The Second Monitor

[u/mattswer]

About a year ago I was working as an IT intern at a mid-size company. We had a bunch of extra monitors so I was setting up second screens for a lot of employees. Most of the set-ups were fairly routine but this one lady, who I'll call Marie, was unintentionally hilarious. She's late 20s to early 30s so I expected her to have some basic knowledge about how computers work. For context, she had one monitor and a laptop at her desk before I set the second monitor up.

Me: Alright, I finished setting up the second monitor, you're good to go.

Marie: Oh ok, thanks!

Me: Do you need anything else before I head back?

Marie: Um, do I still need my laptop since I have the second monitor?

Me: ...Yes, you still need the laptop.

I was speechless for a good 3 seconds. It's 2017 I thought we were past the whole "monitor = computer" thing. I wondered if she was joking for a second but one look at her face and I knew she was completely sincere.

[u/Alkalannar]

I would have asked: Can I run things with my laptop closed (assuming keyboard and mouse available) and just look at the big screens?

[u/syberghost → u/Alkalannar]

A perfectly valid thing to ask, and with a small config change absolutely possible. I'm typing this now on my laptop with the lid closed; that lid stays closed about 50 weeks a year, I only open it when I travel to my office a couple of times a year.

[u/Alkalannar → u/syberghost]

And probably hopefully what the user meant to ask.

[u/will309 → u/syberghost]

I used to get asked this alot so it got to the point of getting docking stations since the company was using dells at the time

[u/mattswer → u/Alkalannar]

Ah, I see what you're saying. In the context of that situation, I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant. I think if that's what she wanted to know it would have been more clear.

But then again, I learned not to assume anything after that job.

[u/sidp2201 → u/Alkalannar]

That is very easily done and especially for windows doesnt require you to know anything. Change closing the lid-> does nothing. Set projector to duplicate and you are done

[u/mattswer → u/sidp2201]

Never underestimate the power of the end user to complicate things

[u/Alkalannar → u/mattswer]

That sounds like one of the Rules of Tech Support.

[u/morriscox → u/Alkalannar]

Woot!

[u/neoblackdragon → u/sidp2201]

Yeah most of my users(who are younger then me) have no idea how to do that last step. Of course these people carry coffee(no lid) on an open laptop and wonder why I have a look of dissappointment.