Ask Slashdot: Good Subscription-Based Solution For PC Tech Support?

New submitter byrddtrader writes: My parents are getting close to the their 70s and neither one of them is particularly tech savvy. Since my teenage years I have been tech support for the family, but now that I am older I can not be at their beck and call every time they inadvertently download something they should not, or the printer stops working. Given the amount of time that I have worked with them I don't feel that it is realistic that I will be able to convey the information they need to become self-sufficient. What I am looking for is a service that will be able to assist with any software PC related issues, viruses, printers and the like. Currently they are using a tech firm out of India (iYogi) that does unlimited support for a few hundred per year per machine -- which is fine, though they are big on the up-sell. They tend to push their own virus protection software, and attempted to sell my Dad, who has 500Mb of documents, a 3Tb external hard drive because they said he needed it. Currently the computers they use are ones I have built. Maybe the best solution would be store-bought PCs that offer additional tech support at a price. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Comments

buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

just kidding ....

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[kilodelta]

Yeah because Macs are Intel machines these days. Only difference between them and a PC is the OS.

That being said - someone needs to start offering an inexpensive tech support solution for older folks. My problem was that my father was using Windows 7 and AOL. Thing is - I've been on Linux and OS-X for so long I've forgotten a lot about Windows.

Fortunately that problem solved itself - the old man died a year ago.

Re: buy apple, macs don't need service

[kelarius]

You'd never find techs willing to subject themselves to the 24x7 aarp crowd, nothing more frustrating than trying to support gomers over the phone, trust me. That said, +1 for anyone that is saying local support, many shops have a yearly support plan, the one I used to run charged $165 per year per pc for anti-virus, yearly tuneu (clean temps, startups, dust the interior, etc), and 10% off any additional services needed throughout the year.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Stormwatch]

Only difference between them and a PC is the OS.

Yeah, and? The OS was always the point of a Mac.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

Typical distortion-field bullshit. For a decade Apple says that PowerPC is better than Intel, then as soon as they switch all of a sudden it was never about the hardware.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

Typical distortion-field bullshit. For a decade Apple says that PowerPC is better than Intel, then as soon as they switch all of a sudden it was never about the hardware.

It was never about the hardware. It was all about being irresistable to gay men and artsy-fartsy "straight" men who haven't come out of the closet yet. They aren't interested in hard-ware, they want hard-dick. I thought everybody knew this? Once it was discovered that penis can go up anus, the die was cast.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Ol Olsoc]

Typical distortion-field bullshit. For a decade Apple says that PowerPC is better than Intel, then as soon as they switch all of a sudden it was never about the hardware.

Insightful?

Siddown, and le Uncle Ol give ya some learnin' Cuz you got yerself a mighty fine distortin' field going yourself, if I do say so.

The PowerPC was a mighty fine piece of CPU. But there was one really big problem with it. 'n it were a doozie.

It was too damn big. I had me a dual core G5 Powermac back in th' 2 ought ought 5 day, and the heat sink and the CPU were around the size of a Mac mini.

It generated a lot of heat too, I had 4 fans in the damn thing, and when I was doing 3-D rendering, it was like a Thunderscreech takin' off. Okay, I exaggerate, a 707.

But it was a fine piece of computin' at the time.

But those honkin' CPU's were hell to fit inside a Macbook - they were a nuisance inside a G5 iMac as well, generatin' plenty of heat. And IBM never ever came up with a small enough PowerPC CPU. Even if they could stuff one in a happy, jus imagine all that heat a-crispin yer testicles up. Yowee!

Soooo, old Apple, they just figgerd that rather than fall behind in the pony power department in it's laptops, and that IBM was never gonna smallify them G5 chips enough - they done went Intel, and they done went to Unix.

Shore made Uncle Ol happy when they done did that.

And now you know.........The rest of the story. - Apologies to Paul Harvey.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

Typical distortion-field bullshit. For a decade Apple says that PowerPC is better than Intel, then as soon as they switch all of a sudden it was never about the hardware.

Apple always priced their OS. They did talk about better hardware, but never instead of the OS itself.

The last PowerPC processor used by Apple was called PowerPC970, which Apple marketing named G5 and truth be told, it actually was surperior to what intel provided at the time. It still failed because:
-high power usage and overheating
-compilers not using the full instruction set
-lack of G5 binaries

The G5 processor had a great instruction set and could do lots of stuff in not that many cycles. For instance it could handle 64 bit ALU instructions in 32 bit applications. It could also read numbers into registers with reversed endianess at the same speed as the normal read, making endianess reversal take 0 cycles, branches telling branch prediction to always assume branching (or never assume) and many other neat features I can't remember offhand. The wast options of instructions available to do stuff with reduced number of cycles likely contributed to the heat issue. It was a processor designed with the old max performance mindset built with gates from the modern risk of overheating era.

Apple provided a version of GCC, which didn't fully use all the new instructions and it doesn't really help much with new advanced features if they are only accessible to people coding in ASM. Even worse, distributed binaries were compiled for G3 and G4/G5 could execute due to backward compatibility. While it didn't make a huge difference between G3 and G4, G5 had a problem with it. The binaries would use the number of registers in G3 and the instructionset for G3, making G5 leave more than half the registers unused. If you compiled yourself, you could use flags to tell gcc to target ppc970 to correct this. My personal tests showed that it would reduce CPU usage by around 7%. The universal binary concept Apple provided for both PPC and x86 binaries supported adding ppc970 code as well, but even though I checked multiple applications I never found a commercially closed source ppc970 binary, not even from Apple.

The heating issues turned out to be unfixable and Apple had to abandon the CPU family entirely. If the issues were only software, I assume Apple would have invested great resources into getting the most out of the compiler to provide the fastest possible computer.

It's also worth to mention what when they did switch to intel, they released faster computers. This wasn't due to the CPU switch itself, but rather the fact that they switched from single core to dualcore using an OS, which does very well with multiple cores. Soon after this, software was released, which required intel CPUs (like eyeTV if it was to display HD video). This created the illusion that intel CPUs at the time was faster than PPC while dual G5 would have handled the task just fine as well. However the dual G5 towers had a pricetag, which meant they were quite rare and consumer software simply assumed people not to have those.

Re: buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

That's a fine piece of spinning y'all got down there. That's almost good enough to convince a retarded prairie dog.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

The PPC was a better chip, unfortunately both IBM and Motorola let it languish.

The PPC chips were derived from the IBM Power Chips and the Power 6 was a good performer.
http://www.geek.com/chips/ibms-cpus-power-over-intel-with-new-performance-benchmarks-823511/

Equally neither company had any real interest in laptops or portable computing, so the performance per watt was worse.

Looking at both companies now and you can see they made the wrong choices. Apple knew laptops and portable competing was the future.

This is a large chunk of why Apple is designing its own chips for IOS devices. Its a product line that will continue to our perform desktop PCs for Apple, and the only company that has Apples best interest at heart is Apple. Heck just look at the effort intel is going to to try and get Apples business, they too "missed" the opportunity earlier.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[radarskiy]

It could not possibly be that the relative merits of PowerPC and X86 changed over time.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

You may be kidding, but I have had customers that couldn't go 3 months without rendering a Windows PC unbootable with malware, that ended up being happy with a Mac....

Re: buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

Well if you're convinced then I guess I am too!

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Megane]

PPC was better, until two things happened. One, the G5 replaced the G4 (way too big and hot because IBM designed it for minicomputers), and two, the Core series (Core Duo and Core 2 Duo, later i3/i5/i7) replaced the Pentium 4, also hurting AMD.

Though, to be fair, even the G4 wasn't all that great after a while, because Motorola wanted to make chips for the high end of the embedded market, and only Apple was using it for the desktop market. Embedded CPUs were okay for laptops because low power, but not for desktops, and the front-side bus was just too slow. (Amiga was out there too, but with production in the thousands, not millions.)

Basically, Motorola and IBM were the only sources of PPC chips, and each went in a direction that was not good for desktop use.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[buddyglass]

Less than most PCs. Based on my experiences with my own parents, most support issues are malware related and Macs tend to have fewer issues with Malware.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

Your 70 year old parents don't care what CPU it has. My 72 year old mom switched to Mac a few years ago at my recommendation (I had her using linux in the early 2000's thanks to Slashdot). She was concerned that Mac would be like Linux at the time. Since then she rarely calls for support and has even updated the operating system twice without even calling me to tell me she was doing it. She FaceTimes, iMessages (and knows the difference between text messages and iMessages) and she does it all with ease. She's even made goofy faces in Photo Booth...something I never mentioned. So, despite any reality distortion field, Macs ARE easier, they generally have a much better build quality and they last a long time. Yes, they cost more, but you do get what you pay for.

Re: buy apple, macs don't need service

[hairyfeet]

That is the answer right there, we local PC shop guys have to deal with old folks all the time and have no problem with helping them when they need it, be it a yearly plan or pay as you go. I have several customers in their 70s and frankly have no issues with them, in fact they are generally less of an issue than the "know enough to be dangerous" younger types in that they actually listen to what you tell them. Finally what good is that support gonna do if the issue is with the network? A local shop guy can just go out there and fix it, that Indian phone guy is gonna be worthless.

So talk to the local shops, I'm sure you can find one that has good rates and is willing to take the load off of you.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

It wasn't horribly bad but it wasn't faster at anything but a few Photoshop filters. The Core2 Quad based Mac Pro crushed the G5 Mac at everything else. ( Core2 Quad was 10% slower in a few photoshop filters but was 30% - 100% faster in other bench mark.)

