RE: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
We are talking about non-technical people who don't know what to do when a job is stuck in the print queue. They do what they are supposed to do - use the GUI to clear the job from the queue - but it won't clear. Very often the only way to get it out is to stop the print spooler, go into the in the Windows\system32\spool\printers folder and delete the files, then restart the print spooler service. That is beyond what an average non-technical person can do on their workstation, or what I would expect them to do. When the average J Doe is driving down the street and suddenly their horn comes on and won't go off, even if they turn off the car, do you expect them disassemble the air bag assembly, and try to fix the horn switch or crawl around looking for a horn relay to fix, or do you think they should go to their mechanic? -Original Message- From: Phil Brutsche [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:10 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? To go with the overused automotive analogy, there's a big difference between an ASE-certified mechanic (many members of this list), a driveway/back yard mechanic (the neighborhood computer guy), and the average Mr John Doe driving down the street (an end user who knows their way around the machine well enough to do what they need to but can't fix them to save their life). To go with that analogy, we're talking about people who don't know how to drive a car, and yet are being told to go drive one! Luckily, improperly-operated computers don't kill maim people. If they're unfamiliar enough with your operating environment to perform basic tasks - or perform slightly more advanced tasks using written instructions - they either need some form of training or let go and replaced with someone who is. Even if the job isn't primarily geared towards IT work there's no excuse for being unfamiliar with the dominant operating environment in the vast majority of all environments, business and otherwise - Microsoft Windows. We're coming up on the second decade of the century. A decade ago the sort of thing we're talking about was considered acceptable. In a decade or two it'll get to the point where there'll be no excuse for computer illiteracy. Ralph Smith wrote: Wow. They might be non-techies, but they might be good at their job - grief counselor, finding shelter for homeless people, stuff like that where they don't need to be technical. -- Phil Brutsche [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~ Confidentiality Notice: -- This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
Stopping a service is beyond what I'd allow a non-admin do, never mind a non-technical user. If they need to restart the service, they can reboot. -- ME2 On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 6:53 AM, Ralph Smith [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We are talking about non-technical people who don't know what to do when a job is stuck in the print queue. They do what they are supposed to do - use the GUI to clear the job from the queue - but it won't clear. Very often the only way to get it out is to stop the print spooler, go into the in the Windows\system32\spool\printers folder and delete the files, then restart the print spooler service. That is beyond what an average non-technical person can do on their workstation, or what I would expect them to do. When the average J Doe is driving down the street and suddenly their horn comes on and won't go off, even if they turn off the car, do you expect them disassemble the air bag assembly, and try to fix the horn switch or crawl around looking for a horn relay to fix, or do you think they should go to their mechanic? -Original Message- From: Phil Brutsche [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:10 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? To go with the overused automotive analogy, there's a big difference between an ASE-certified mechanic (many members of this list), a driveway/back yard mechanic (the neighborhood computer guy), and the average Mr John Doe driving down the street (an end user who knows their way around the machine well enough to do what they need to but can't fix them to save their life). To go with that analogy, we're talking about people who don't know how to drive a car, and yet are being told to go drive one! Luckily, improperly-operated computers don't kill maim people. If they're unfamiliar enough with your operating environment to perform basic tasks - or perform slightly more advanced tasks using written instructions - they either need some form of training or let go and replaced with someone who is. Even if the job isn't primarily geared towards IT work there's no excuse for being unfamiliar with the dominant operating environment in the vast majority of all environments, business and otherwise - Microsoft Windows. We're coming up on the second decade of the century. A decade ago the sort of thing we're talking about was considered acceptable. In a decade or two it'll get to the point where there'll be no excuse for computer illiteracy. Ralph Smith wrote: Wow. They might be non-techies, but they might be good at their job - grief counselor, finding shelter for homeless people, stuff like that where they don't need to be technical. -- Phil Brutsche [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~ Confidentiality Notice: -- This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
