Actual Fequency of Computer Crashes in the Real World

[Exile714]

Reading through these forums and many others across the web, I keep coming across story after story of people's computers crashing. Mac users, Windows users, it doesn't matter. They have software issues, hardware faults, manufacturing issues etc. Some people buy the same model multiple times and have the same issue happen over and over.

I use computers a lot. Sometimes, I abuse them including overtaxing the system or simply not being as careful as I should. But computer crashes and hardware issues never happen to me, or maybe they do but they're so minor an inconvenience I forgot? I remember computers in the 1990s crashing, but not since 2005...ish can I remember having anything close to the computer problems claimed all over the internet.

So, what gives? Are people exaggerating? Lying to make their chosen brand seem more appealing, or others' chosen brand seem less so? Maybe those posts are sponsored by rival companies? Try to find a product with more than 10 reviews on a site without one person claiming, "The whole thing just wouldn't work, tech support was horrible, and when I tried to get a refund it was a total hassle."

(Aside: I have never ONCE called a tech support hotline, nor do I know a single person in real life who has, yet everyone online seems to call them daily despite them always, always being completely unhelpful in any way.)

 

[keysofanxiety]

So, what gives? Are people exaggerating? Lying to make their chosen brand seem more appealing, or others' chosen brand seem less so? Maybe those posts are sponsored by rival companies? Try to find a product with more than 10 reviews on a site without one person claiming, "The whole thing just wouldn't work, tech support was horrible, and when I tried to get a refund it was a total hassle."

(Aside: I have never ONCE called a tech support hotline, nor do I know a single person in real life who has, yet everyone online seems to call them daily despite them always, always being completely unhelpful in any way.)

I'm guessing you don't work in tech support The amount of stupid, random, pointless issues that you'll encounter with both Windows and OS X will make you tear your hair out.

You've been lucky, I guess. OS X is OK in all honesty. Windows really, really sucks.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Reading through these forums and many others across the web, I keep coming across story after story of people's computers crashing. Mac users, Windows users, it doesn't matter. They have software issues, hardware faults, manufacturing issues etc. Some people buy the same model multiple times and have the same issue happen over and over.

I use computers a lot. Sometimes, I abuse them including overtaxing the system or simply not being as careful as I should. But computer crashes and hardware issues never happen to me, or maybe they do but they're so minor an inconvenience I forgot? I remember computers in the 1990s crashing, but not since 2005...ish can I remember having anything close to the computer problems claimed all over the internet.

So, what gives? Are people exaggerating? Lying to make their chosen brand seem more appealing, or others' chosen brand seem less so? Maybe those posts are sponsored by rival companies? Try to find a product with more than 10 reviews on a site without one person claiming, "The whole thing just wouldn't work, tech support was horrible, and when I tried to get a refund it was a total hassle."

(Aside: I have never ONCE called a tech support hotline, nor do I know a single person in real life who has, yet everyone online seems to call them daily despite them always, always being completely unhelpful in any way.)

The people who have no problems whatsoever rarely gather on forums to talk about how smoothly everything runs. Which is just to say that one major reason people gather on forums is for help with their computer problems, so you're very likely to encounter many stories of...computer problems.

 

[Mousse]

So, what gives? Are people exaggerating? Lying to make their chosen brand seem more appealing, or others' chosen brand seem less so? Maybe those posts are sponsored by rival companies? Try to find a product with more than 10 reviews on a site without one person claiming, "The whole thing just wouldn't work, tech support was horrible, and when I tried to get a refund it was a total hassle."

I'd say 99.44% of the computer problems today originates somewhere between the chair and keyboard.

I kid you not, I once got a call from a co-worker who complained her computer call her a handicap. This was back in the CLI (command line) days before WYSIWIG (graphical interface). She kept typing in an unrecognized command and the computer responded with "Invalid." She mistook it for handicapped when it meant not valid.

I'm guessing you don't work in tech support The amount of stupid, random, pointless issues that you'll encounter with both Windows and OS X will make you tear your hair out.

Did you ever have one where the guy's computer had not power because it wasn't plugged in? I've had that once. No snide remarks allowed since it was Da Boss. He asked what was wrong with it. I replied, "Uh...the polarity was reversed on the power, Sir. I had to plug it in the correct way."

 

[mobilehaathi]

I'd say 99.44% of the computer problems today originates somewhere between the chair and keyboard.

I kid you not, I once got a call from a co-worker who complained her computer call her a handicap. This was back in the CLI (command line) days before WYSIWIG (graphical interface). She kept typing in an unrecognized command and the computer responded with "Invalid." She mistook it for handicapped when it meant not valid.

Okay, that is totally hilarious!