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Applehu Akbar]

For the most part they don't, but their users still do.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Applehu Akbar]

My 72-year-old mom also switched to Mac n my recmmendation. She is now 94, and inherits each one if my hand-me-downs.

Re:buy apple, macs don't need service

[Anonymous Coward]

Finally, SOMEONE splain'n tings to the youngn'z teh same way I done learned and sperienced 'em myseff. The 'ol PPC was a fiiine chyp but when teh Apples went Unix... there were some happy puppies in the barn. 'Specially wit multi-OS-boot-sychosis that I always caught a few times an year. Never looked back. Ahhh teh oughts were some good ol days, them.

Re: buy apple, macs don't need service

[nodonn]

Aihh ... then we're all in 'grement, too be sure.

Why is this on slashdot?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not news for nerds, and it's not stuff that matters.

Really.....

local small business

[brausch]

Look in your local yellow pages or equivalent. I live in a small metropolitan area and know of three or four local firms here that I would consider reputable.

And "a few hundred per year per machine" would cover a lot of local support.

Re: local small business

[Anonymous Coward]

A few hundred per year would just buy a new computer for me every year.
What is this guy's problem? If they are paying so much may as well just do the work.

Re:local small business

[Anonymous Coward]

Onforce, FieldNation, WorkMarket. I know any of the techs on there would love the extra work/money you provide. (And many of them are also small businesses in the area.)

Re: local small business

[PhunkySchtuff]

Getting a new computer every year won't transfer any of their data over, or help them with problems when they inevitably happen.

Re: local small business

[Anonymous Coward]

Getting a new computer every year won't transfer any of their data over, or help them with problems when they inevitably happen.

But that's so easy! Just copy /home, or better yet, have a separate partition/disk for /home so you can just pop it into your new machine and keep all of your settings, bookmarks, documents, etc. OH WAIT, you're talking about Windows users. Nevermind. Good luck with that. Glad it's so easy to use!

Good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

Beck and call. Imagine, you having to change THEIR diapers!

Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[blahbooboo]

Best money I ever spent on my parents (and me). Apple handles EVERYTHING -- their tech support is amazing for people. Don't subject your elderly parents to a Windows PC offshore tech support experience where they play the blame game (MS says call manufacturer, and then manufacturer says call MS). Or better yet, just get then iPads...

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[trout007]

Agree. I'm writing this on a 12 year old laptop running Linux Mint. But if you are tired of being IT get a mac. Money well spent.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep. A Mac is the way to go. If there is an Apple Store near by they can take a used MacBook in. You can get some cheap. Most of the time they will not even need support. Just make an appointment with the Genius Bar. A mini or a iMac I'll work too but the laptop is easier to take in.

I hooked a MackBook pro up to the existing keyboard, monitor and mouse.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[fluffernutter]

Because Apple isn't big on the upsell. Noooo...

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy your parents or grandparents a Google Chromebook and your days of supporting them will ended as soon as you have set-up their Google account and shown them Google Gmail, Google Photos+, and of course Google Chrome not to be confused with Google ChromeOS. I have spent a total of 2 hours technical support for my mother over the last 5 years versus entire weekends over a couple of decades before switching her to a Google Chromebook.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[kauaidiver]

Get them some used Macbook Pro's. I've been having this debate with my uncle who is 72.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[cvdwl]

Not entirely accurate; they're big on the NEXT sale. OTOH, for better or worse, Apples are a real PITA to upgrade, and external attachments are generally eschewed as they ruin the shiny silver apple aesthetic. And I say all this as an owner of more Apple products than I care to admit.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[PhunkySchtuff]

Yep, this. If they can handle just a screen then an iPad is pretty hard to break (software-wise).
If they need a full computer, get a Mac with AppleCare and One to One.
Have the Mac set up with Parental Controls to lock down some of the more confusing aspects of the machine (i.e., make sure the icons you need to stay in the Dock are absolutely going be in the Dock).

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[Megane]

Really, if all they do is interwebs and e-mail and simple word-processing and Skype chats, there's no reason to stick with Windows. Even Linux could probably do all they need. I myself only use Windows for specific things, mostly playing games and embedded development.

I think the most annoying thing about "Ask Slashdot" is that the people who ask stuff never seem to consider that their status quo isn't as important as they think, and the real problem is that they're Doing It Wrong. What's the point of paying for tech support, when the main cause for needing tech support is that after all these years, Windows still has the security of swiss cheese?

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[MMC Monster]

Agree 100%.

About a decade ago I got my dad an Apple desktop because I was tired of reconfiguring his Windows PC every few weeks. (They live ~80 miles from me and I would have to go a couple times a month at least. Difficult to do and keep harmony with the wife and kids with their weekend schedules.)

Now he manages his own photo library, emails, watches videos his friends send him, and my support calls are down to (at most) once a year.

If anything, my mom complains that now that the computer works all the time, my dad is on the computer a lot more and she sees me a lot less.

Apple hardware may be a bit overpriced, but it's well worth it for my parents.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[Anonymous Coward]

My vote as well. Had a plastic iMac, now a macbook. Nearly ten years of silence.

My dad bought an HP MFC printer combo thing. HP is well known for not coming with a USB cable. So he plugged an ethernet cable from the imac to his new printer. Because it was a cable he found that fit. It worked. It freaking worked and the scanner worked, everything worked. It's still there though the imacs is dying (wont' wake from sleep, needs hard reset)

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[MyAlternateID]

I think the most annoying thing about "human beings in general" is that they are self-important and thus, never seem to consider that their status quo isn't as important as they think, and the real problem is that they're Doing It Wrong.

Fixed that for you. Until US society can figure out this "doors to public buildings are shared spaces, stop blocking them" deal, the problem you mention won't be solved anytime soon.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[gzuckier]

Buy your parents or grandparents a Google Chromebook and your days of supporting them will ended as soon as you have set-up their Google account and shown them Google Gmail, Google Photos+, and of course Google Chrome not to be confused with Google ChromeOS. I have spent a total of 2 hours technical support for my mother over the last 5 years versus entire weekends over a couple of decades before switching her to a Google Chromebook.

indeed. got malware of some kind infesting your chromebook? turn it off. next time you turn it on and it reloads from RAM, all is well.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[gzuckier]

I think the most annoying thing about "human beings in general" is that they are self-important and thus, never seem to consider that their status quo isn't as important as they think, and the real problem is that they're Doing It Wrong.

Fixed that for you. Until US society can figure out this "doors to public buildings are shared spaces, stop blocking them" deal, the problem you mention won't be solved anytime soon.

i've come to the conclusion that we are programmed to congregate in narrow spaces; doorways, narrow spots in hallways, middle of the street, etc. There is no other way to explain the universality of the behavior.

Re:Buy them Macs with AppleCare.

[guruevi]

Not during support sessions. Never had anyone upsell me anything when having problems with Apple systems.

Tablets

[Anonymous Coward]

Get them iPads. Problem solved, and you're not continuing to pour money overseas. "iYogi" ? Seriously? epic scam.

Seriously??!

[Anonymous Coward]

Just get them an iMac or MacBook and be done.

Re:Seriously??!

[chipschap]

Have to agree. I don't use Apple stuff myself but I've watched them doing support with a 78-year old friend and they were amazingly patient and helpful.

There's another way, if you're willing to do some support .... a well set-up Linux box, which you update from time to time (maybe monthly?), should perform well. Non-techies have relatively simple needs and don't get into much trouble by clicking on "bad" stuff. Train them to avoid phishing and the like, and they'll be good to go.

Today most basic users just need a browser and something to view photos with.

My wife, the ultimate non-techie, uses a Linux box that I set up and she doesn't even know it's Linux, nor does she care.

I do limited support, like updating software every few weeks, and other than that nothing is really needed except on infrequent occasions.

"iYogi"

[Anonymous Coward]

I have serious doubts against the seriousness of this article. If I didn't know better I'd say it's a paid ad for a professional group of scammers. In fact, I'm not even sure if I actually do know better...

Re:"iYogi"

[TheCarp]

I guess if your perfect customer is an idiot who doesn't understand what "upsell" means and thinks that these guys sound smart. You know, maybe you have a point there...I guess if you actually want idiot customers...maybe this is the perfect ad.

been there and done that

[turkeydance]

my thoughts: don't do it. don't get a service. you are their service. you are their health-care. you are their lawyer. yeah, it's like that. it's YOU.

Re:been there and done that

[Kazoo the Clown]

Yes. Keep in mind that services like this can end up taking advantage of your parents. And it's likely to get worse as they get older. There'll likely be a point they won't be able to use the computer at all, much less maintain it. As they get older they may start getting befuddled at basic operation they knew how to handle before. At some point it just gets too difficult, best be ready for that possibility. Paying bills can be a problem. And watch out for sharks all too ready to step in and take advantage-- especially with offers of investments that pay better returns. Scams designed to take advantage of trusting or befuddled older people are big business...

Find A Good Local SysAdmin

[CAOgdin]

I offer free service to many older folks in my community (56 years in the business; you do the math), and don't charge them for calls less than 30 minutes. 80% of the time it's helping them figure out what to do, not fix something like a broken drive. The other day, a friend (a year older than me) asked for help, I started CHKDSK, he bought me lunch, and we had a great time. I DO charge for heavier stuff (like people who consistently do the same dumb thing...like acting as if they understand what an "Active partition" is, for example, and try to make every partition "Active"), and for initially configuring a new computer so it will remain reliable for a long time.

