Solving the scrolling problem

Today at work, one of our older customers - we'll call her Rose - arrived at the store with her computer and a list of problems she'd been experiencing. So we turned on her machine and traveled, line by line, through the list ---

1. "My emails keep getting cut off" - This was a misunderstanding. Rose did not know how to scroll, so her longer emails kept getting 'cut off' by the bottom of the screen. She swore that a 'tech savvy' friend couldn't figure it out either.

Solved: Yes, after a ten minute lesson.

2. "My pictures in my emails keep getting cut off" - Same problem as above (with similar stupefation by her 'tech savvy' friend).

Solved: Yes, rolled into the same lesson as problem one.

3. "I can't close any of my windows" - Much like the first two issues, Rose didn't know how to move a dialog window. As such, she had accidentally slid them partway off the screen and was unable to close any of her windows or programs.

Solved: Yes, after another shorter lesson.

4. "My computer keeps asking for my password" - This problem was a little more complicated. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out whether Rose was talking about her master password or her email password. To solve this issue she had been turning off her computer and unplugging everything each time it asked for a password. This apparently solved the problem, at least, until it asked for the password again.

Solved: Yes, after I realized that she had not installed updates for over a year.

5. "Can't look at anything on the 'u-tube'" - After being forwarded a few youtube links from friends, Rose was interested in checking out the site for herself. But 'the u-tube' just wasn't cooperating. I quickly discerned that it was related to her lack of updates.

Solved: Yes.

6. "Can't set up a Hallmark Online account" (My personal favorite) - Rose had received numerous e-cards from friends and she was anxious to send a few of her own. But, due to her lack of updates, she was unable to log into the account she had set up.

Solved: Not yet.

She had three more problems on her list, but they were fairly similar to the first six. Situations like this used to irk me when I started my job. Now, I get a kick out of them - I figure I'd rather spend an hour with a polite, yet clueless customer like Rose than a handful of hurried shoppers with Bluetooth headsets and short fuses. And it helped that she was a good sport about the ordeal. Throughout our conversation, she kept shaking her head, smiling, and mumbling: "They keep changing everything - I never had to do that before..." I just smiled and nodded.

FYI: Rose is returning tomorrow so we can finish setting up her Hallmark account and send out a few e-cards.