 

[Exile714]

Lol... I guess I was 1) being too cynical and 2) giving too much credit to people who use computers.

Also, for what it's worth, I've never used a MacOS/OSX device. I'm planning to convert once the new MacBook Pro comes out, but I don't have major reliability complaints against my Windows machines, especially my 7-year old desktop which has worked like a champ since I bought it refurbished in 2009.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Lol... I guess I was 1) being too cynical and 2) giving too much credit to people who use computers.

Also, for what it's worth, I've never used a MacOS/OSX device. I'm planning to convert once the new MacBook Pro comes out,

Don't hold your breath We've all been waiting years for the next gen MBP.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Did you ever have one where the guy's computer had not power because it wasn't plugged in? I've had that once. No snide remarks allowed since it was Da Boss. He asked what was wrong with it. I replied, "Uh...the polarity was reversed on the power, Sir. I had to plug it in the correct way."

I've had one where somebody was getting really angry with me when I told them to shut down their computer. They kept correcting me, saying "it's not a computer, it's a laptop".

Let's see what else…

People accusing me for supplying them with a shoddy computer because they infected it themselves with loads of malware. Additionally, trying to explain that virus protection won't prevent malware if you install it yourself, because you decided to install Google Chrome from http://download-chrome.properlegit.org like a numpty. Not even beginning to mention that they can't distinguish between software and hardware.

Oh, had a desktop collected once as it wouldn't post. Assured them they wouldn't need to worry about sending any cables with it. Opened the box to find their computer monitor and nothing else.

Got another desktop collected as the PSU failed. It was full of cockroaches. Had to get the exterminators in our office.

More frustrating is that people don't really have an understanding about how quickly computers should reasonably work. I keep assuring them that an SSD or RAM upgrade would do wonders. I offer to collect the machine free of charge and fit the stuff free of charge. I even send them the direct Amazon link for the part and the address they'd need to send it to. They still accuse me of trying to make money off them.

People who think they know more than they do and end up making my job more difficult to fix the problem.

The one that reeeeaallly grinds my gears is that everybody seems to type a URL into a freaking search bar. They literally have no idea what the URL bar is. Even more frustrating because Windows 10 auto installed itself on pretty much everything, and they kept using Microsoft Edge – which has the default search as Bing. And the top 50 results from Bing will be ads/crappy websites and not the damned website you want.

But overall, I don't mind people who are a little computer-confused but are still kind, sweet, and polite. It's the really rude, obnoxious ones, whether they know anything or not, that make the job painful at times.

God, so many stories.

 

[Exile714]

I've had one where somebody was getting really angry with me when I told them to shut down their computer. They kept correcting me, saying "it's not a computer, it's a laptop".

Let's see what else…

People accusing me for supplying them with a shoddy computer because they infected it themselves with loads of malware. Additionally, trying to explain that virus protection won't prevent malware if you install it yourself, because you decided to install Google Chrome from download-chrome.properlegit.org like a numpty. Not even beginning to mention that they can't distinguish between software and hardware.

Oh, had a desktop collected once as it wouldn't post. Assured them they wouldn't need to worry about sending any cables with it. Opened the box to find their computer monitor and nothing else.

Got another desktop collected as the PSU failed. It was full of cockroaches. Had to get the exterminators in our office.

More frustrating is that people don't really have an understanding about how quickly computers should reasonably work. I keep assuring them that an SSD or RAM upgrade would do wonders. I offer to collect the machine free of charge and fit the stuff free of charge. I even send them the direct Amazon link for the part and the address they'd need to send it to. They still accuse me of trying to make money off them.

People who think they know more than they do and end up making my job more difficult to fix the problem.

The one that reeeeaallly grinds my gears is that everybody seems to type a URL into a freaking search bar. They literally have no idea what the URL bar is. Even more frustrating because Windows 10 auto installed itself on pretty much everything, and they kept using Microsoft Edge – which has the default search as Bing. And the top 50 results from Bing will be ads/crappy websites and not the damned website you want.

But overall, I don't mind people who are a little computer-confused but are still kind, sweet, and polite. It's the really rude, obnoxious ones, whether they know anything or not, that make the job painful at times.

God, so many stories.

All of these are great, and thanks for teaching me a new word... "Numpty."

But the last one about typing URLs into a search bar is something I do. Why? Because I'm paranoid I'll type in something like www.bankofamericon.com by mistake and wind up at a phishing site. The extra step of allowing Google to doublecheck my URL is worth the cost in my mind, especially since I only type URLs when I'm going to a site I don't visit regularly and haven't bookmarked.

I hope that doesn't make me a numpty...

But seriously, these posts are making my Friday. Thanks guys!

