[Don Y[_3_]]

On 9/22/2015 4:22 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Don Y" wrote in message
...
On 9/22/2015 3:39 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
I'd not considered them fusing together. I guess you could
probably just "smash" them to break them apart? (again, this
assumes you are visiting the ice maker often!)

[BTW, ours is NOT a through-the-door ice maker. So, the cubes
never get "dispensed" (e.g., into a glass). This may make a
difference?]

Mine is a through the door despenser. As we probably use about 4 glasses of
ice a day, it does not get used very much. The come out the bottom, so stay
about the same size. The ones near the top back side tend to melt and stick
together, maybe during the defrost cycle, but not sure why. Then the lump
is too big to make it out the door.

Possibly humidity? I.e., it is very dry here, most of the year.
The MANUAL DEFROST freezer chest in the garage rarely *needs*
to be defrosted -- until our "rainy season" (Monsoon). Then,
the humidity (though usually only ~60%) climbs enough that
we notice a rapid buildup of ice along the interior of the
freezer necessitating a defrost cycle (at the end of Monsoon).

I suspect the low humidity is also the reason that "old" ice
cubes tend to shrink -- sublimating so there is no "clumping"
formation.

[Muggles]

On 9/22/2015 5:24 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/22/2015 3:11 PM, Muggles wrote:

My ice maker something freezes up when it goes to eject the ice and one
tiny piece of an ice cube gets stuck in the corner. I just tap it and
it falls off and then it starts making ice again.

I don't use ice in anything. But, SWMBO uses *lots* of ice!
She routinely lifts the wire "bail" that senses when the box is
full of ice (to stop the ice maker from making more than she
needs -- which would cause the ice on the bottom of the box
to languish).

I've never looked to see how this affects the ice making cycle.
But, I've never been summoned with "Don, the ice maker is broken!"

I have a constant supply of ice water with me all the time. I do the
same thing with the wire "bail".

--
Maggie

[Muggles]

On 9/22/2015 6:43 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 22 Sep 2015 17:11:25 -0500, Muggles wrote:

My ice maker something freezes up when it goes to eject the ice and one
tiny piece of an ice cube gets stuck in the corner. I just tap it and
it falls off and then it starts making ice again.

That is a common problem with Whirlpool style ice makers (several
brands use them)
The cube in the far right tray sticks in the comb. This is worse if
there is a gap between the comb and the frame. I glued a little piece
of plastic across that gap and it got a lot better. The other thing
that exacerbates it is cubes (half moons?) that are too small. You can
adjust the fill with that little screw next to the head. It is
backward. CCW increases the size. (as I recall)

I have 2 of these machines here and I maintain about 5 more between
the neighbors and close by family. I stock the common parts.
The "head" fixes most mystery issues once you figure out it has power,
the photo eye is working (bucket on the door models) and the water is
flowing right.
That is the brown doo dad on the end, held on with 3 screws. You get
the motor, the timer and the lockout cam mechanism. It is the FRU.
(smallest part you can order in that assembly).
I also stock a complete ice maker. I will swap it out and fix the bad
one in my "beer fridge" if it is a neighbor.


You're kind of handy to have around, aren't you? LOL

--
Maggie

[Don Y[_3_]]

On 9/22/2015 8:54 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 9/22/2015 5:24 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/22/2015 3:11 PM, Muggles wrote:

My ice maker something freezes up when it goes to eject the ice and one
tiny piece of an ice cube gets stuck in the corner. I just tap it and
it falls off and then it starts making ice again.

I don't use ice in anything. But, SWMBO uses *lots* of ice!
She routinely lifts the wire "bail" that senses when the box is
full of ice (to stop the ice maker from making more than she
needs -- which would cause the ice on the bottom of the box
to languish).

I've never looked to see how this affects the ice making cycle.
But, I've never been summoned with "Don, the ice maker is broken!"

I have a constant supply of ice water with me all the time. I do the
same thing with the wire "bail".

I drink (hot) tea, almost exclusively. Cold water out of a bottle I
keep in the refrigerator if I come indoors from working in the yard
and need to quickly rehydrate (here, you lose a pint of water to
perspiration in 20 minutes in the Summer months -- that's almost half a
gallon per hour! Can't drink tea anywhere near that fast!!)

