But can’t figure out how to plug in a computer. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t that bad, but it was damn close.
We get a call from a branch location telling us their card reader isn’t working. This is after I was there the day before and told them it wasn’t working. Brilliant! Anyhow, their card reader isn’t working and their “Tech guy”, how has a PhD in Technology (they were very specific in pointing this out my boss) said that the card reader wasn’t compatible with their computer.
Now, in all fairness, I didn’t spend alot of time on it (read NO TIME) when I was there, I simply noticed it wasn’t connecting to the network and assumed (silly me) that it was plugged in and the person running the place had two braincells to rub together for friction (once again, silly me). So, a collegue and I go trotting off across campus to look at this “non-compatible” card reader. When we walk in the card reader is sitting off to the side completely unplugged (strange, that wasn’t what it was like when I was there the day before). So, I set the card reader up, plug in the power, plug in the network cable (this particular card reader hooks up to a dedicated network with a RJ-11 (phone) connector), and plug the reader into the back of the computer. Magically, the card reader starts, connects to the main server and is functioning as it should (at this point I realized that I really should have checked to make sure Mr. PhD had plugged the damn thing in). At any rate, everything is working as it should, so I log onto the computer (with the username and password that is TAPED TO THE TOP OF THE KEYBOARD!) and set it to accept alternative input from the COM port (which is where the card reader is plugged into).
Viola! another day in the life of a lowly server goon. I’m just glad I don’t have a PhD in Technology or I would have just known that the card reader was incompatable with the computer and I wouldn’t have even tried to hook it up.
Some days it just pays to be so dumb you don’t know it won’t work. smart enough to work through the problem before assuming it just won’t work.
–sg
