Best of 2001: Beware dangerous species of help desk callers

by Mike Walton | Jan 07, 2002 8:00:00 AM

Tags: Mike Walton

Takeaway: The new year is the perfect time for lists. (Resolution No. 9: I will not eat more than four lunches at my desk each week.) For our part, we are offering a list of the top five most-read Support Republic articles of 2001. Click through and enjoy!

Needless to say, the past year has been a struggle. But despite it all, TechRepublic has done its best to continue to bring you the information that you need to know to stay current in the troubled IT industry. Along the way, we have also worked to entertain you, and it seems as though you appreciated our efforts. During 2001, the Support Republic was lucky to have British columnist Jeff Dray share his views on life at the help desk. His hilarious article, "Beware the 10 most dangerous species of help desk callers," earned the title of Support Republic’s most read article of the year. Dray's top 10 list presents the types of end users you most hate to have at the other end of the telephone. Take, for instance, "The Train Spotter," Userus geekissimus, who, while not the most dangerous species of help desk callers, will show up only when you have a million other things to do.

While a Train Spotter is a serious blight on your workday plans, the most dangerous user on the list is Userus expertia, "The Expert." This type of user will take any idiot’s IT advice and end up wrecking his or her machine, with the end result being a call to you for an immediate PC replacement.

When you can find a free minute away from your own local life forms, check out our most read article of 2001—Dray's taxonomic treat.

The runners up
Dray's article may have grabbed the most readers this past year, but there were a number of other great articles with vital information for TechRepublic members. Here are the rest of the five most read articles of 2001:

• No. 2: "Recovery tips and tools for corrupt Microsoft Office files" offers five free tips on recovering Microsoft Office files and then looks at a few commercial tools that can make a support tech's life a little easier.
• No. 3: "Five tips to fix a screen flicker" tackles one of the most annoying problems for end users. Commit these five tips to memory, and you'll make someone's heart flutter when you fix their flicker.
• No. 4: "Three rules for faster troubleshooting" provides this advice: Sometimes the quickest way to solve a problem is to ask the obvious questions first. The moment you assume the user has his computer plugged in is the moment you embark on a journey of wasted time.
• No. 5: "Download our RJ-45 module installation guide" offers great advice for techs who are installing CAT 5 cable. This download explains how to install an RJ-45 module and wall plate so that you can connect any Ethernet cable to workstations and servers in your building.

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Cast your vote for the best of 2001
As always, your feedback is important to us. If there's an article that you found especially useful or a download you used more than any other, let us know. Post a comment below or send us a note.

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Thank you, thank youJeff Dray  | 01/06/02

One more!alvb1227@...  | 08/17/04