[Stormin Mormon[_10_]]

On 9/21/2015 3:37 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/21/2015 12:06 PM, Oren wrote:
Fix your own ice maker. My methods worked. She has ice!

My, aren't *we* helpful! (NOT)

[My ice maker is not and never has been broken. Though I,
and possibly others, might be interested in understanding what
*can* go wrong AND WHY -- lest they have to repeat a repair!]



Years ago, I worked on an ice maker, the fill tube kept
clogging with ice. The problem turned out to be that the
solenoid valve was leaking, and a trickle of water kept
coming in to the fill tube. The one time temp patch was
to thaw the tube. The long term solution was to replace
the water valve.

He who laughs last, didn't understand the joke.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

[Stormin Mormon[_10_]]

On 9/22/2015 2:58 PM, Don Y wrote:

I asked you for your first-hand OPINION as to why the water froze in the
chute. *YOU* are the only one who has seen the orientation of the chute
(for all we know, it could have been *bent*, improperly installed, etc.),
observed the fill rate, noticed if any "drops" remain in the chute
after the fill cycle terminates, etc.

Of course, it's equally possible that you simply didn't bother to think
about the *cause* of the problem -- just stopped thinking about it once
it went away. Repairs (and repairmen) like that are known to revisit
themselves on the "unfortunate".


When I was a kid, my Dad took a course at work called
analytic troubleshooting. They taught much same as
the concept you describe. Have to stair step the
cause back, till you find the problem.

In the case of the ice maker, I suspect it's not
repaired, it's just patched up. I've had a similar
problem with a customer's ice maker. Perhaps Oren
will keep us up to date.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

[Stormin Mormon[_10_]]

On 9/22/2015 7:22 PM, Ralph Mowery wrote:
Mine is a through the door despenser. As we probably use about 4 glasses of
ice a day, it does not get used very much. The come out the bottom, so stay
about the same size. The ones near the top back side tend to melt and stick
together, maybe during the defrost cycle, but not sure why. Then the lump
is too big to make it out the door.


Some friends of mine had ice maker jam and refuse
to dispense. The temp patch was to take the dispenser
out, dump the ice into a bowl and beat on the ice
cubes until they separated. I don't know how long
that temp patch worked. I could have dumped the ice
ALL into the sink, and they could have had new ice
from that day.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

[Muggles]

On 9/23/2015 12:17 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/22/2015 8:54 PM, Muggles wrote:
On 9/22/2015 5:24 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/22/2015 3:11 PM, Muggles wrote:

My ice maker something freezes up when it goes to eject the ice and one
tiny piece of an ice cube gets stuck in the corner. I just tap it and
it falls off and then it starts making ice again.

I don't use ice in anything. But, SWMBO uses *lots* of ice!
She routinely lifts the wire "bail" that senses when the box is
full of ice (to stop the ice maker from making more than she
needs -- which would cause the ice on the bottom of the box
to languish).

I've never looked to see how this affects the ice making cycle.
But, I've never been summoned with "Don, the ice maker is broken!"

I have a constant supply of ice water with me all the time. I do the
same thing with the wire "bail".

I drink (hot) tea, almost exclusively. Cold water out of a bottle I
keep in the refrigerator if I come indoors from working in the yard
and need to quickly rehydrate (here, you lose a pint of water to
perspiration in 20 minutes in the Summer months -- that's almost half a
gallon per hour! Can't drink tea anywhere near that fast!!)


I have to stop working in the heat about every 20 mins +/- and drink
water or I end up with a bad headache.

--
Maggie

[Don Y[_3_]]

On 9/23/2015 8:04 AM, Muggles wrote:

I drink (hot) tea, almost exclusively. Cold water out of a bottle I
keep in the refrigerator if I come indoors from working in the yard
and need to quickly rehydrate (here, you lose a pint of water to
perspiration in 20 minutes in the Summer months -- that's almost half a
gallon per hour! Can't drink tea anywhere near that fast!!)

I have to stop working in the heat about every 20 mins +/- and drink
water or I end up with a bad headache.

Here, the RH is so low that you don't perspire. (well, you *do*
perspire but you aren't aware of it -- you don't end up "sweaty"
so have no idea how much water you've lost to perspiration).