FWIW, Have the non-techie fill out a help desk ticket for this. Devin On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 6:04 AM, Micheal Espinola Jr [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Stopping a service is beyond what I'd allow a non-admin do, never mind a non-technical user. If they need to restart the service, they can reboot. -- ME2 On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 6:53 AM, Ralph Smith [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: We are talking about non-technical people who don't know what to do when a job is stuck in the print queue. They do what they are supposed to do - use the GUI to clear the job from the queue - but it won't clear. Very often the only way to get it out is to stop the print spooler, go into the in the Windows\system32\spool\printers folder and delete the files, then restart the print spooler service. That is beyond what an average non-technical person can do on their workstation, or what I would expect them to do. When the average J Doe is driving down the street and suddenly their horn comes on and won't go off, even if they turn off the car, do you expect them disassemble the air bag assembly, and try to fix the horn switch or crawl around looking for a horn relay to fix, or do you think they should go to their mechanic? -Original Message- From: Phil Brutsche [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:10 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? To go with the overused automotive analogy, there's a big difference between an ASE-certified mechanic (many members of this list), a driveway/back yard mechanic (the neighborhood computer guy), and the average Mr John Doe driving down the street (an end user who knows their way around the machine well enough to do what they need to but can't fix them to save their life). To go with that analogy, we're talking about people who don't know how to drive a car, and yet are being told to go drive one! Luckily, improperly-operated computers don't kill maim people. If they're unfamiliar enough with your operating environment to perform basic tasks - or perform slightly more advanced tasks using written instructions - they either need some form of training or let go and replaced with someone who is. Even if the job isn't primarily geared towards IT work there's no excuse for being unfamiliar with the dominant operating environment in the vast majority of all environments, business and otherwise - Microsoft Windows. We're coming up on the second decade of the century. A decade ago the sort of thing we're talking about was considered acceptable. In a decade or two it'll get to the point where there'll be no excuse for computer illiteracy. Ralph Smith wrote: Wow. They might be non-techies, but they might be good at their job - grief counselor, finding shelter for homeless people, stuff like that where they don't need to be technical. -- Phil Brutsche [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~ Confidentiality Notice: -- This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~ -- Devin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
I take it that simply righ clicking on the job in the print queue and selecting Cancel doesn't work? On Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 2:35 PM, Phil Guevara [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Is there a program or script that non-techies who cannot even operate a calculator can run to clear out stuck print jobs? Best Regards, Phil __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
If they had the rights, you could batch out stopping the service, and manually deleting the files from the queue, and then starting the service. I would think if they were in the print operators group, they would have this right. Klint Phil Guevara wrote: Is there a program or script that non-techies who cannot even operate a calculator can run to clear out stuck print jobs? Best Regards, Phil __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
RE: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
That sounds like it would probably do the trick. I'll try that out. _ From: Klint Price - ArizonaITPro [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 3:26 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? If they had the rights, you could batch out stopping the service, and manually deleting the files from the queue, and then starting the service. I would think if they were in the print operators group, they would have this right. Klint Phil Guevara wrote: Is there a program or script that non-techies who cannot even operate a calculator can run to clear out stuck print jobs? Best Regards, Phil __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
RE: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
I never thought to do that! I have to try it also. Thanks. From: Phil Guevara [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 8:09 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? That sounds like it would probably do the trick. I'll try that out. From: Klint Price - ArizonaITPro [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 3:26 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? If they had the rights, you could batch out stopping the service, and manually deleting the files from the queue, and then starting the service. I would think if they were in the print operators group, they would have this right. Klint Phil Guevara wrote: Is there a program or script that non-techies who cannot even operate a calculator can run to clear out stuck print jobs? Best Regards, Phil __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com Confidentiality Notice: -- This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
