This happens every weekend.
Since I was raised in a technology centered household in the 90's, I learned a lot, and quickly. I started using the internet at the age of four, and things have progressed rapidly since. Needless to say, I have more advanced skills than the average trained monkey.
My father's fiancee claims to know a lot about computers, when actually she doesn't. She also has a thirteen year old son that is operating mentally and socially on the level of maybe a nine year old (either this, or I was less stupid when I was his age) and thinks he knows about computers.

I'm forced to live there on the weekends with my father, and since he's too busy with her or whatever he claims (all I know is I'm the one always fixing things) so I'm the one that always has to fix their computers, which seem to have seirous problems all the time. I'm paid nothing, and I get all sorts of verbal abuse from his fiancee and her son.
This QOTW made me go check online just how much it would be for me to actually charge for me fixing their things.
This month alone, I've installed a wireless network, installed antivirus programs, troubleshooted problems, and been on hold with tech support just to prove that there was a significant problem I couldn't fix.

And this list is only the stuff I can remember. (prices are for Best Buy Geek Squad)
Wireless Network Setup (Two Computers)- $159
Antivirus Install- $129
Antivirus Install- $129 (I did this on two different computers)
Antispyware Install- $29
Antispyware Install- $29 (also on two machines)
Software Install- $29
Software Install- $29
Software Install- $29
Software Install- $29
Software Install- $29 (at least five pieces of software)
Network Troubleshooting- $79
Network Troubleshooting- $79
Network Troubleshooting- $79
Network Troubleshooting- $79 (and most likely even more than this, also.)
System Tune Up- $49
System Tune Up- $49 (twice on one machine, even.)
Peripheral Setup- $49
Add a Device to an Existing Network- $129
PC Setup and System Customization- $129
I'll be assisting in Data Migration (Transfer) next weekend- $229
PC Setup and System Customization- $129
2-Hour Basic Training- $229
2-Hour Basic Training- $229
2-Hour Basic Training- $229
2-Hour Basic Training- $229
2-Hour Basic Training- $229 (I've provided more than ten hours in the past two years, I can say this.)
This adds up to a grand total of $2598, without taxes, and this is only the stuff I can remember.

So, since I'm an unpaid geek filled to the brim of teenage angst, I plan to have as much fun as I can with the systems there every weekend starting next weekend, ranging from me finding the kid's passwords on his computer and making copies to all, to installing a backdoor to his system and controlling it remotely, to simple things like a keystroke logger and me just generally messing up things internally and externally.

The spoiled little brat will have no idea what is happening to his new $1200 computer (I fail to mention she just bought this kid a new dual core media center PC with 17" LCD just so that he can play his ninny little games with his so called friends. When I was his age, (less than three years ago) all I had was a quickly aging windows 98 machine that couldn't even run open office properly, and it was a great starting computer, as you couldn't mess it up any more. But this kid... damn is all I have to say.)

They're none the wiser, because the kid IS a moron (he was caught deleting part of the system registry a few months ago) and when things will start to go wrong in the next few weeks, I'll not be the one at fault, as since I have to fix it, then why would I do such a thing? I'm a good big sister apparently!

/end rant
(to the lighthouse, Mon 20 Feb 2006, 6:33, Reply)