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee!
(scary sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)

[Muggles]

On 9/23/2015 10:10 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/23/2015 8:04 AM, Muggles wrote:

I drink (hot) tea, almost exclusively. Cold water out of a bottle I
keep in the refrigerator if I come indoors from working in the yard
and need to quickly rehydrate (here, you lose a pint of water to
perspiration in 20 minutes in the Summer months -- that's almost half a
gallon per hour! Can't drink tea anywhere near that fast!!)

I have to stop working in the heat about every 20 mins +/- and drink
water or I end up with a bad headache.

Here, the RH is so low that you don't perspire. (well, you *do*
perspire but you aren't aware of it -- you don't end up "sweaty"
so have no idea how much water you've lost to perspiration).

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee!
(scary sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)



OH yeah! I am constantly drinking water when I'm working out in the
heat and wonder why I'm not having to go.

--
Maggie

[Bob_Villa]

On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 10:10:03 AM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee!
(scary sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)

After you donate blood you are supposed to re-hydrate on fluids...it doesn't seem to work for me...I still end up urinating a lot?

[Oren[_2_]]

On Wed, 23 Sep 2015 07:50:09 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

Years ago, I worked on an ice maker, the fill tube kept
clogging with ice. The problem turned out to be that the
solenoid valve was leaking, and a trickle of water kept
coming in to the fill tube. The one time temp patch was
to thaw the tube. The long term solution was to replace
the water valve.

You are correct. That is not something shown in the owner's manual for
troubleshooting the cause of an ice maker not making ice. It's
something you learn by researching "other causes". When the valve
doesn't close, due to minerals (mechanical) but the valve test good
(electrically), the long term effect is the water chute freezes and
builds up ice over time (think of a ice glacier slowly growing) the
chute becomes solid ice.

In my case, the chute was not "solid", there was a bit of ice where
the water line attacked to the chute, enough to prevent water from
filling the ice maker. Thawing it worked, even taking it out to wash
at the sink and placing it back in.

I know Don is smart. I did tell him in my reply to him that I raised
the temp in the freezer back to (more research) 0°F (I had previously
set it below 0°F for some odd reason). Manufacturers have even
redesigned the water chute over the years trying to prevent freezing
(research).

If my temp "patch" fix works, it isn't temporary I've known a lot
of "educated idiots" over time. I most often go back to where a
problem started (changing freezer temp).

(If a prisoner cuts through a wire fence and escapes, you modify wire
cutters so the handles break )

[Don Y[_3_]]

On 9/23/2015 8:18 AM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 10:10:03 AM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee! (scary
sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)

After you donate blood you are supposed to re-hydrate on fluids...it doesn't
seem to work for me...I still end up urinating a lot?

In my case, it's usually the other problem: forgetting to hydrate
BEFORE a blood draw! As I primarily drink tea, this tends to
leave me less hydrated than if I drank *water* (tea is a diuretic).

Couple that with the occasional (crap! I can never get the spelling
right on that word!) incompetent phlebotomist that likes to "go
fishing" for a vein and it can make for a really unpleasant experience!

And, if the MD opts for a blood test on the spur of the moment, rushing
off to the water fountain just doesn't work fast enough to spare you
the discomfort of that "fishing expedition"! :

[OTOH, I gotta give these folks credit -- no way in hell I'd be comfortable
sticking a needle in someone else's arm... WHILE they are watching!!]

[Muggles]

On 9/23/2015 11:24 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/23/2015 8:18 AM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 10:10:03 AM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee!
(scary
sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)

After you donate blood you are supposed to re-hydrate on fluids...it
doesn't
seem to work for me...I still end up urinating a lot?

In my case, it's usually the other problem: forgetting to hydrate
BEFORE a blood draw! As I primarily drink tea, this tends to
leave me less hydrated than if I drank *water* (tea is a diuretic).

Couple that with the occasional (crap! I can never get the spelling
right on that word!) incompetent phlebotomist that likes to "go
fishing" for a vein and it can make for a really unpleasant experience!

And, if the MD opts for a blood test on the spur of the moment, rushing
off to the water fountain just doesn't work fast enough to spare you
the discomfort of that "fishing expedition"! :

[OTOH, I gotta give these folks credit -- no way in hell I'd be comfortable
sticking a needle in someone else's arm... WHILE they are watching!!]

