Friend : Can you help me fix my PC?
Me : Sure, what's wrong?
Friend : I've got a pirate copy of Win 10, use dodgy software to avoid updates, fiddled with the bios, and don't have any virus software installed... and for some reason it's stopped booting....
Me....
Friend....
Me....
Friend... what?
Me : Sure, what's wrong?
Friend : I've got a pirate copy of Win 10, use dodgy software to avoid updates, fiddled with the bios, and don't have any virus software installed... and for some reason it's stopped booting....
Me....
Friend....
Me....
Friend... what?
Comments
sudo /bin/bash
or even
exec sudo /bin/bash
if you’re feeling tres cool.
Them: sudo su -
And what's that "fiddled with bios" thing? What is able to fiddle with bios in 2024 and not UEFI?
People should know how both their car and computer work. Are you suggesting that this is out of reach for the average person?
I've been in tech for 20+ years, and I do not believe that. I've taught "where's the 'any' key?" people how to use Linux.
Modern KDE and Gnome look as modern as macOS and Win 11.
Kinda seems counter-productive to complain that a group of people aren't self-aware, then refuse to clarify when one of them wants to know more.
People are extremely receptive to teaching when you're offering solutions to issues that have plagued them for a long time.
Though who fiddles with bios and needs to ask friends for help? Weirdo.
But cant complain about a pirate unless you are buying it for them.
++++REDO FROM START++++
My favorite was when they tried to get an entire four year computer science degree in an hour by firing question after question at me as I’m reformatting their completely infested hard-drive.
I'm tech support for the whole family....
Me: Is that a fucking 5-pin DIN AT keyboard connector? Get out!
That's because it's cheaper to release a cracked copy than hire a team to edit old copy protections out of the source and recompile the whole mess.
If you want I can search for that.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37394665
Having a "unprotected" game is way easier, all you have to do is repackage the whole lot.
My first guess would be GOG but at the same time it would also feel a bit out of character for them.
(The screen isn't blank but has strange coloured lines on it)
Me: Did you drop this?
Friend: Not from very high.
#PC #Mac #techsupport
Pirate windows nowadays is just real windows with spoofed activation.
Everyone has to mess with bios at some point.
the only weird thing is preventing software updates, which is stupid.
I have updates blocked permanently now and will continue to do so.
I update and run MBAM/Spybot once every couple of months, run a full system scan, and I've had absolutely 0 infections.
The best security is being sensible on the internet.
Overblown tripe.
Sorry fam, call geek squad.
I'm not going anywhere near it.
My days of fixing that for free are over.
Everything is streaming now.
If you don't at least know the basics you're screwed.
I say this as someone on Win1022H2 installed as an iso downloaded myself, running StopUpdates10, my BIOS is almost entirely customised and Microsoft Defender is the only antivirus anyone needs.
Me : Better buy a new PC!
Friend: But this one is fine.
Me: Why do you need me to fix it then?
Works all the time.
Checked the other day, laptop still works (with newer Linux distro.)
If a user isn't smart enough to make windows functional, you're really going to try and say they can work with *nix?
I have forced everyone I know to get legit copies of windows or made them legit. It only costs 10-20 bucks or quid. And avoids windows boot loaders which are asking for trouble.
But most users simply can’t manage or don’t want the complexities using a Linux system, it’s the Mac or Windows for them.
With genuine Microsoft office so they can open all their files up without needing my help apart from initial setup 😂😂
It works for a certain percentage of the population... he's not in that percentage.
Has media players, browser, common programs already installed and "just works right out of the box."
Even has programs people might want to install and all they have to do is...
click a button.
Not all distros are created equal.
Else mates free tech support gets withdrawn. They always comply 😂😂😂
Nope, it's dead. You killed it, murdered it, and probably put a damn password you forgot on it, too.
No thanks, just bitter complaints I deleted his p0rn
But there's a reason he's been doing this.... he's tight.
Factory reset.
Given the amount of vulnerabilities they're patching, you have no choice. You must update.
https://youtu.be/p85xwZ_OLX0?si=HzP0Fjo6ROJkvlKr
Are you sure it’s plugged in.
Still nothing?
Nuke the drive for morbid (I know that not the quote) and reinstall your backup image.
You, did, prepare, a backup image,… didn’t you?
Yet it's my friends with retail software/licenses that get bad viruses.
I haven't had one myself in well over a decade
An easy solution is : fix, demote the user account to a non administrative one.
I don't clean windows, I break them