These off-shore services always break something that will force a new, billable call in a few weeks, so they can boost revenue. I've NEVER known any reliable, phone-support, reputable organization, unless you have an annual contract.

Kudos to you for taking care of your elders; so many adults don't.

Re:Find A Good Local SysAdmin

[Anonymous Coward]

These off-shore services always break something that will force a new, billable call in a few weeks, so they can boost revenue. I've NEVER known any reliable, phone-support, reputable organization, unless you have an annual contract.

That fits the mechanic my patents once found. He started out good and cheap, but after a few years the car started having problems not when it returned from checkups, but within weeks afterwards. What he didn't know is that I started studying engineering at that time and could fix his "problems" even without spare parts. Around the same time, the car was worn out and my parents spoke with him about it. He managed to find a used car he recommended, but looking at it revealed that it was good for the need of his services. They called his bluff/trick, cut contact to him and bought a brand new car, which is still going strong after 15 years due to correct maintenance and care from the very start. Due to the low need of repair, the cost of that car each year ended up being lower than if they had bought any used car. Driving enjoyment is also much better with a great reliability.

A bit off topic, but not much as it is about the pitfalls of paid help. The issues are the same with computers. If you pay for help, you might end up with a script, which disables all printers in 3 months, ensuring a good paycheck for opening control panels to enable the printer again. There are way too many ways to rig a computer for comfort.

There is also another issue. It's less uncommon that data are stolen from the HD while the computer is in for repairs. You may think your parents don't have anything worth stealing, but they could still be upset about their pictures turning up online or their antivirus suddenly stops working because another computer is using thier licensed copy. Stolen program licenses is annoying and expensive and the one time I had to hand in a computer for repair, backed up everything, reformatted the HD and restored everything when it was returned. That appears to be the way to get a warrenty repair (hardware replacement) without losing your data/licenses.

Remote desktop

[Anonymous Coward]

Setup remote desktop so that you don't have to explain fixes to them, you can just fix it yourself...

and realize that when it comes to computer literacy (not downloading viruses or buying hardware they don't need is still probably going to rely on you - nature of the family tech support beast).

Re:Remote desktop

[Megane]

It doesn't matter much if they download viruses when they're not running Windows. I would laugh inside every time I saw a malware file on the desktop of my mom's (PPC!) Mac. I think the whole point of most of the responses here is that there's no reason for them to need Windows. Sure, they can probably still get crapware toolbars installed into the web browser, but that's a lot easier to nuke and pave.

The recent fiasco with Microsoft desperately trying to push Windows 10 on everybody just shows how irrelevant they are becoming.

Re:Remote desktop

[CAOgdin]

A bit harder to change a disk drive, 'tho, wouldn't you agree?

chromebook

[Anonymous Coward]

For me the calls from mom didn't stop until I got her a Chromebook and an iPad to help her dump the virus-ridden PC.

Re:chromebook

[Anonymous Coward]

I was in the same position... years of supporting my mum over the phone with Windows XP and Win7.

Then I bought her a Chromebook and almost all the calls have gone away. Now she posts from free WiFi in foreign countries, from shopping centres etc. with never a question. If it ever dies I'll just buy another one for her.

Re:chromebook

[DarkKaplah]

I'm going to have to second this. I've gotten my older family members PCs in the past and it's always turned into a major headache for me. Your best bet is one of two solutions:

1) Apple everything: Macintosh based computers, Ipad tablets, iphones (if they are cellular users), and apple TV streaming devices. While many rip on apple (including me. I was a mac fan in the apple 2/ mac 2 era, but got burned in the shift to OS X) once your completely in everything just works. If they need help applecare or the apple stores are there to assist or you can use something like Teamviewer to log in remotely.

2) Google everything: Chrometop based computers and Chromebook laptops, Android tablets and phones, and finally Nexus players for TV's and stereos. Much like the apple ecosystem Google equipment works well together. Maybe not as much at the local level, but once you tie them to your Google account everything is tied nicely through web services. Unlike PC (and even apple equipment) Chromebooks and Chrometops are immune to viruses as each time you hard boot they get a fresh OS from ROM. Use their existing PC to push their music and photos to Google Music and Photos.

As for the printer get a networked hard wired multi-function printer. I've found issues with WiFi printers including poor sleep states and difficulty getting them to resync to the WiFi after a power event. A hard wired printer is more reliable. By hard wiring it you make sure everything is in one location. Cable modem, WiFi router, and printer. Tie it all into the same surge protector and if anything goes wrong your mom and dad just need to know to turn off the surge strip for a minute then kick it back on.

As for your dad's 3tb drive I'm not sure what he would be storing on that. In the Apple ecosystem he could either just attach it as a external to what ever mac he chooses to use, link it to his router and use it as network attached storage, or plug it into a real NAS box like a synology. On the Google ecosystem you are limited to just external storage. You probably could push the files to google docs if he wants to pay for more storage (unless it's all photos and music then the basic account would probably do) and just hang on to the 3TB drive as an emergency backup.

Hope this helps. While windows is the primary OS, I'm finding older relatives who are less technical are better served by other technologies. Especially since these "Indian tech support scams" are becoming more commonplace. I've had to remind all of my relatives that "Microsoft will never call you". The ones who have Macs and Chromebooks usually just hang up because they already understand that Microsoft wouldn't provide support for their device.

Ubuntu + Teamviewer

[srwood]

Install Ubuntu and Teamviewer on their computers and give yourself access. Ubuntu should take care of most of the problems and you can remote in for the odd problem that comes up.

Remote desktop

[p51d007]

I just use team viewer. I live 150 miles from my parents, but make trips to visit about once a month. Both in their 80's. If it isn't something I can fix via RDT, then it waits til I get there. I don't want ANYONE touching their computers.

chat.hostgator.com

[Noah Haders]

try chat.hostgator.com. free online live support for a variety of technical issues. no upsell.

Maybe Dell

[Anonymous Coward]

My grandfather before he died had an interest in porn, he would download a lot of it, get his computer infected, then he would call Dell and they would fix it. I think they just remotely triggered an OS reinstall/restore. Before his Dell I had him using NetPCs (this was over a decade ago) with read only storage. I have never provided much tech support to friends/family myself always made it clear I don't do that kind of stuff.

I don't know what service he had with Dell but he seemed happy with it, they were always able to get his computer back to a working state where he could go start downloading porn again.

posting as AC since I don't have a /. account and I've posted maybe 8 times in the past 15 years.

iPad pro

[Noah Haders]

i'll probably get modded down for this, but whatever...

get them an iPad or a new iPad pro. stay within the ecosystem, also get an apple wifi point and a printer that supports AirPrint. they'll be delighted and their calls to you will drop 90%. easiest purchase ever, trust me. Note you can set up the apple wifi directly from the iPad, you don't need to deal with a pc or mac.

Re:iPad pro

[kamapuaa]

On the cheaper side, I just installed Ubuntu on my mother's Windows computer. She was having constant problems with spyware. That was years ago, there hasn't been a single issue since then.

I imagine a Chromebook would be even better.

Re:iPad pro

[Anonymous Coward]

> I get a call about once a year

But you probably get way more calls in FaceTime ;)

I did the same thing for the same reasons you said, and now we can even do video calls (i.e. FaceTime) and it's not even complicated!

Re:iPad pro

[Anonymous Coward]

Apologies for posting AC but I agree here.

My folks (almost 80s) had a PC for a few years and it was high maintenance. I moved away from my home city and was no longer "around the corner" to pop over and fix random issues. When I was back each Christmas I always planned a spare to day to re-install the OS and get everything back to normal.

After a couple of years of this I replaced their windows PC with an iMac and it was the best decision. They resisted at first ("it's different") but then they got used to it. I no longer have "OS" support issues but it's mainly infrequent application questions that can be handled remotely using Team Viewer. They have a Time Machine disk so that if their Mac dies restoring their system will be quite low effort.

They also now have an iPad for when they travel. Mum can do emails, Dad can read his forums. They are very happy. (In fact it died out of warranty [it had a good life] and they replaced it that day. They are quite fiscally tight so it gives an idea of how much they value it).

The _only_ thing they don't like is having to enter a credit card for their iCloud account.

Re:iPad pro

[Anonymous Coward]

How old are you?

Re:iPad pro

[mrholyschmidt]

iPad is definitely the way to go. We have my 81 year old grandma using one every day. She never really learned to use a "PC", but was able to pick the iPad up and use it immediately with very little help. Her first iPad ran for over 4 years before we finally got her a new one (to get a faster internet connection).

Re:iPad pro

[JAnwyl]

Since getting the Ipad, I wanna say that my 71 year old mother probably does 95% of stuff on that little device and loves it. Only other addition to it would maybe be a chromebook and talk to the teacher of tech classes at the local highschool and see who is honest and should get the job for occasional tech support.

How about chromebook

[Anonymous Coward]

I have five for my family. I do zero maintenance. The only thing that I still need to do occasionally is mess with the printer (I had to do this more frequently with windows). Chromebooks can only print over cloudprint. If the maker of the printer stops supporting the protocol (such as Canon did for several printer models), it can get messed up. If you have a printer that can print in many ways (mail, usb key, cloudprint etc.) there are more options.

 

Re:How about chromebook

[Deathlizard]

Second this. Absolutely maintenance free and easy to use if all they want to do is check email, Facebook and the web.