It sounds like they need a script to walk to HR, pick up papers, say goodbye, be escorted to their car. If they truly can't operate a calculator they are probably more danger than value. In this job market you should be able to replace them with more valuable people easily. And before anyone calls me cold hearted, I was recently laid off and unemployed for 9 months. I agree that most of the companies probably hired the best candidate they had. In hindsight I worked out for the best this way, too. As a former line manager I learned to take advantage of poor economies to hire people I couldn't afford normally. They could develop things internally we never could have with previous staff, and generally convinced senior management they were worth the large raises that they should get as the economy improved. It's an inexpensive way to demonstrate just how valuable such people can be. I'm frankly hoping that my position will turn into another example of that over the next couple of years. I'm working at my best level to demonstrate what I can do. I'm sure that I'm far from unique in that perspective. I know a few co-workers that are thinking similarly. There are probably others that I don't know well enough to have such conversations yet. I'll bet most companies are the same way. This is no time for keeping people that can't do the job, or only barely. This is the time to talk with your managers and develop a plan for hiring the best you can afford, and have a plan for keeping those that prove their worth. Steve - Original Message - From: Phil Guevara To: NT System Admin Issues Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 5:35 PM Subject: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? Is there a program or script that non-techies who cannot even operate a calculator can run to clear out stuck print jobs? Best Regards, Phil __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
RE: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
Wow. They might be non-techies, but they might be good at their job - grief counselor, finding shelter for homeless people, stuff like that where they don't need to be technical. From: Steve Pruitt [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:22 PM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? It sounds like they need a script to walk to HR, pick up papers, say goodbye, be escorted to their car. If they truly can't operate a calculator they are probably more danger than value. In this job market you should be able to replace them with more valuable people easily. And before anyone calls me cold hearted, I was recently laid off and unemployed for 9 months. I agree that most of the companies probably hired the best candidate they had. In hindsight I worked out for the best this way, too. As a former line manager I learned to take advantage of poor economies to hire people I couldn't afford normally. They could develop things internally we never could have with previous staff, and generally convinced senior management they were worth the large raises that they should get as the economy improved. It's an inexpensive way to demonstrate just how valuable such people can be. I'm frankly hoping that my position will turn into another example of that over the next couple of years. I'm working at my best level to demonstrate what I can do. I'm sure that I'm far from unique in that perspective. I know a few co-workers that are thinking similarly. There are probably others that I don't know well enough to have such conversations yet. I'll bet most companies are the same way. This is no time for keeping people that can't do the job, or only barely. This is the time to talk with your managers and develop a plan for hiring the best you can afford, and have a plan for keeping those that prove their worth. Steve - Original Message - From: Phil Guevara mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: NT System Admin Issues mailto:ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 5:35 PM Subject: Non-techies clear out print jobs?? Is there a program or script that non-techies who cannot even operate a calculator can run to clear out stuck print jobs? Best Regards, Phil __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3571 (20081030) __ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com Confidentiality Notice: -- This communication, including any attachments, may contain confidential information and is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. Any review, dissemination, or copying of this communication by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email, delete and destroy all copies of the original message. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
Re: Non-techies clear out print jobs??
To go with the overused automotive analogy, there's a big difference between an ASE-certified mechanic (many members of this list), a driveway/back yard mechanic (the neighborhood computer guy), and the average Mr John Doe driving down the street (an end user who knows their way around the machine well enough to do what they need to but can't fix them to save their life). To go with that analogy, we're talking about people who don't know how to drive a car, and yet are being told to go drive one! Luckily, improperly-operated computers don't kill maim people. If they're unfamiliar enough with your operating environment to perform basic tasks - or perform slightly more advanced tasks using written instructions - they either need some form of training or let go and replaced with someone who is. Even if the job isn't primarily geared towards IT work there's no excuse for being unfamiliar with the dominant operating environment in the vast majority of all environments, business and otherwise - Microsoft Windows. We're coming up on the second decade of the century. A decade ago the sort of thing we're talking about was considered acceptable. In a decade or two it'll get to the point where there'll be no excuse for computer illiteracy. Ralph Smith wrote: Wow. They might be non-techies, but they might be good at their job – grief counselor, finding shelter for homeless people, stuff like that where they don’t need to be technical. -- Phil Brutsche [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/ ~
