The Monitor Whisperer

If the eyes are the windows to one’s soul, then the monitor can be the window to your computer’s hardware issues. Here are two examples of what a monitor revealed, and how we found their revelations. It wasn’t as high-tech as you might think.

Our first instance involved a panicked client with a year-old Mac laptop that was hooked up to an external monitor. They said the computer was making a noise intermittently, and they were afraid it was the Mac’s version of a death rattle. We have to admit that the noise confounded us, too.

We did a search on the monitor make and model. Virtually all monitors have a single button that you need to push multiple times to make adjustments, and half the time, the user doesn’t know what adjustments are being made – or not being made. In this case, the monitor has a feedback feature that causes it to make a sound when it wakes up. That is scary until you learn about it; then it’s annoying.

We worked the button to shut off the monitor sounds.

In our second instance, a client thought they were hacked because they kept seeing a message in the corner of the screen. We remoted into their system but never saw that problem. Nor did we find any evidence that they had been hacked or compromised.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that when we look at your computer remotely, we don’t see your monitor screen. We see a representation that enables us to see what’s going on inside your computer. We didn’t see anything on our view, and the client couldn’t see any messages because they saw the same view we did.

Yet the problem persisted. So, we decided to do a FaceTime call, which enabled us to see what the client saw during their normal work. We saw that the monitor was throwing off alerts. We did some research and found the monitor was from 2006. The monitor owed the client nothing. We ordered two new monitors for the client and installed them. The client got better performance from their new monitors and screens with larger viewing areas.

The lesson learned from these experiences is that if we can’t remotely see the problem you reported, it’s likely a hardware issue. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us if you see something odd. We can confirm if it’s a hardware issue and help you solve it or replace it. And if it is a software issue, we can take care of that during the remote session.

Personally Improving Tech Service

As I’ve said many times before, the greatest value of going to conferences is talking to people. We continuously develop better networks among colleagues and voice concerns to the many techies who man the booths at expos.

One of my crusades for this year’s Ignite conference, Microsoft’s annual tech extravaganza, was to talk with the engineers from the hardware and software companies we do business with on your behalf and my IT colleagues. We get together annually and stay in touch all year long. My specific beef this year was documentation.

In one instance, I had an error message on of our clients’ system. Trying to find the resolution through the manufacturer’s documentation had me going in circles. Then, I remembered a conversation I had with one of my Ignite colleagues about a major issue he had with a piece of HP equipment. It seems that a low battery problem showed up as a “not installed” message, which left me dumbfounded because all the installation steps checked out. Resolving the battery issue resolved the “not installed” error message but having accurate documentation would have resolved the problem much faster.

I talked to Microsoft engineers about documentation for setting up encryption through Office 365. Encryption is a hassle for computer users, but it can play a key role in protecting the security of information. They admitted that documentation was a problem, and my reaction was, “What am I supposed to tell my clients?”

I’m hoping that being able to talk to engineers personally about the issues we face as IT professionals will be addressed. And with many former IT independents in my network going to work for hardware and software companies, my personal connections might help my colleagues and me get better resolutions to the issues we face. Those personal contacts will go a long way to providing you with better service.

The personal connections may prove to be even more valuable as Microsoft rolls out its new Windows 10 updates, version 1809. It has extensive updates and changes that may require tweaking for some clients, and our goal is to make your transition as seamless as possible.

If you need help with installing or tweaking new hardware and software, be sure to call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us for help. It’s likely we’ve picked up a trick or two that the documentation doesn’t cover or make clear.