For the Chromebooks, I typically stick with Epson printers since they never seem to change and are well supported. You can pick up an Epson XP-420 usually cheaper than buying ink for a 5 year old printer.

As for the Chromebook, stick with either a big screen notebook or go for a chromebox/chromebase model and use their existing monitor or TV to use it.

Setup Chrome remote desktop so you can remote into it either by invite or on demand.

Also, as with any PC, make sure you install Adblock plus on the Chromebook. People do not understand modern ad's and they will get a scam phone popup or a malicious redirect if you don't. Not that it will do damage to the chromebook, but if you don't want to deal with that call asking if it's real or wanting you to scan the box for a virus that does not exist than Adblock plus is a must.

About 6 years ago...

[Anonymous Coward]

I told my mom that if her next computer wasn't a Mac I wouldn't provide computer support any more. So she bought a Mac. She hasn't needed my help since, and has 3 in the house now (her desktop, her husband's desktop, and a laptop for the motorhome).

chromebook or chromebox

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy them a chromebook, or a chromebox. There is pretty much no maintenance; recovery is power-wash.

CloudIT Dept's C-Box.

[cbiltcliffe]

Disclaimer: I own the company I'm promoting here.

A C-Box. It's brand new, (so new it hasn't officially launched, yet.) but it will do all you're asking for. Manage installed software, automatically install updates for various software when available, provides monitored antivirus, and runs a "second opinion" virus scan based on hashes and multiple A/V engines.
Also provides remote desktop style support for hands-on needs.

The website (which is little more than a placeholder, right now) is http://www.clouditdept.com/
Based in Canada, so no NSL/NSA/FBI crap to deal with, either.

Re:CloudIT Dept's C-Box.

[Anonymous Coward]

Disclaimer: I own the company I'm promoting here.

Based in Canada, so no NSL/NSA/FBI crap to deal with, either.

If Dear Leader Harper is re-elected you might discover NSL/CSEC/CSIS/RCMP/CBS knocking on your company door.

Re:CloudIT Dept's C-Box.

[cbiltcliffe]

Disclaimer: I own the company I'm promoting here.

Based in Canada, so no NSL/NSA/FBI crap to deal with, either.

If Dear Leader Harper is re-elected you might discover NSL/CSEC/CSIS/RCMP/CBS knocking on your company door.

Well, two things:
1. Dear Leader Harper was pretty well trounced. Whether frat-boy Trudeau will be an improvement or not remains to be seen.
2. Customer data is not stored on the C-Box hardware, other than a list of computers and hardware/software installed. While an "anti-terrorism/anti-dissent" law could certainly legally (illegally?) require me to provide data stored on my computers to the authorities, there is no way at all that a law requiring me to help said authorities break into a third party computer would ever pass. Customer data is only stored on the customer's machine. I don't own that computer, and cannot be required to provide access to it.

Try a Neverware USB boot first

[jwillis84]

I've been wrestling with the same thing. Neverware is a USB boot Chromebook solution that works with older legacy hardware. You can try going Chrome without changing out their OS and still boot to the old OS by removing the USB stick if they need something that way. ChromeOS is updated automatically and has AntiVirus.. so it might be an option.

You might even think of transitioning to a Full Chromebook if they like the Chromebook and can live with Office 365 and Gdrive. My Mom regularly asks why her desktop doesn't sync everywhere.. Chromebook can do this. And at this point the only "apps" she really uses are Cloud Apps.. like Banking software or TurboTax.

The rest she either watches in a Browser Video player or goes to the DMV through a browser.. not much need to downloading a Windows 32 bit app anymore.

Right now she is using a Feature Phone, but I can see the day of a SmartPhone is coming.. If she likes ChromeOS.. a Nexus device without all that insane Vendor Add-on crap will make things really easy.. it will sync with her desktop. She'll also have a compaion to talk to (Google Now) a built-in GPS (Google Maps) and a Google Finder (Android Find my Device).

I thought iPhone.. but Apple has really gone nuts since Steve Jobs has left and catering more to fashion models and tweens.. which if the medium age of the country is drifting upwards.. really seems crazy for a company to do.

A little different line of thinking..

[lionchild]

I know you're asking to pay to offload this duty, but I have a suggestion that perhaps you should consider. I would encourage you to consider keeping those duties for yourself, and add a new application to help protect them all the way around.

Deep Freeze by Faronics - http://www.faronics.com/produc...

This product will let you create the perfect configuration for your parents, then 'freeze' it in place. They can have places for documents to go that you can edit and change and so forth. But, if you get infected with something, or an application installs something extra you didn't want, or your browser gets fouled up, you reboot your computer and Deep Freeze makes your system revert back to what it was before those changes took place.

If they aren't changing or updating their system regularly, they just wait until you can do that for them, on your schedule. If they have problems, they reboot and get a working computer back. You'll still want to backup their documents, but you can use a cloud solution for that, so it'll be set-it and forget-it, except when it's time to pay the yearly bill.

It's juts something to consider. Again, I know it's not the hands off solution you're thinking about, but as your parents get older, they'll appreciate your help all the more. It lets you still use this to be connected to them, and feel more like you're taking care of them than pushing that duty off on someone else. Your time is worth way more than the money you spend on them.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[fisted]

Yes, let's spend money on something that is trivially achieved by using free software!

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you for naming the free software solution. This is exactly why I strongly support using random free software instead of a commercial product!

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[nbauman]

Yes, let's spend money on something that is trivially achieved by using free software!

Medicare-aged non-techie here.

What's the trivial solution using free software?

I was trying to figure out how to do something like this myself. My idea was to save a disk image in a separate partition or drive, with something like Clonezilla, and then if anything goes wrong, restore the image back again to its original configuration.

I assume that's what these programs do, although there must be a more efficient way to do it.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[dissy]

Actually deep freeze uses copy-on-write files that store all changes post-boot, and that file gets deleted upon booting.

That way a reboot only has the additional time of a file delete (usually an unclean unlink as well, which is much faster) instead of however long an image restore would take.

I've been on the lookout for an open source solution to take the place of deep freeze for almost a decade now, and I've never found anything available for Windows or that is generic for any OS.

If restores-on-demand are OK, then clonezilla works great.
Take an image, and run it through the bootable image maker option. It creates essentially a bootable restore disk.
This can be written to a separate/second hard drive or partition and booted from as needed to restore to your last good state.

But it makes it much more risky to take new images (potentially long after an infection has occurred but not been triggered or discovered yet) to get new applications installed into it or the latest security updates and AV definitions.

It's a give and take sort of thing with both plenty of upsides and downsides as well.

Alternately deep freeze is a much less annoying solution to use, it just isn't open source. But at least the price is pretty reasonable IMHO.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[fisted]

My idea was to save a disk image in a separate partition or drive

That's the general idea. What I have done with a number of machines i'm non-voluntarily supporting is:
1. Figure out how much storage a freshly installed windows takes up on the partition it is installed to. It was around 2-3 gig in XP times, these days it's probably more like 10.
2. Split off a new partition of roughly that size
3. Install windows to the big, and a small unix (or Linux) to the small partition
4. Fill up the free space on the big partition with repetitive data that compresses well, e.g. by creating gigabyte-sized files consisting solely of the same byte over and over again until the partition is full.
5. Let it sit for a few minutes (*) then delete those files again
6. Boot the small partition, and use dd | gzip to create a compressed image of the windows partition. The resulting file will have around the size estimated in step 1, or a little less.
7. (Optional) Write a wrapper-script around gzcat | dd that knows the right parameters to write the image back to the HDD, adjust /etc/motd to tell the user how to run that script ("type "root", hit Enter, type "recover", hit enter, wait until it reboots, don't power off."). Add a nice entry in the boot loader labeled 'Factory reset'. This way, the user might even be able to restore without calling you anyway.

(*) So that the last few gigs also end up on-disk, rather than never leaving the buffer cache (-equivalent on windows)

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[fisted]

I had no specific "free software solution" in mind, other than basic OS functionality. See sibling, anyway.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, let's spend money on something that is trivially achieved by using free software!

A criticism without a solution is just whining. What is the trivial-to-use free software alternative?

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[Anonymous Coward]

Better is to use something like virtualbox or vmware. That way you can set it to use either an immutable image or snapshot every so often. If they get something bad, a restart will wipe it away or a snapshot restore. An additional benefit is that you can set certain directories to use machine folders. This means that user files are actually on the host operating system, which makes backup using diffs a much simpler process. The third benefit is many viruses and ransomware will refuse to run at all, if they figure they are in a VM.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[Anonymous Coward]

My idea was to save a disk image in a separate partition or drive

That's the general idea. What I have done with a number of machines i'm non-voluntarily supporting is:
1. Figure out how much storage a freshly installed windows takes up on the partition it is installed to. It was around 2-3 gig in XP times, these days it's probably more like 10.
2. Split off a new partition of roughly that size
3. Install windows to the big, and a small unix (or Linux) to the small partition
4. Fill up the free space on the big partition with repetitive data that compresses well, e.g. by creating gigabyte-sized files consisting solely of the same byte over and over again until the partition is full.
5. Let it sit for a few minutes (*) then delete those files again
6. Boot the small partition, and use dd | gzip to create a compressed image of the windows partition. The resulting file will have around the size estimated in step 1, or a little less.
7. (Optional) Write a wrapper-script around gzcat | dd that knows the right parameters to write the image back to the HDD, adjust /etc/motd to tell the user how to run that script ("type "root", hit Enter, type "recover", hit enter, wait until it reboots, don't power off."). Add a nice entry in the boot loader labeled 'Factory reset'. This way, the user might even be able to restore without calling you anyway.