It's a rare occasion if they can draw blood from me the first time they
try. I always tell them ahead of time that my veins roll, and they most
likely will need to use a small butterfly needle to hit a vein.

They've had to double tie the tourniquet, use heat packs on my arms, use
blood pressure cuffs, and beat my arm where they want to get a vein, and
dig for the elusive thing. Still they may have to do 2 or 3 tries. I
just look away each time they try and when they ask "does it hurt?" I
wince and say "YES!"

--
Maggie

[Don Y[_3_]]

On 9/23/2015 11:20 AM, Muggles wrote:
On 9/23/2015 11:24 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/23/2015 8:18 AM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 10:10:03 AM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee!
(scary
sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)

After you donate blood you are supposed to re-hydrate on fluids...it
doesn't
seem to work for me...I still end up urinating a lot?

In my case, it's usually the other problem: forgetting to hydrate
BEFORE a blood draw! As I primarily drink tea, this tends to
leave me less hydrated than if I drank *water* (tea is a diuretic).

Couple that with the occasional (crap! I can never get the spelling
right on that word!) incompetent phlebotomist that likes to "go
fishing" for a vein and it can make for a really unpleasant experience!

And, if the MD opts for a blood test on the spur of the moment, rushing
off to the water fountain just doesn't work fast enough to spare you
the discomfort of that "fishing expedition"! :

[OTOH, I gotta give these folks credit -- no way in hell I'd be comfortable
sticking a needle in someone else's arm... WHILE they are watching!!]

It's a rare occasion if they can draw blood from me the first time they
try. I always tell them ahead of time that my veins roll, and they most
likely will need to use a small butterfly needle to hit a vein.

If I know they will be drawing blood, I'll drink plenty of fluids
and be properly hydrated *before* going to the office/lab. It's
the "spur of the moment" sort of tests that usually result
in the fishing expeditions ("Gee, we haven't done a CBC in 3 years!
Why don't we get that, today?")

They've had to double tie the tourniquet, use heat packs on my arms, use
blood pressure cuffs, and beat my arm where they want to get a vein, and
dig for the elusive thing. Still they may have to do 2 or 3 tries. I
just look away each time they try and when they ask "does it hurt?" I
wince and say "YES!"

Yeah, amusing that they somehow think you are *comfortable* with their
"fishing"!

"Does this hurt" is almost an oxymoron!

[Stormin Mormon[_10_]]

On 9/23/2015 2:20 PM, Muggles wrote:

It's a rare occasion if they can draw blood from me the first time they
try. I always tell them ahead of time that my veins roll, and they most
likely will need to use a small butterfly needle to hit a vein.

They've had to double tie the tourniquet, use heat packs on my arms, use
blood pressure cuffs, and beat my arm where they want to get a vein, and
dig for the elusive thing. Still they may have to do 2 or 3 tries. I
just look away each time they try and when they ask "does it hurt?" I
wince and say "YES!"


I'm pleased that I didn't get assigned
to be a phlebotomist. I'd go after who
ever assigned me.....

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

[Bob_Villa]

On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 2:26:02 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

If I know they will be drawing blood, I'll drink plenty of fluids
and be properly hydrated *before* going to the office/lab. It's
the "spur of the moment" sort of tests that usually result
in the fishing expeditions ("Gee, we haven't done a CBC in 3 years!
Why don't we get that, today?")

Isn't that a small amount for a blood draw? When you give blood they take 4 or 5 vials prior to filling the bag. Isn't that like a blood draw?

[Muggles]

On 9/23/2015 2:26 PM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/23/2015 11:20 AM, Muggles wrote:
On 9/23/2015 11:24 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/23/2015 8:18 AM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 10:10:03 AM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

You can drink a quart or more at a time -- and *never* have to pee!
(scary
sensation -- where the hell is all this water GOING??)

After you donate blood you are supposed to re-hydrate on fluids...it
doesn't
seem to work for me...I still end up urinating a lot?

In my case, it's usually the other problem: forgetting to hydrate
BEFORE a blood draw! As I primarily drink tea, this tends to
leave me less hydrated than if I drank *water* (tea is a diuretic).

