Quote:
I'm just trying to make sure I leave enough notes, all in one place, that whoever comes after me doesn't feel the need to rip everything out and start all over again.



Nice idea. Unfortnately, I believe this is done because the person working on the machine has a very limited understanding of what they're doing. Because they don't know how the stuff actually works, they try to reach a configuration that has worked for them in the past. This is obviously what happened with the Yahoo phone support -- um -- yahoos. So, you set it up in a way you judge to be optimal because you understand how it all actually works. The problem is that your successor probably doesn't and won't be able to recreate your thought process, or even understand it if you write it down.

Add to all of this the fact that as soon as something "doesn't work", the user will start trying a bunch of random stuff and will change the configuration and not be able to get it back. Of course, this will all be your fault for some reason.

Sorry it went so badly.

What I want to know is what is the best way to refuse to help someone with their computer? This is especially tough when the requester is a friend or relative since they *know* that you are able to help them. Its a problem: I *can* help them, but I don't want to. Is there any polite way to extract one's self from this situation?

Jim