Hehehe....

 

No, no no.... We have a Novell Network and as administrators we can use the Novell client to broadcast a message to all computers.

 

The messenger service is disabled.

[Simcfc73]

My fave is.

 

Constantly moan about the system and that you think its crap. I will not take offence in anyway and do not feel like coming into your maths lesson and telling you that your teaching is crap.

[mrcrazy04]

My fave is.

 

Constantly moan about the system and that you think its crap. I will not take offence in anyway and do not feel like coming into your maths lesson and telling you that your teaching is crap.

 

Or constantly moan that the system is slow and crap, but never provide enough funding to actually make the machines a decent spec, or to have relatively new ones.

[katem]

 

Or constantly moan that the system is slow and crap, but never provide enough funding to actually make the machines a decent spec, or to have relatively new ones.

 

Hmmm very relevant to myself...try running XP SP2 on an AMD Athlon 850mhz with 256mb of RAM and then wonder why those 5 applications they have open at once are crashing...but dont bother giving us any funding, hey we love using other schools 4 year old cast offs!

[tech_guy]

Or, expecting miracles from a £0 budget........you plonkers! Edited January 13, 2008 by tech_guy

[Greenbeast]

86. You want something printed in colour? luckily for you there's a couple of colour printers in my building i've got all the time in the world to print multiple copies and collate them for you and hand deliver them to you

[Sirbendy]

There's another.

 

"if your car won't start - go to IT and request help. Technicians can fix anything FAR better than your Vauxhall/Renault/Rover dealer can, using only a paper clip, a rubber mallet and the toolkit all techs carry in their boot..that "Sevice overdue" warning is only an advisory, after all."

 

or maybe:

 

"If you don't understand the onboard computer displays in your SAAB 93/95, go and ask the technician to explain them. They can even explain the buttons on the gearlever. One computer is much like another."

[john]

There's another.

 

"if your car won't start - go to IT and request help. Technicians can fix anything FAR better than your Vauxhall/Renault/Rover dealer can, using only a paper clip, a rubber mallet and the toolkit all techs carry in their boot..that "Sevice overdue" warning is only an advisory, after all."

 

or maybe:

 

"If you don't understand the onboard computer displays in your SAAB 93/95, go and ask the technician to explain them. They can even explain the buttons on the gearlever. One computer is much like another."

eer we often deal with these things

[Sirbendy]

It's not that I mind..heh..but so far this last year I've had to do:

 

a battery removal/recharge/alternator fix on an Astra (not mine - mines in A1 shape)

 

2 jump starts

 

1 jump start that turned into a "fight the onboard computer for the right to start the car" with a Laguna (resolved by doing the "turn off, count to 10, welly the throttle and turn key whilst threatening car with a pickaxe" routine)

 

1 "book my rover in for a service somewhere local" and "can you reset the service indicator"

 

and a crash course in "managing your automatic gearbox and onboard systems" for a member of SMT

 

Creases me up.

[witch]

Sirbendy: Why?

[sidewinder]

It's not that I mind..heh..but so far this last year I've had to do:

 

a battery removal/recharge/alternator fix on an Astra (not mine - mines in A1 shape)

 

2 jump starts

 

1 jump start that turned into a "fight the onboard computer for the right to start the car" with a Laguna (resolved by doing the "turn off, count to 10, welly the throttle and turn key whilst threatening car with a pickaxe" routine)

 

1 "book my rover in for a service somewhere local" and "can you reset the service indicator"

 

and a crash course in "managing your automatic gearbox and onboard systems" for a member of SMT

 

Creases me up.

 

They must be aware that you're good with cars though?

Cus otherwise why on earth would they ask IT to do stuff like that?

I severely doubt anyone else on here gets asked to do things like that!

[Sirbendy]

I do most of my own work on mine, and I frequent the Vx owners clubs. I enjoy engines and whatnot, and before I did computing as a job, I worked in a Mitsubishi dealership repairing anything from tractors to lancers..but that was a long time ago, and not on my CV or anything.

 

I keep myself to myself TBH...all the staff know is I live local, I drive cheap cars, I don't drink or smoke, and I enjoy a laugh and have a distinct leaning towards hardware repair and electronics over software, and a love of experimenting with things.

 

Danged if I know how I got my "if anyone can do it, he can" rep.. Everything seems to come to IT eventually. Same as stripping and patch wiring burned out PCBs in CD players - "ooer..wires..go to IT". Unlock a mobile? "IT". Laptop full of sunscreen? "IT will strip that down, wash the boards and rebuild it to A1 spec with no data loss, sure as anything"..

 

The autobox tutorial was due to the fact that SAAB and VX Autoboxes don't seem to be too dissimilar, and the staff member had never owned one before, but I have.."what does the "S" button do? Or the "W"? Is "S" the snow mode?"..no, it's the "Sport" mode..which is why you had so much fun last time it snowed..

 

The Renault was possibly because I've owned 2, and I was chatting to the teacher about it because she's had loads of issues with it..or it may have been because it's the "all dancing" one with the computer screen and "Running Diagnostics - complete - Press Start" malarky.

 

The Astra alternator one was almost certainly down to me owning a MK3 Astra as well.."it won't start, here are her keys - see what you can do with it".

 

Seems i'm less an IT tech sometimes and more a general tech..heh.

Edited January 14, 2008 by Sirbendy