 

[keysofanxiety]

But the last one about typing URLs into a search bar is something I do. Why? Because I'm paranoid I'll type in something like www.bankofamericon.com by mistake and wind up at a phishing site. The extra step of allowing Google to doublecheck my URL is worth the cost in my mind, especially since I only type URLs when I'm going to a site I don't visit regularly and haven't bookmarked.

I hope that doesn't make me a numpty...

But seriously, these posts are making my Friday. Thanks guys!

Not at all! I often do that too.

It's the people who type it into a search, blindly click the top ad link like the nana they are, then accuse me of sending them to the wrong website like I'm the idiot. We use LogMeIn for our RDP application. You go to www.logmein123.com. Logmein123.com. Pretty catchy, right? Well you'll learn to hate it as I have.

"Oh, it's asking me for an email address and password"
"Sounds like you're on the Logmein homepage. Could you double-check that was Logmein123.com?"

Still the same issue. Makes it 10 times as frustrating when they have malware, so it's taking them through Delta Search instead of Google or even Bing. "No, it's saying something different now!", they'll shout. Often I just give up, tell them to press Windows+R, then type in www.logmein123.com.

"Oh, now it's asking me for a six-digit code!" they'd exhale, as if I was deliberately directing them to the wrong website each time, and now I've finally learned how to do my job.

25 minutes, it once took. Twenty-five minutes for them to go to that website. Desperately trying Windows + R so they can type the URL into there. God help trying to explain the Windows key. "See the Ctrl and Alt key? It's that weird flag/four squares key between the two. Press that."

"It's brought up a menu!!!" they grimaced. "It's not working!"

"No, you've clicked the Start button. Press the key on your keyboard. Keyboard. It's what you use to type."

 

[Mousse]

But the last one about typing URLs into a search bar is something I do. Why? Because I'm paranoid I'll type in something like www.bankofamericon.com by mistake and wind up at a phishing site. The extra step of allowing Google to doublecheck my URL is worth the cost in my mind, especially since I only type URLs when I'm going to a site I don't visit regularly and haven't bookmarked.

At least you don't type "google" in the search bar to get to google website to do a google search. I've seen a lot of novices do that. It drive the Alpha Geeks crazy, but gives me the warm and fuzzies.

 

[Apple fanboy]

At least you don't type "google" in the search bar to get to google website to do a google search. I've seen a lot of novices do that. It drive the Alpha Geeks crazy, but gives me the warm and fuzzies.

I work with a girl who does that! No matter how many times I tell her.

I've also been selling monitors to people when they've asked if it will replace their tower. No it's just a monitor. You'll need a computer to use it!

 

[ActionableMango]

At least you don't type "google" in the search bar to get to google website to do a google search. I've seen a lot of novices do that. It drive the Alpha Geeks crazy, but gives me the warm and fuzzies.

Well, I do this. The search page can do things the address/search field cannot. For example if you are not entirely sure what exact text you want to search for, and you want the search engine's predictive text to populate the field for you.

What really throws me is that a new tab in Chrome looks similar to a Google Search Page, yet it's not, so it doesn't do the predictive text. So I literally type in "google.com" into the middle of what looks like a google.com web search page, so that I can get to a real google.com search page, in order to do my google.com search.

I probably look like a moron to anyone watching over my shoulder.

 

[thekev]

You're reading results on the internet. Consider the number of PCs in active use today. I can't find an exact figure, but it would be a very large number. You're seeing results from those who have problems. This does not give you much information about the source of those problems, as certain types of problems may be over-represented with respect to certain user types. For example, there have been a number of incidences on here where someone posts about kernel panics that began after a ram upgrade. People buy budget memory brands and do not adequately test it, which leads to that.

I would caution you against deriving any conclusions from this without some way to formally evaluate that sample or at least some distinguishing criteria beyond "uses a computer."

 

[Exile714]

You're reading results on the internet. Consider the number of PCs in active use today. I can't find an exact figure, but it would be a very large number. You're seeing results from those who have problems. This does not give you much information about the source of those problems, as certain types of problems may be over-represented with respect to certain user types. For example, there have been a number of incidences on here where someone posts about kernel panics that began after a ram upgrade. People buy budget memory brands and do not adequately test it, which leads to that.

I would caution you against deriving any conclusions from this without some way to formally evaluate that sample or at least some distinguishing criteria beyond "uses a computer."

That was pretty much the subtextual conclusion of my post. But even if you assume a low percentage of crashes per computer user, you would expect to see far fewer "this happened multiple times with multiple computers" than you do. And these are common users (allegedly), talking about standard configurations, so faulty parts are an unlikely answer.