(*) So that the last few gigs also end up on-disk, rather than never leaving the buffer cache (-equivalent on windows)

Cant you just type sync twice?

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[dbIII]

Clonezilla does a bit of compression on every file system it understands so it's fairly quick in most situations as well as being easy to use in most situations.
It even has "photorec" as part of the software in case you want to restore deleted files.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[fisted]

On windows? I doubt it.

Re:A little different line of thinking..

[goarilla]

If you use ntfsclone (ntfs-3g) or Microsoft's dism (winpe) which clones only used blocks you can do away with filling up the disk with zeroes a first time and dd'ing the entire partition/disk on each run.

Old folks tech support.

[Anonymous Coward]

Install vnc on their computer set it to come on when the computer is rebooted.
Now every once and a while you can go on the system and clean house.

Dont for get to open a port on the router for it

I have an app on my Iphone and when mom calls I can log right in and fix it.

Why do they need a computer at all?

[Karlt1]

Why not get an iPad? They don't have to worry about viruses, or system corruption.

Re:Why do they need a computer at all?

[dwywit]

Except operating system updates that render the device unusable without a factory restore/reset.

Two of many:
https://discussions.apple.com/...
http://9to5mac.com/2015/09/18/...

Re:Why do they need a computer at all?

[Anonymous Coward]

Using an iPad might be clever, but it could also be a bad idea. It depends on the people as well as what they want to use a computer for. Interestingly enough my parents can figure out how to use computers with a decent understanding of what goes on, but are completely lost in iOS. It's not just about what they are used to. It's more like you can have email, browser and text editor open in 3 windows, hence on the screen at once. iOS would do the same in 3 screens, showing only one of them at once. That "hiding stuff from the user" appears impossible to control for them.

Re:Why do they need a computer at all?

[Anonymous Coward]

WRONG.
XcodeGhost
Masque Attack
Wirelurker
And many more.

viruses

[DrFalkyn]

Create a new account for them which doesn't have admin access, and then change the admin password. Even if you give them the admin password, at least they will think twice before installing malware

Re:viruses

[Anonymous Coward]

Create a new account for them which doesn't have admin access, and then change the admin password. Even if you give them the admin password, at least they will think twice before installing malware

I once had to look at a computer, which was set up and maintained by somebody they paid by the hour. It looked to me like he wanted as much work as possible because every single user was admin and everybody could screw up with as few warnings as possible. I will not rule out that the tech guy did as good as he could, but either way they picked the wrong guy.

Re:I see...

[fluffernutter]

You're free to skip the articles you feel do not apply.

Re:Grow some balls 20 years ago?

[fluffernutter]

Wow.. you know some people actually want the best for their parents.

Switch to Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

My 84 year old father uses Mint Linux. So does my 67 year old mother-in-law. There are several advantages:

#1 Neither has ever had virus issues
#2 "Windows" support scams do not work on them
#3 They don't screw up the OS
#4 Everything pretty much just works (printers, cameras, etc.)

It has been this way for many years. They rarely have any issues.

Re:Switch to Linux

[CAOgdin]

Nonsense! You're just trading one O.S. for another, and one that--in the wider world--is more obscure and harder to find support for. I build Windows systems that are as reliable as Linux systems...and a LOT more secure because of regular Updates. (P.S.: I use both Windows and Linux; I don't use Mac because I don't like closed eco-systems any more than I like Monsanto's GMO seeds for the same reason: It's harder to determine what is happening inside.)

Re:Switch to Linux

[KGIII]

Do you really use Linux? 'Cause I get updates daily. Sometimes multiple times a day.

Re:Switch to Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullshit. Anyone who says Windows systems are as reliable as Linux systems must be Windows fanboys who are too blind to have ever seen a Windoze update or a virus cause a BSOD.

Re:Switch to Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

Your Windows systems are "a LOT more secure because of regular Updates"? I call BS

Re:Switch to Linux

[Anonymous Coward]

".....Windows systems that are as reliable as Linux systems...and a LOT more secure because of regular Updates..."

There's your answer right there. He's full of shit.

You're really the right one to do it

[RobinH]

Yes it can be annoying to have to deal with their constant tech troubles, but you probably owe them (I have 3 young kids, and they definitely owe me big time). Let's face it, while people are still very active in their late 60's, you should enjoy it while it lasts because most people will really start to slow down in their early to mid 70's. As people age they become much more susceptible to scams (as you've noticed), so the only person you can really trust is you (or your siblings). I think that in 5 or 10 years you might have wished you could have spent more time with them.

Re:You're really the right one to do it

[Wycliffe]

Yes it can be annoying to have to deal with their constant tech troubles, but you probably owe them (I have 3 young kids, and they definitely owe me big time). Let's face it, while people are still very active in their late 60's, you should enjoy it while it lasts because most people will really start to slow down in their early to mid 70's. As people age they become much more susceptible to scams (as you've noticed), so the only person you can really trust is you (or your siblings). I think that in 5 or 10 years you might have wished you could have spent more time with them.

Even if this is true, what about the aunt, or the lady across the street, or the friend from high school you barely know or the person in the nursing home who doesn't have any family? Saying he's the right one to do it doesn't really answer the question of where the best place to send someone who has a computer problem.
I think what most people who don't have a friend do is go into a computer shop and pay several hundred dollars to get it fixed or they ask a neighbor, random people on facebook, etc...

Re:You're really the right one to do it

[Anonymous Coward]

Even if this is true, what about the aunt, or the lady across the street, or the friend from high school you barely know or the person in the nursing home who doesn't have any family? Saying he's the right one to do it doesn't really answer the question of where the best place to send someone who has a computer problem.

Sure you could work full time fixing computers for people who needs it, but doing that would likely take 200 hours/day or more. This brings up the question of who to help and while it depends on who you are and how much time you have, I would say that a good start is to help "the household", which is your parents, children and siblings. I consider it unhealthy to stop assisting each other when needed just because you don't live in the same house anymore. They are still your close family. They rely on you when needed and you rely on them when needed.

It doesn't solve the problem regarding what to do with all the people you don't have time for, but you should make the needed time for your nearest family.

Re:You're really the right one to do it

[Anonymous Coward]

I have 3 young kids, and they definitely owe me big time

Are you in for a surprise...

Re:You're really the right one to do it

[Anonymous Coward]

Your children owe you? For what?

Screen sharing program

[Karmashock]

Its what I use for my parents. I can't drive over there but I can remote into their computers.

Re:Screen sharing program

[Anonymous Coward]

I leave my bedroom to look at their PC but I can remote into their computers.

Fixed that for ya, kid. And I recall someone else who couldn't be brought to face his parents regularly, he didn't turn out very well. It's time to find you a shrink, kid. You're certainly at least as angry as he was.

Re:Screen sharing program

[Karmashock]

Hey bingo... I missed you too. :)

Re:Screen sharing program

[Anonymous Coward]

What you are talking about there junior? Did you forget to take the meds the nice man gave you today? Your mother will be down with a glass of water shortly.

chromebook

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Chromebook-Laptop-NVIDIA-Turquoise/dp/B00O8U01IO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1445216843&sr=8-1&keywords=14+hp+chromebook

pretty much...

[rsilvergun]

why not just get a chrome book? They'll have email, netflix, Word processors, etc and if it breaks the OS is in ROM. Hit a few buttons and it's back to normal. Just make sure they're using cloud storage and their set.

Find a Retired Computer Guy in the Neighborhood

[C0L0PH0N]

I'm a retired computer guy (71), and I do a ton of work for my senior citizen neighbors. I suggest a $20/hr "donation" to the R&R fund for me and my wife, for an hour or two of services that would cost them $80-$150 at any computer shop. If the person is really poor, or doesn't tumble that I accept "donations", then I just do the work for free. I go to their homes, and fix their problems (all over the map :). I am viewed as a local treasure by all the old folks I know, as most of them haven't a clue how to fix their problems. I don't advertise because I get enough by word-of-mouth to keep me as busy as I care to be, as I do other things too :). But if your parents have a retired computer guy in their neighborhood, perhaps they can establish a relationship with him/her. I would work for free, as I don't really need the money, but on the other hand, it gets old, and the $20 helps pay for a dinner out or a movie for me and my wife. She used to complain about my being gone, so I came up with the brilliant idea, I split the money with her. So if I'm gone for a 2 hour computer call, and I come home with $40, she gets half. Now when someone calls for help, she smiles and says, "off you go". Bottom line, a little bit of money makes everyone happy :).

Re:Find a Retired Computer Guy in the Neighborhood

[Anonymous Coward]

As much as I think it's awesome that you are only charging $20/hr.. this is the reason no one wants to work tech support anymore and why they are so hard to find. There's just no money in it.

Re:Find a Retired Computer Guy in the Neighborhood

[Anonymous Coward]

you're not doing it for $20. you're doing it to still feel relevant/important in your golden years. nothing wrong with that. we are all going to face that someday.

Re:Find a Retired Computer Guy in the Neighborhood

[Anonymous Coward]

$20/hr is a living wage in every county of every state in the USA.

I made all my non-techie family get Macs

[Anonymous Coward]

Plus several of my helpless friends. Once I did that, my phone stopped ringing every damn day, and now it's only about once a month.