Couple that with the occasional (crap! I can never get the spelling
right on that word!) incompetent phlebotomist that likes to "go
fishing" for a vein and it can make for a really unpleasant experience!

And, if the MD opts for a blood test on the spur of the moment, rushing
off to the water fountain just doesn't work fast enough to spare you
the discomfort of that "fishing expedition"! :

[OTOH, I gotta give these folks credit -- no way in hell I'd be
comfortable
sticking a needle in someone else's arm... WHILE they are watching!!]

It's a rare occasion if they can draw blood from me the first time they
try. I always tell them ahead of time that my veins roll, and they most
likely will need to use a small butterfly needle to hit a vein.

If I know they will be drawing blood, I'll drink plenty of fluids
and be properly hydrated *before* going to the office/lab. It's
the "spur of the moment" sort of tests that usually result
in the fishing expeditions ("Gee, we haven't done a CBC in 3 years!
Why don't we get that, today?")

I never seem to drink enough water before they decide they want to draw
blood.

They've had to double tie the tourniquet, use heat packs on my arms, use
blood pressure cuffs, and beat my arm where they want to get a vein, and
dig for the elusive thing. Still they may have to do 2 or 3 tries. I
just look away each time they try and when they ask "does it hurt?" I
wince and say "YES!"

Yeah, amusing that they somehow think you are *comfortable* with their
"fishing"!

"Does this hurt" is almost an oxymoron!

The last lady said, "Sorry, I had to dig a little bit. The vein kept
rolling, but I finally got it!"

--
Maggie

[Don Y[_3_]]

On 9/23/2015 6:04 PM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 2:26:02 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

If I know they will be drawing blood, I'll drink plenty of fluids and be
properly hydrated *before* going to the office/lab. It's the "spur of the
moment" sort of tests that usually result in the fishing expeditions
("Gee, we haven't done a CBC in 3 years! Why don't we get that, today?")

Isn't that a small amount for a blood draw? When you give blood they take 4
or 5 vials prior to filling the bag. Isn't that like a blood draw?

The "needle stick" is essentially the same regardless of how much
blood is withdrawn. I actually find it more discomforting when
they pull several little vials as they have to seat the vacutainers
on the "port", wait for them to fill, then remove them in order to
insert the *next* vacutainer. All that happens with the needle
still *in* your vein, jiggling around as they try to *tug* the
full vacutainer off the port.

By contrast, something like an IV (or blood donation) the needle
is largely stable in your vein for the duration.

[[email protected]]

On Wed, 23 Sep 2015 21:24:28 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 9/23/2015 6:04 PM, bob_villa wrote:
On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 2:26:02 PM UTC-5, Don Y wrote:

If I know they will be drawing blood, I'll drink plenty of fluids and be
properly hydrated *before* going to the office/lab. It's the "spur of the
moment" sort of tests that usually result in the fishing expeditions
("Gee, we haven't done a CBC in 3 years! Why don't we get that, today?")

Isn't that a small amount for a blood draw? When you give blood they take 4
or 5 vials prior to filling the bag. Isn't that like a blood draw?

The "needle stick" is essentially the same regardless of how much
blood is withdrawn. I actually find it more discomforting when
they pull several little vials as they have to seat the vacutainers
on the "port", wait for them to fill, then remove them in order to
insert the *next* vacutainer. All that happens with the needle
still *in* your vein, jiggling around as they try to *tug* the
full vacutainer off the port.

By contrast, something like an IV (or blood donation) the needle
is largely stable in your vein for the duration.

The new style has the needle on a short hose so the tech is not
wiggling it around.

[Diesel]

Don Y
Sun, 20 Sep 2015 12:49:19 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

When a friend/neighbor asks me to "fix" their computer/laptop,
there's always some anxiety involved: what might I stumble upon
while chasing down a problem? Imagine opening a folder only to
discover it had been set to "display thumbnails" -- in a brief
instant, you get a glimpse of many photos contained therein (some
of which might not be intended for *my* eyes). Even if the party
has forgotten about those particular items, *when* they get the
machine back, "fixed", they are likely to rediscover them. And,
in the back of their mind, remember that "Don fixed this; did he
see these things? Did he actually go LOOKING for things like
this??"

Would you be willing to describe the general approach you take to
making repairs where you'd find yourself in a position that you might
go someplace they and you wish you hadn't?

