How’s your connectivity?

Sistertech had a client a few days ago who was having trouble with her wireless keyboard and mouse. It was a Logitech Cordless Desktop LX 710 Laser. Usually they’re pretty stable. Poor thing. I have observed first hand how volatile humans are when their computers and peripherals fail them. Have you ever heard such language? Such sniping and snapping? Very unseemly, really. As a precaution, I made a note of the client’s condition in my Service Call book as by the time Sistertech arrived on site, the client was extremely unquiet.

She said she moved the mouse round and round, and that she even shook it, holding it up to her ear. But nothing happened. I suppose she thought there might be some broken pieces inside the mouse which would explain why it was not working.

I checked the typical suspect: dead batteries. I popped in new ones for both peripherals. Still no connectivity.

I pulled out the receiver from its USB port and inserted it into another port. Still nothing.

I pushed the reset button on the mouse. I pushed the reset button on the keyboard.

And then it dawned on me. I pushed the reset button on the wireless USB receiver. That’s all it needed. A reset.

From the tech end of things, this was such a simple fix. But Sistertech began thinking about the human factor. Human connectivity with The One In Charge is an issue that is discussed continually by the folks in the Human Support Department. It’s huge.

When I saw a Staff member from Human Support, I started to mention this incident. Thankfully, Sistertech stopped before saying something foolish. You see, she has learned that computers are much simpler to maintain than are humans. And from what I have heard from the folks in Human Support, there does not seem to be a “reset” button for humans. Or it’s hidden or tends to malfunction, or some such thing. They are not sure themselves. Evidently it is a source of some concern. Now, I do not want this to snowball into a crisis of faith for anyone. But think about it: Commander Data on Star Trek had an on and off switch. It does show a certain lack of imagination that human units were not equipped with a simple reset button. How difficult would that have been?

We in the tech support community realize, however, that one must deal with the product that has been placed before one: Identify the unit. Diagnose. Check the Manual (or not). Then improvise if you must, being careful not to void the warranty.  My best guess for the human reset button? Prayer.

If any of you has had experience with the “human reset” issue please leave me a note. It’s a known issue and I’m sure they’d appreciate input. You know, best practices and whatnot. I shall be happy to pass your suggestions on to the Staff.