Re:I made all my non-techie family get Macs

[Lumpy]

If they cant afford a MAC I suggest a chromebook or chromebox. Works great. 80% of all home computer users dont need a PC. They need a chromebox or even just a nexus player.

Re:I made all my non-techie family get Macs

[Anonymous Coward]

Plus 10 for that. I bought my old folks Macs. End of problem.

Re:I made all my non-techie family get Macs

[Anonymous Coward]

I did the same thing and now the phonecalls are mostly non-computer related stuff, like "power died and the router didn't connect to the ISP when the power was restored" (not really an OS issue). I even scrapped my plan for setting up VPN+remote desktop because it looks like there is no need for that.

I used to work with supporting macs (inhouse) and have seen how many ways people can screw up a computer. Funny thing is that the guy next to me serviced windows and despite supporting equal number of computers, he was overloaded while I was more or less waiting for stuff to break (which made me switch to other tasks, I didn't just slack). The best user error I encountered was a dead computer. I recharged the battery and was called "an amazing tech wizard, who could revive completely dead hardware".

Writing all this made me remember some rant posting I once read. Some company started switching from windows to mac and the tech supporter tried to sabotage it by ignoring mac tech support calls for as long as possible. Bad move because people got tired of waiting and figured out how to solve the problems on their own (that rarely happened to windows). He then went online to badmouth mac and asking for help on what to do to keep his job. He started to fear not being needed in the company anymore.

Re:I made all my non-techie family get Macs

[Megane]

Also, don't ignore the possibility of getting a used Mac. Though I wouldn't recommend any of the pre-unibody laptops for various reasons, including that the unibody design is so much more solid than the previous ones, plus most of them can be upgraded to OS X 10.10. Stuff from the 2010-2012 era is pretty good and can usually take a RAM upgrade to 8GB or 16GB, look up the specific model (such as MacBookPro8,3) to find out what can be done. The main problem with getting a used Mac is that they're useful for so much longer than the average PC, so even if you find one, you will probably still pay a premium for it.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Best subscription.....

[Lumpy]

Buy a new PC every 6 months, It's cheaper than paying for tech support.

Re:Best subscription.....

[Anonymous Coward]

That would make them lose all their files every 6th month. Either that or you need to copy everything for them. Also I'm quite sure I can't convince my parents to buy a new computer that often. If they buy something, they use that one until it's worn out. Discarding something, which isn't worn out is waste. Also a new computer might look/feel different, which could be confusing for people with lack of computer skills.

Also I support my parents for free and considering how often they require help, paid help would be cheaper than buying a new computer that often.

Re:Best subscription.....

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a reason why everything is in the cloud now. And the greed of corporations is only the enabler, not the cause of that. We're talking about computer trouble like it's only a problem for old folks, but it really affects the vast majority of all computer users: They have no idea what they're doing and are either unwilling or don't have the capacity to learn how to use a computer. There are people my age who ask me to send pictures by email for them, ferchrissakes. It's not getting better, it's getting worse. If you think iOS and Android are dumbed down, you ain't seen nothing yet. Before long, we'll have remote-managed terminals to cloud services, with no local storage whatsoever. OS, programs, configuration, data: All loaded on demand from the network, with remote control capability for the call center "technicians". Then you'll have to pay a subscription just to have a "computer", but people will like it that way, because "can you remember the time when computers were useless complicated things that never did what you wanted them to do?"

Re:Best subscription.....

[Anonymous Coward]

you enable them. You cause the problems you see.

Four types ...

[argee]

The AARP crowd can vary: (1) A previously competent individual whose mind has deteriorated and now needs help.
(2) An older person that never used computers, and now that he is retired he wants to get on the scene; and
(3) An elder that used computers for a long time, but never mastered them, and has needed help all his life. (4) Someone
that knows how to use computers, but needs handholding from time to time.

These are all distinct types, the first three types are difficult and frustrating because things will never get better with
them.

+1 for local support

[dwywit]

Only twice in 10 years have I encountered people who didn't have the money to pay for service, elderly/retirees included. One, a small rural shop that would have required a 40-minute drive was surprised that I wanted $95/hour, and the other actually called back after ringing around for a cheaper rate/faster service. I even get the followup calls from customers of another guy who charges almost half my rate, but can't cope beyond a GUI.

My experience is that retirees/elderly are more than happy to pay for a house call - just like it was half a century (or more) ago. They don't like burrowing under desks to unplug or re-plug cables, and they see value in service at their home. They also have a network and I get lots of work by referral. When they ask for 2 or 3 of my business cards, I know I'll see some new customers within a week or two.

Ask your parents to ask their friends who looks after their computers, then pick the one with the best reputation, and don't try to beat down his/her hourly rate.

Re:+1 for local support

[Anonymous Coward]

What is the main purpose of trying (or worrying) to maintain "computer-saviness: at that age? I am 69-1/2 years old and find myself slowly losing interest in this game. A computer does little more than what a telephone (or personal visit) can do for this purpose - it is merely another tool. If your parents' purpose is trying to maintain "family ties", a telephone works wonders. All the worry your parents put themselves through trying to accommodate the computer (and its maintenance) could be used other ways. Computers are merely just another "invented tool" that can be used for communications. What I see in friends of mine at this age is a selfish need to poke their noses into the lives of their kids (i.e., micro-management). Think back when you had parents poking their noses into your lives... That was cool, wasn't it? Not! An occasional phone call is all you need, and not the daily spying and third degree interrogation. If your close relatives have questions or need to talk, they will call you. You do not need daily contact with anyone. Tell your parents (or grandparents) to save their money on the tech support rip-off, get socially active in their own community, and stop trying to track the lives of relatives on a daily basis. Everyone will feel better. And, if they feel the need for daily (or minute-by-minute) news, a TV or newspaper is more than enough. Remember Peyton Place? I didn't think so. [Everyone now scrambling through the archives to find info on Peyton Place...] Stop worrying about tech support and tell your parents to get a life and get active... and by the way, shut the damn computer off.

My parents

[mrsam]

My situation is exactly the same. My parents are also retirement age, and have no IT knowledge; and I am an IT professional with a demanding, full time job.

I solved the same problem in a much simpler way. I am always happy to help them with some stupid IT-related problem, any time, day or night. Even though they live several hours away, I will get into the car at a moment's call, and come on over, if it becomes necessary.

It's the least I could do. I could never hope to repay them for giving me the gift of life, and for all the love they raised me, from birth to adulthood. I consider helping them, with some stupid computer issue, the least I could do.

Re:My parents

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, but flying to another country is a bit excessive. So I bought them a Mac - problem solved.

Re:My parents

[Anonymous Coward]

and I hacked their Mac. Thanks for the easy credit card and social security info. /s

moron....

Re:Grow some balls 20 years ago?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow.. you know some people actually want the best for their parents.

Exactly. This is what is known as an "ungrateful child". Submitter is probably going to hell.

After all they've done for you

[Anonymous Coward]

Then you kick your parents to the curb. Disgusting.

Its time to return the favor...

[Whiskers232]

I'm sure your parents were busy when you were growing up, yet they still made time to feed you, cloth you, and teach you how to use simple technology. Your parents taught you how to use a toilet, and you can't make time to help them? Image if they took the same model as you are now? We don't have time to potty train our kid, lets outsource it to some strangers.

Re:Its time to return the favor...

[GrandCow]

This is all fine and good until one of your parents can't access their email at 3am to get the latest cat pics.

The local nerd kid

[Edis Krad]

Find the local nerd kid, give him a part time job as computer fixer. Shouldn't be that hard to find.

Do it yourself, here is why...

[slasher999]

They are your parents. They aren't going to be around forever. I know you've heard that already. Here's my true story. My father never took to computers. My mother had been around them for decades. When the home PC craze started in the 90s I started getting her a new machine every year or so. Tried all kinds of things to simplify support - OS/2 instead of Windows 95, auto dialers to initiate connections. I was doing it all myself and it was frustrating at times. Remote access software made things easier as I was living about four hours away.

So once I updated something on my mother's computer - browser I believe - and she couldn't figure out how to print since the UI had changed. She called me on a Friday and I meant to call her back over the weekend but didn't get around to it. That Monday she got in her car to go somewhere and had a massive heart attack in the car in the driveway. She made it to the hospital but not much more than an hour maybe beyond that. I've always hated that I never called her back even though it was for something so small. I still feel a bit disappointed in myself now almost five years later.

The bottom line is you never know when, but at some moment everything is going to change. For your own sake I suggest you do whatever you need to but take the time to support them yourself. Most parents would,care less their computer is fixed and more that they are spending time with their child.

Re:Do it yourself, here is why...

[Z34107]

You raise a good point, but constantly fixing someone else's computer problems is draining, especially if the help is one-way and never reciprocated. It does nobody's relationship any good if you dread every call for the hour it's going to take to fix whatever broke.

Imagine instead if their computers actually worked, and you could therefore instead talk about whatever you wanted instead of why the printer isn't working. "Spending time with your child" is one thing, but I'm welcome to visit even when the Internet isn't broken; and, when visiting, I'd rather spend the time with them instead of their computer. Likewise, my folks are welcome to visit me even when I don't have a busted clutch slave cylinder or leaking fuel tank; and, likewise, the time is better spent on discretionary projects we want to tackle for the purposes of fun and/or bonding as opposed to helping with an emergency.

Re:Do it yourself, here is why...

[jittles]

You raise a good point, but constantly fixing someone else's computer problems is draining, especially if the help is one-way and never reciprocated. It does nobody's relationship any good if you dread every call for the hour it's going to take to fix whatever broke.