There's a lot of trust involved when someone asks you to fix their
computer.

That there is. It has it's pros and cons, too. You will get varied
opinions on this. The following is my own personal opinion regarding
issues like the one you describe.

If I accept a job from a client (new or otherwise), They have trust
in me to do a great job for a fair price. This could be anything from
a banking terminal/small medical facility data on clients to a local
mom and pop shop that has ancient equipment with customer
records/data present on it. That doesn't even begin to include the
various churchs and private individuals I'll consult with/provide
technical support/repairs, etc. At no time are the contents of their
data my business. I have no interest in making it my business.

Whatever you're doing on your own equipment is not my business . I
take client privacy seriously. I have been in situations where the
files (based on their names) most likely did contain nefarious
content. I can't rely on filenames alone and I'm not going to go
opening it to confirm, either. That has absolutely nothing to do with
the reason(s) you called me about.

I treat all interactions with clients in a confidential manner as I
do their information. I've serviced systems that are in medical
facilities, banks, churchs, schools etc. If *any* data is moved by
myself, I do a double check backup beforehand and that backup is
later destroyed while I'm on site before I leave. I do NOT take it
with me. If the client specifically asks me to retain a backup for
safe keeping, It's encrypted with a passphrase they select that I am
not privvy too. Although I don't like the idea because it can
compromise security later, the passphrase is written down for them
and they are told to keep it to the backside of their drivers
license; that way, it's unlikely to get lost or stolen.

If they can't think of a creative passphrase, we take unique contents
as printed on drivers license and make a little sentence. They can
remember those well.

I am NOT privvy to the passphrase they finally generate. I do not
watch them enter the passphrase at the system, either. If I do catch
a password openly available, I make it a specific mental point not to
remember it later.

I take the encrypted image with me and store it in a controlled
environment. It's marked by number/letter system and only I know
(based on a proprietary system I wrote) who it belongs to, should
they ever need it later. As I have no access whatsoever to the
contents, I am not liable for what's stored within.

That all being said, I'm not a supporter of nefarious activities. I
don't want to know if you're involved in such things. If you inform
me, I'll have to drop you as a client. You will have to find someone
else to do your IT work from then on.

If after completing a job for you I suspect you're involved with
something nefarious, I will drop you as a client. I will do the job
to the best of my ability, but, I'll do nothing else for you if I get
several red flags telling me you aren't legit.

Again, the aforementioned is my own personal opinion and how I tend
to conduct business. It works for me, it may/may not work for you.

I've had to fix laptops that belonged to neighbors'/friends'
teenage children -- who knows what sort of stuff I could have
"discovered", there, regarding their "private lives"... things
that their folks didn't know. I had to fix a laptop for a friend
who'd lost his wife, recently. And, *her* laptop as well
(posthumously). Do I really want to see what he was trying to
preserve about their life together?

If I arrive and find the machine to be lojacked, I'll ask you to show
me paperwork or verify in another manner that you own this machine or
have permission from who does to be doing what you're asking of me.

Especially if you ask me to remove the lojack software for you. The
default excuse when I ask why you're willing to pay me to do
something you should be able to do yourself isn't going to work.

I've turned down a lot of laptop de lojacking jobs because I strongly
suspected the machine was stolen and the 'owner' couldn't satisfy my
verification to show otherwise. I've had some ask me if I won't
remove the software and unlock the machine for them (I've yet to see
one that isn't already locked down asking me to remove it for them)
if I'd be willing to 'get around' the lockout and recover their
information for them.

I can get around the lockout, but, I won't do so in those cases. I
don't accept the job and I explain why. I suggest they contact the
people who they owe the rental money to and pay it up. In most cases,
they will happily unlock the machine for them. They can then use that
time to copy their pictures, etc onto something else.

As I'm sure you've noticed servicing as many machines as you have,
normal users are very bad about not maintaining useful backups of any
of their things. That most likely would include those things you felt
were illegal and not your responsibility to retrieve. IE: they're
gone.

I guess I'm just not a voyeur...

Nor am I. I consider myself normal. I'm just not interested in
maintaining a p0rn collection of any kind on any of my systems. The
HD space is better served for other purposes.



--
Optimist: Someone who doesn't know all the facts yet.