• FREE RESOURCES
        • Accounts Payable
          Finally! The trick to securing greater T&E compliance
          Benefits
          Rooting out folks who don’t belong on your health plan: A 6-point dependent audit checklist
          IT
          3 costly misconceptions about biz email compromise
          Credit and Collections
          Collecting via email: 4 must-make moves in your subject line
          Accounts Payable
          5 Tough-to-spot signs that an invoice is fake
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • Staff management
          120 Proven Communications Tips for Today’s CFO
        • Payroll
          Handling Nonexempt Employee Pay: Stay Compliant and Avoid DOL Audits
          Accounts Payable
          T&E Best Practices: Complete Guide to Ensure Compliance
          Payroll
          Payroll Best Practices: 4 Ways to Save Time and Money
        • Staff management
          Email Best Practices: A 6-Question Quiz
          Staff management
          Innovative Communications Strategies: An Email Case Study
          Staff management
          A 5-part Framework for Successful Workplace Communications
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

CFO Daily News

  • FREE RESOURCES
        • Accounts Payable
          Finally! The trick to securing greater T&E compliance
          Benefits
          Rooting out folks who don’t belong on your health plan: A 6-point dependent audit checklist
          IT
          3 costly misconceptions about biz email compromise
          Credit and Collections
          Collecting via email: 4 must-make moves in your subject line
          Accounts Payable
          5 Tough-to-spot signs that an invoice is fake
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • Staff management
          120 Proven Communications Tips for Today’s CFO
        • Payroll
          Handling Nonexempt Employee Pay: Stay Compliant and Avoid DOL Audits
          Accounts Payable
          T&E Best Practices: Complete Guide to Ensure Compliance
          Payroll
          Payroll Best Practices: 4 Ways to Save Time and Money
        • Staff management
          Email Best Practices: A 6-Question Quiz
          Staff management
          Innovative Communications Strategies: An Email Case Study
          Staff management
          A 5-part Framework for Successful Workplace Communications
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
  • Accounts Payable
  • Credit and Collections
  • Payroll
  • Accounting
  • Benefits
  • Finance Technology
  • More
    • Employment Law
    • Strategy
    • Policy and Culture
    • Fraud
    • Payments and Transactions
    • Budgeting and Forecasting
    • Banking
    • Staff Management
    • Cost Control
    • Supply Chain
    • IT

The dumbest IT questions … ever

Jennifer Azara
by Jennifer Azara
September 2, 2011
  • Finance Technology
3 minute read
  • SHARE ON

You probably feel like you entertain your fair share of inane questions in a given day in Finance. But your counterparts in IT just may have you beat.

They field a slew of inquiries on a daily basis from the silly to the just plain dumb.

We’ve scoured the Internet for some of the wildest ones out there. Each of these 12 exchanges actually took place between users and IT departments, help desks or technical support staff.

Sure to give you a chuckle to start your week:

IT: When would you like me to go to our northern region (of Thailand) office to install the antivirus software on the new system?
User: Oh, they don’t need it because they are not in a big city.
IT: Do they connect to the internet?
User: Yes, all day, but they are safe because it’s not a big city.

IT: How may I help you?
User: I’m writing my first e-mail.
IT: OK, and, what seems to be the problem?
User: Well, I have the letter ‘a’ in the address, but how do I get the circle around it?

User: There’s something wrong with her password. It’s not CAPS lock. The problem is that whenever I type the password, it just shows stars.
Helpdesk: Those asterisks are to protect you, so if someone were standing behind you, they wouldn’t be able to read your password.
User: Yeah, but they show up even when there is no one standing behind me.

User: Hi, this is Celine. I can’t get my diskette out.
IT: Have you tried pushing the button?
User: Yes, sure, it’s really stuck.
IT: That doesn’t sound good; I’ll make a note.
User: No, wait a minute… I hadn’t inserted it yet… it’s still on my desk… Sorry…

IT: If there is anything else we can help with, please give us a call.
User: Well…I was wondering if you could just tell me something people ask you that is really stupid, so I don’t feel like such a moron.
IT: Ma’am, you’re not stupid. People aren’t born with knowledge, it takes time. One of the silliest questions we get from new users is, ‘Where is the any key?’
User: Well, DUH! Even I know where that is!

User: My mouse pad is missing. Do you have another?
Helpdesk:  No, but you can get an office supply catalog from Purchasing, pick out one you like and have them order it.
User: My boss says you have to order me a mouse pad. She says you’re the only one who knows what kind is compatible with our system.

Helpdesk: Here are your icons on your desktop.
User: Yes, but on my Mac they were all over here on the right.
IT: Well, by default, Windows arranges the columns on the left side.
User: But I’m right-handed!

IT: Well, did anyone put a disk in that might have had a virus on it?
User: No, all our disks are clean. But is it possible to get a virus because I plugged it into a different plug than at our house?

User: I have problems printing in red…
IT: Do you have a color printer?
User: Aaaah………………. Thank you.

IT: What anti-virus program do you use?
User: Netscape.
IT: That’s not an anti-virus program.
User: Oh, sorry… Internet Explorer.

IT: Click on the ‘My Computer’ icon on to the left of the screen.
User: Your left or my left?

Jennifer Azara
Jennifer Azara
Jennifer, a member of the CFO Daily News staff, has covered business and finance for more than 22 years. She has written for CFOs, credit and collections professionals and accounts payable practitioners and has spoken at industry conferences on sales and use tax compliance.

Keep Up To Date with the Latest Finance News

With CFO Daily News arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on accounting, benefits, payroll & employment law strategies.

Sign up for a free CFO Daily News membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
CFO Daily News Logo
  • ABOUT CFO DAILY NEWS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Accounting
  • Benefits
  • Payroll
  • Policy and Culture
  • Employment Law
  • Fraud
  • Finance Technology
  • Accounts Payable
  • Credit and Collections
  • Strategy
  • Payments and Transactions
  • Budgeting and Forecasting
  • Banking
  • Staff Management
  • Cost Control
  • Supply Chain
  • IT

CFO Daily News, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest Finance and employment law news for Finance professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, CFO Daily News delivers actionable insights, helping Finance execs understand what Finance trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

preloader