Imagine instead if their computers actually worked, and you could therefore instead talk about whatever you wanted instead of why the printer isn't working. "Spending time with your child" is one thing, but I'm welcome to visit even when the Internet isn't broken; and, when visiting, I'd rather spend the time with them instead of their computer. Likewise, my folks are welcome to visit me even when I don't have a busted clutch slave cylinder or leaking fuel tank; and, likewise, the time is better spent on discretionary projects we want to tackle for the purposes of fun and/or bonding as opposed to helping with an emergency.

Work smarter then, not harder. I support my parents from across the United States. I have my own machine running on their network with a VPN configured so that I can jump on and see exactly what the problem is. It saves me a lot of time and frustration that way. The only time that doesn't work is if their internet isn't working properly. Then I have them reboot all their network gear and I'm usually back in business. I spent about $700 on the hardware - $200 to replace their networking gear with higher quality stuff and another $500 on a mac mini that sits unobtrusively in a corner. I expect most people's parents have sacrificed enough for their children that they deserve a little help with things outside of their expertise.

Re:Do it yourself, here is why...

[Anonymous Coward]

>Most parents would care less their computer is fixed and more that they are spending time with their child.

Yes. Infinity yes.
(said as a son & father).

Re:Do it yourself, here is why...

[Z34107]

My parents tech support needs are very little, even without reboots and Mac Minis, and I help them readily, thankyouverymuch. That doesn't mean I need their computers to break before spending time with them, or that I wish their computers broke more often.

Re:Do it yourself, here is why...

[jittles]

My parents tech support needs are very little, even without reboots and Mac Minis, and I help them readily, thankyouverymuch. That doesn't mean I need their computers to break before spending time with them, or that I wish their computers broke more often.

Who said anything about needing their computers to break to spend time with them? The GP complained that he wanted to do other things when he's at his parents. Like spend time with them. The point of the VPN is that you can fix their computer problems at your convenience and when you are not trying to do other things with them. I'll jump on the VPN while I am waiting for a build at work, or am doing things around the house. They get the the help they need and I don't feel drained by the process. I still get to talk to them or go out and do things with them instead of saving up months of issues for the next moment I am in town. If only I could do remotely help them fix things up around the house.

There are a couple options

[GrandCow]

http://www.onesupport.com/ is a service that started in the last year or two. $15/month plus a $50 sign up fee, or no sign up fee if they pay a year in advance. (Disclaimer, I am partially associated with them. Never worked for them, but worked with their techs in the past). They do phone/remote access troubleshooting/virus removal/tuneups/basic software support/printers/networking. They always seemed fairly competent from the chats I had with them.

Also most ISP's, or at least the 4 or 5 that I've worked for or subscribed to, offer some kind of premium support for $10-$20/month. Worth looking into.

Make Things Easier

[Z34107]

I have no idea what you can expect from big box phone support, or if "good" phone support even exists. There are a bunch of things you can do to make tech support easier, however, if you haven't done them already.

1. The best thing you can do (again, if you haven't already) is take away the Administrator account. I used to get weekly calls about my grandparents' PC, which saw a lot of use by relatives and grandchildren, until I did that. Suddenly, all the toolbars, viruses, Bonzi Buddies, random driver issues, and how-does-that-even-break issues just stopped. The occasional call to go type in the password and install something was much quicker than the frequent calls to uninstall something added by a well-meaning uncle or a young cousin.

   Yes, some people were angry that they couldn't install things any more. But, they didn't want to take the support phone calls, so they didn't get the admin password. Everyone else was happy that the communal PC was suddenly much more likely to work when they wanted to check e-mail or play Facebook games.

2. Install Team Viewer. It's free for non-commercial use. When they call you with a problem, you tell them to click the big Team Viewer icon on the desktop and give you the code. Then you remote in and fix whatever broke--and the set of breakable things is much smaller on a limited account than on an admin.
3. If you still have issues, purchase a copy of Faronics Deep Freeze--absent a password, it prevents any changes to the file system outside of certain allowed areas, like My Documents and the rest of the user profile. When I was an IT monkey, we used this in our computer labs, and it worked great--people could install whatever they wanted, delete whatever they wanted, vandalize the Windows install in whatever way they could think of, and it'd all be gone with a reboot.

4. If you have more hardware issues ("the printer stopped working"), think about getting new hardware. I have a Phaser 6125N, for example, which is overkill for most anything, really, but toner lasts forever and the drivers are completely free of crapware--you just plug in an Ethernet cable and forget about it. If their printer frequently causes issues, weigh the cost of a newer, more enterprise-y printer with the time saved by not having to fuck with it every week.

   Ditto for modems, routers, whatever. If you have to walk them through rebooting their router every week, weigh the cost of a more reliable router over the time saved helping them turn it off and back on again.

5. Finally, work on your phone support. If you ask someone if the network cable is plugged in, they'll always say "yes," especially if they're a professor too proud to crawl underneath his desk and check for a lowly IT monkey.

   Instead, ask them if it's plugged in the right way, because Ethernet cables are directional, you see. Make them flip it around (which, coincidentally, verifies a solid connection at both the wall and the PC). If that fixed the issue, they'll forever believe that Ethernet cables actually are directional, but it'll save you the trip to push a cable that last 1/8" into the jack.

   This is necessary because most people--even family--are loathe to actually check e.g. what color some lights are, especially if checking involves some modicum of effort. While most people won't outright lie, they'll give you whatever they think is correct, or whatever answer sounds good off the top of their head, which is especially easy to do for yes/no questions.

   So, never ask "is it plugged in"--the answer's always "yes," because of COURSE they plugged it in they're not an idiot and checking is effort. Ask them to switch the cable around. Don't ask if the lights are on--ask what color they are. Don't ask them to reboot their computer--ask them if their computer makes a noise when they hold the power switch for ten seconds.

...But, yanking a

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[westlake]

To the geek who can't resist the suggestion that the right solution in this situation is to migrate Mom & Dad to Linux, the Chromebook or Apple:

a reminder that Windows 95 launched 20 years ago.

Long enough for even the least tech-savvy of users to become comfortable with a broad range of skills, programs and services that are not easily transferable to other platforms.

Re:If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Anonymous Coward]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a great mindset, but obviously it is broke. Otherwise this person wouldn't be looking for suggested alternatives in the first place.

Re:If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Megane]

Windows 95 launched 20 years ago

And Microsoft keeps changing everything around every three or four years. So what was your point, again?

Seriously, just get a Mac

[Anonymous Coward]

It is a subscription service, only costs an arm and a leg every few years ...

Apple's phone support & in-store support is excellent, and there is mountains of evidence over a long period of time that they have a lower support call rate in general (e.g. the recent IBM comments about Mac users calling the helpdesk about 1/8th the frequency of Windows users.)

Resources for learning

[dacarr]

...no really. Teach a man to fish and all that. Some of the best resources can be found at the local library for learning this stuff, as well as community colleges. On one hand, it helps that they are willing to learn this stuff - but on the other hand, it helps that they understand that you're not necessarily going to be available 24/7 for their needs.

Why is this so difficult? *LINUX* is f'ing easy

[Anonymous Coward]

There are good options for Linux and you don't have to stick your parents with a stupid chromebook or mac.

Both my parents are over 60 (separated) and I do near zero tech support for either of them. The last thing I did was for my mom and the result of my mom moving houses and nothing to do with the computer. The main thing you need to do is make sure the hardware is free software friendly and that's insanely easy. ThinkPenguin's got everything covered and they have great support. Everything just works out of the box so even a local tech or non-tech person can hook it up for them for that matter. They even have dial-up modems for heaven sake and a dozen different printer models- ones that'll even work out of the box with Ubuntu 12.04!!!

No need to fret over viruses and other malware.

They're out there; also senior centers

[ByronCanfield]

I'm a senior also, but had a leg up on computer technology, and so that's one of the things I do now -- serve the senior community (in addition to small businesses). I provide a range of tech support contracts, as well. I'm sure there must be many others out there that do the same. The key is to find someone to do onsite support. Another option is senior centers, where there is often a significant range of computer courses and information available for free. And as you might have noted from some of the more juvenile comments here, there is generally a more harmonious outcome when it's senior on senior, rather than a twenty-something eager to impress with technobabble.

Get them something other than Windows...

[Anonymous Coward]

I used to get a support phonecall a week from my n00by mother and her spouse when they were on Windows XP and 7.. Then I installed Linux (Ubuntu) and for about six months I didn't hear a peep from them about the computer. In the end I had to ask them myself: "Are you using your computer at all?" The response was "Yes, everyday".

Our conversations used to be about this and that popup window, and how they should click on this and that. And this was four years ago. Now we speak about other things. Can't tell you what a relief that is.

Teenager just as you were from the neighbourhood

[Anonymous Coward]

Cannot you get a tech savy teenager from the neighbourhood, someone someone knows, the child or grandchild of someone?

You talk to him, can even give good suggestions from your experience. It's a win for everyone. Your parents have working stuff, you have the load off your shoulders, and some kid learns something and is very happy about an additional 20$ once in a while. I know I was.

The answer is a ChromeOS device

[Anonymous Coward]

My dad is 86 and since I got him a Chromebook his need for my remote (and on-site) "PC Tech Support" has dropped to zero. He uses it all day and couldn't be happier.

Move the 500MB of personal files to the internal Chromebook SSD and sync with GDrive for backup.

