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Thread ID: 79148	2007-05-09 14:39:00	Computer repair or Programming	pressf2 (12242)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
548685	2007-05-11 07:43:00	A job that requires more brainwork can often be very rewarding, especially when you get to see the application/game/website you created working smoothly and running efficiently and looking great. Also once you are familiar with your work you can look at experimenting more with new ideas.	winmacguy (3367)
548686	2007-05-11 08:07:00	Most definately find what you enjoy doing most. Programming ..... requires alot more brainwork than computer repair (no offense at all to any computer repairers) . Um. Really. It does not require more or less brains. Its just different. I have done both. I don't like programming and my programs tended to be rather more convuluted that my talented friends. She on the other hand, hates hardware and rings me about little "repair problems" quite often as her family expect her to be able to do these minor things that any idiot can do. Every man and his dog can fix computers right? A bit like the accountant that had been "looking after" the one I saw today. It ran like a handicapped sloth. It had masses of spyware in it, but hey, thats OK, the accountant had installed Spy Sheriff. No worries. I received it because its Hyena PSU had died. Had the importnat business data been backed up first? Obviously the accountant hadn't got to that so the owner told me. Not to mention the helpdesk person I mentioned in another thread. Or the trainee I had once who absolutely insisted that dead RAM was not the problem because it hadn't given any BIOS beeps. He knew this as he was an experienced A+ graduate. Right. Or the PC I got that would shut down on the guy often. The PSU was tested and PC left running overnight in our workshop. It checked out fine. Now, as this is all so easy, tell me what the problem was. I worked it out without even touching the PC while the other techs ran around doing this and that.	pctek (84)
548687	2007-05-11 08:24:00	Um. Really. It does not require more or less brains. Its just different. Agreed. As for accountants and their computers..:rolleyes: I discovered every conceivable type of spyware on my dad's computer the other week. My parents are on a broadband connection (but keep their bb modem turned off when not in use???) My dad refuses to have a firewall - Win2k although they do now have ad aware and spybot thanks to me.	winmacguy (3367)
548688	2007-05-11 08:27:00	From my experience, no bios beep can mean just about anything!	Agent_24 (57)
548689	2007-05-11 09:26:00	Um. Really. It does not require more or less brains. Its just different. Every man and his dog can fix computers right? I never implied that computer hardware technicians are stupid. My father happens to be one himself...but Fair enough, I retract my statement =P In their own rights, they both require the same level of intelligence, they are just applied differently. the PC I got that would shut down on the guy often. The PSU was tested and PC left running overnight in our workshop. It checked out fine. Now, as this is all so easy, tell me what the problem was. I worked it out without even touching the PC while the other techs ran around doing this and that. Hmmm.. you worked it out given only that much information? It could boot/reboot on it's own for many reasons. Having eliminated the PSU as the problem, some possible reasons to this could be : Software incompatabilities, Bios issues, viruses, but the most common is probably just that it was over heating. Most people don't know how to open up their computers or are just too scared to do this and spray a can of compressed air through through it every now and then.	Deathwish (143)
548690	2007-05-11 09:48:00	I've known one place where some of the PCs were plugged into a thermostatically controlled heater circuit. If it ever got to 22C every thing shut down.	PaulD (232)
548691	2007-05-11 20:10:00	[ [b][color=blue]Hmmm.. you worked it out given only that much information? It could boot/reboot on it's own for many reasons. Having eliminated the PSU as the problem, some possible reasons to this could be : Software incompatabilities, Bios issues, viruses, but the most common is probably just that it was over heating. It didn't reboot, just shut down. Overheating isn't a bad guess, but we had run it for ages in the shop remember and it was fine. It wasn't his PC at all, he had had some wiring done in his house which was an old villa, I suggested he get another electrician back to look at it and he said, funny, he'd taken his VCR in to be looked at too, for the same problem and the tech couldn't find anything wrong with it. How did I know? The area he lived was stuffed full of old houses and if it isn't the PC, then its something else........, so I asked about the wiring. Actually worryingly for him, it wasn't the part of the house with the old wiring that had the problem, it was the new bit.	pctek (84)
548692	2007-05-13 05:27:00	I went to tech with a friend. I went off and did hardware related work. The most I was ever paid was $18 an hour. The least was $15. My friend was headhunted by Datacom straight out of tech as a pogrammer. She started on $35K a year. When she left she was getting $33.33 an hour. And double time for overtime. She recently was rung by them as they were exceptionally busy and arranged for her to come back on a part time basis. (she has a young child now) They are now paying her $35 an hour. She could walk back in there full time anytime she felt like it. In fact I think she could have asked for more money instead of accepting their offer - they would have given in to her. However. She is good. Very, very good. I have no talent in programming at all, I don't even like it. First you have to know what you are good at. There are some programmers at Datacom who do OK, but my friend has exceptional talent at it. But Pctek, you really love what you do and you don't care so much about the money... sorry, I've got it slightly wrong :xmouth:	dolby digital (5073)
548693	2007-05-13 06:23:00	But Pctek, you really love what you do and you don't care so much about the money.. Yep. Although the money bit.....would be nice to make millions doing fixes. Sigh....:D	pctek (84)
548694	2007-05-13 07:53:00	Yep. Although the money bit.....would be nice to make millions doing fixes. Sigh....:D You need to be receiving the royalties from your innovative PC hardware designs to get those evasive "millions" pctek, something you'll be unlikely to ever get from just plain old repairing PCs.	winmacguy (3367)
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