Printers are a problem no matter what they are connected to. Most "prints" aren't really needed and can be "printed" to pdf and stored. If a dead-tree copy is really needed the pdf can be copied to a usb-stick and plugged into most printers today to get a hassle-free print.

Heard good things about these guys

[Anonymous Coward]

http://help.247techies.com/

Find a local tech!

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously,

Find a local tech that focuses on training, and in-home/on-site support.

Look for any reviews, call and have a chat with them, you may find one you're comfortable having them turn to when you're not available.

Yes, it will be more expensive for the first few times they're needed, but a competent one, that focuses on training especially, should get them to a point where they should only need support for the types of issues you describe rarely, (if at all) moving forward.

I've never found any companies that focus on off-site as the primary means of support being anything other than glorified AV sales reps. It's a waste of money, and will never get your parents any chance of becoming more tech savvy or comfortable with the tech they're using.

I'd also do a quick search for any local continuing education programs with computer classes that focus on non-tech-savvy seniors. They're around and they're usually affordable.

I have got several strategies...

[ruir]

My father, always a smart man, wanted to go into computing in his late 60s, dropping hints he was not keeping up with ages. I was an expat at the time, gave in my old PowerBook (old Mac). He learned to use it on his own. Later he got an old MacBook Pro, and last year I have him a brand new iPad. Support calls are far and between, how do I do this and that, and the upgrades when I visit. Nothing draining. Sis also has an iPad nowadays, in the Mac era they were pretty clueless how to help him too. Has for family members or wife friends, the motto is "I do not use Windows and do not know how to use it"; bring it over and it will get Linux. 5 machines in Linux so far. After this windows 10 fiasco, also trying to convert Wife to Linux...but I suspect she is after my Mac.

Indian remote Helpdesk...

[ruir]

Tell us the truth, you secretly hate your parents, right?

Config management?

[dell623]

Not a big fan of tech support, the ones who are good at what they do tend to move on or move up wry quickly.

I have no idea what the Windows equivalent is like (sccm or something). But I have used Casper from Jamf software to manage several Macs, and it's a pretty cool tool. They also have a simpler option called Bushel, with a free option for three devices, which I haven't tried. Install either, lock down their Macs, and manage their machines with a remote management tool, which also lets you get some learning in. You could even keep your Mac synced with your parents'. They need something installed, you do it for them remotely. The same for patches, OS updates etc. Also, if you build a system from scratch using one of these tools with no manual messing around and if you have the necessary user backups, you can rebuild a machine.

The sheer amount of time spent fixing unknown environments ( where you don't know all the things done in the past to a system ) is never worth it and it's a game you can't win.

Manage system state and configs, automate, take backups, rebuild from scratch if needed.

Casper has a tool called composer, which takes before and after system snapshots for an installation and gives you a reusable package.

My feeling was a similar approach is harder in the Windows world. The UNIX 'everything is a file' advantage, no registry, saner installation paths all help.

Renmote administration

[Anonymous Coward]

Couldn't you solve most problems by remote administering their machines? That's what my brother in law does with my dad's Mac.

Get used to it

[gsslay]

Seriously, if the only problem you have with your parents getting older is their IT support, then you're unbelievably lucky.

OMFG!

[Rmorph]

OMFG! The woman pushed you out of her feckin womb and you cant do a bit of tech support? Kids these days!

The user needs education

[Anonymous Coward]

I think money would be better spent having older people go to a local community college a take a couple classes on PC's and their peripherals. The trouble with any technology help service is that unless you pay for a service who can actually take control of the users computers and fix them. Its very hard to walk people not familiar with settings or trouble shooting. Its like having a car owner fix their car on the phone with a mechanic. A suggestion I have made over the years is find a smart family member to use remote desktop with who can access settings and setup or fix hardware through a desktop manager. This seems far more useful then spending money to pay a service unfamiliar with your system. Or at least pay a local vendor who does on site troubleshooting. Even many hardware makers such as HP offer a per event technical service assistant who would know their hardware better. I still prefer the remote desktop option.

Chromebook

[Anonymous Coward]

Get them Chromebooks. When you have just a browser, it's much harder to f*ck things up.

And heck, if you buy a cheap one, you can get them free tech support every year or two by buying a new one every year or two! I got mine for $149 refurb'd, and it was the best piece of simplicity you can get. Updates automatically, too, so you don't even need to do that for them.

Nothing like simplicity for older folks.

Hello Timothy

[Anonymous Coward]

Come on man, Don't be such a ponce and take care of you parents' computer yourself.
They have taken care of you their whole life. It's these little things you'll regret later.

Install remote control software with dynamic dns of some sort or invest a bit in some PC-anywhere kind of service and you can solve 90% of all problems remotely.
Then they need a new computer, buy a laptop (but keep external keyboard/mouse/monitor) so you can pick it up easily and fix in your own time.
Buying onsite support (like dell has) for hardware replacement sounds good.

Good luck!

Yet another Mac user...

[Richard Kirk]

Mine is the same story as the others, but a bit further down the line...

When my parents were in their seventies, I had bodged together various Windows PCs for them, but they never were stable. My Mum wanted a new computer, so I suggested they got a Mac, and that is the one she learned to use. This was good for me because I also worked on a Mac, so I could replicate what they were doing. It has had a repair - the modem blew when the house was struck by lightning - and I probably will not be able to update the operating system much longer, but is still going after more than 15 years.

My mum is now 95. She uses the computer for e-mail. I doubt if she would adapt to a new computer now, but her fingers remember how to use the important bits. She also wanted some button that she could poke once a day to let people know she was OK as she lives alone. She does not want a camera looking at her, though. I found an old PowerPC laptop at work without a power supply, and with no camera, and they let me take home. I got a replacement power supply on Ebay, and wrote an AppleScript. When she presses the start button, it powers up, checks the network is up, sends me an e-mail, and then turns itself off. Because it looks like the other computer, she can also use it for her other stuff (she doesn't, but she could).

Once a day, I get this automatic e-mail. If it hasn't arrived by noon, I ring up. Once or twice we have had problems with the network. One problem was the cleaner unplugging the server to plug in the hoover (cured by using a less convenient socket), and once because the server was acting strange (flashing newer firmware cured that). I would do more if she wanted it, but she does not want the fuss.

Wow computer

[TheGoodNamesWereGone]

In one of my jobs I saw one of these in the field. It's completely locked down; the user doesn't have root privileges. I don't know how much they cost though: http://www.mywowcomputer.com/

Re:I see...

[buddyglass]

I'll go ahead and answer. Since I can remember Slashdot has featured "Ask Slashdot" articles where a user asks the community a question that's relevant to "nerds" or some subset thereof. Given many in the community have probably had to provide tech support to their parents or other less tech-savvy friends and relatives this question is "relevant".

Look after your parents, they looked after you

[malx]

Giving birth to you entitles your mother to lifetime tech support. That's just the way it is.

Feel free to guide them to a Mac or an iPad or a chrome book, or whatever both meets their needs and lessens this burden. But you need to be there for the if they need you, on this and other things too.

Nerds On Site

[Anonymous Coward]

We offer this at Nerds On Site for a very reasonable rate, no pressure sales. Just high quality, responsive service. www.nerdsonsite.com
Regards,
Ben

Don't Have a Coniption

[Anonymous Coward]

Alright Slashdot, don't have a conniption, but isn't this precisely the purpose of Best Buy's Geek Squad?

Yes, they'll over pay. But, if they have a problem, they march it down to Best Buy or call Geek Squad and done.

The simplest solution ..

[nickweller]

The simplest solution is to create a customized full system restore DVD. All they have to do is insert DVD and reboot the machine. For hardware related problems they can take it back to the shop.

Chromebook

[Bert64]

Get them Chromebooks, Google handle pretty much all the maintenance , and they are more than adequate for most people's day to day use...

Im in the same boat and 300 miles away

[teknosapien]

I've come to depend on teamviewer for my aging parents and inlaws

Linux, Seriously!

[Anonymous Coward]

I totally agree here. I have started to set up my individual 'elderly' clients (whom I do-not charge) with Linux (Mint xfce specifically), and the phone calls for 'issues' have completely stopped.

Re:Linux, Seriously!

[chipschap]

There's something else that as yet hasn't been mentioned. You can fix up elderly[1] clients who don't have a lot of money (most of us, I think) with a cast-off, older machine that you might be able to get for free. For basic browsing needs, as long as you have about 2 GB of memory (so that videos run without stutter), you don't need much of a machine. Linux is fabulous for older machines now considered low-spec[2].

When you fix up an elderly client on a limited income with a free computer that does what they need with little fuss or hassle, I think you're doing quite a commendable thing.

[1] I qualify as elderly myself but I've kept up with technology over the years.

[2] Like my 6+ year old Acer netbook, with 2 GB of memory, which does browsing, videos, etc., just fine on Mint 17. Okay, it takes 60 seconds to boot ....

So, this is "native advertising" for iYogi then.

[xenoc_1]

How much does being a shill on /. with throwaway company mention pay? Is it better than doing "Instance Panda" comment spam on political websites?

Ah, the "make money at home on your computer" lifestyle.

Re: So, this is "native advertising" for iYogi the

[xenoc_1]

Insurance Panda. Farking autocorrect. Though instantiating a panda would be nice. Avoid all those "will they or won't they" panda zoo sex concerns.

Elementary OS Freya

[Anonymous Coward]

Using it for my parents (right over 70). It took a couple of hours for configuration and that's it. No more issues, calls and whining about slow pc.