The stress of changes

PS Re above "what I do do is essential". I mean essential*for me* .Nothing important.

It's changing IT that does my head in.Thing is I use classic Outlook and the system wants me to change to New Outlook and all you have to do is click a digital button on the system. Plus you can revert if New Outlook doesn't work for you.So I click the digital button and Shazam I have New Outlook BUT then I have pages of digital instructions (which I can't memorise) to deal with to get the system properly up and running. Groans of despair . I revert to classic outlook. RIP New Outlook. Until such time as Microsoft withdraws support for Classic Outlook. I do very fewthings on my computer but what I do do is essential. So I'm terrified of lashing it up.End of whinge.

I'm getting annoyed with two step verification for emails. They have used my mobile number so if I go to the shops my husband can't use it. He doesn't use a mobile. The "remember" me thing doesn't work.
When the landline changes I will have to transfer all the numbers to a new phone and I dread it. think I will have to start writing them down soon, there are several for different hospital services so I need number recognition.

I feel I ought to get to grips with our newish Skoda's bells and whistles. When DH barks "Laura! Too hot" and a man's voice replies I think "Maybe not"

The thing that really bugs me is that when you get a new mobile phone it says it will set up all your accounts, apps, etc but it doesn't do all of them and it doesn't put all the icons on the screen as they were on the old phone. You'd think a smart phone would be clever enough to see what's on the old phone and then set everything up on the new phone exactly as it was before! Pah!

My car manual is a real printed book. I still can't work out how it relates to my actual car (which is a lovely straightforward wee VW Up)

Solution to Problem 1: get rid of the television - I have!

Solution to Problem 2: get the computer engineer to set everything up!

Solution to Problem 3: keep with a 'dumb' phone and move to an area where thee is no mobile reception!

Solution to Problem 4: take the 'hit' of increased prices from your current BB provider - it will be covered by not having to pay the |TV licence fee!

Doodledog

I wonder whether the reluctance of manufacturers to provide manuals is the problem? My mum struggles with technology, particularly her TV, and pays a fortune to Talk Talk because she understands their interface. We have told her that her (smart) TV has all the channels she can access through Talk Talk and she needn't be paying them all that money, but she doesn't really 'get it', and there is no instruction booklet with the TV. We have shown her how to do it, but she forgets when she's on her own, which is when she really needs to know.

There is probably a marketing opportunity for companies who either produce simplified interfaces on TVs (eg a button to return to live TV from streaming) or basic instruction leaflets that can be kept next to the TV for reference.

Your manuals are all online. Possibly on an app.
Google assist, insolent strumpet /xmas presentwho lives in the kitchen, has been caught red handed in conversation with our TV in the sitting room. Talking to the 6 o'clock new, if you please.

But I've settled their hash since I discovered (quite accidentally while grappling with players) that I can talk to the TV via Alexa and give it verbal instructions. I don't know Alexa from Adam and have never met her but apparently she's on good terms with our TV, and is too polite to give me any lip.

Now I've found my phone listens to me too. who knew ?

DH has no need of TV; he gets all the entertainment he needs watching technology cage wrestling with me.

My tv pops up a message saying "No action been taken for a long time, therefore I'm turning myself off"!
What a liberty!

I know it’s very frustrating but I admit I am giggling at some of these tales! I think I’ve probably experiences most of them, so it is a sympathetic chortle of recognition.

It’s not confined to the oldies, though. My GD was recently complaining about her dance classes being moved to different times. She was most vociferous that changes should not happen, everything should stay the same! She’s 8yo.

We got different BB last year and connecting the printer to it was an absolute ‘mare. I did it in the end but I’ve no idea how, it just sudden,y sprang into life. 🤷‍♀️

I heartily agree about TV’s, I cannot find anything on ours. Oh for an on/off button and three channels. We missed half the England match because we couldn’t get it to come up on the TV.

Wrt to manuals, they are usually available online so you could print it out (if you can connect the printer to your device ) and keep that to hand.

I have an actual car manual, but it includes various versions, adding If Available. I don’t know whether my car is supposed to have these various things or not. I admit to using only a limited number of its gizmos. My GD who works for a car manufacturer can’t work it out either and she is very tech savvy.

I was very reassured when a nice lady told me that her son, an airline pilot, couldn't make head nor tail of the VW manual.

We recently stayed in a holiday cottage with a newly refurbished kitchen. The instruction manuals for the hob and oven were impossible to understand. Everything was "explained" in diagrams and made no sense at all. Lots of beeping and switching off randomly when I tried to turn anything on.
We gave up and ate in the pub!

Usedtobeblonde

We also had new broadband fitted about a month ago, not changed suppliers just upgraded.
I had to have help changing everything, Alexa is still not connected as we forgot about “her” on the day.

my Alexa's the same since I changed my broadband,I only use it to listen to music,last time I tried Alexa said she couldn't connect to internet.....I'm still wondering how she could tell me that, well I can't connect her so I'll have to wait for some of my family to do it for me..

Not the phone, but we have had a new kitchen installed and it's a major change.

The hob is an induction one that I've never used before, and there are flashing lights and you have to turn up the heat by sliding your finger along. Totally alien to me.

At least we've kept the old kettle and toaster.

Then there's the microwave. I'm used to a microwave with a dial that you turn, and a turntable inside. This one has no turntable and once again, blue lights all over.

I suppose I will get used to it eventually but it's going to take quite a while.

I have a very pragmatic attitude to technology. I just want to use it to make things easier and faster for myself. I am not bothered what goes on inside the black box. My nephew sets up all my technical devices. Yet I use AI extensively and he does not bother with it. I think we all use the parts of technology which are of value or interest to us.

seadragon what an awful frustrating tale. I hope your BT SIM card works.
Meanwhile, I have actually managed to set up my new mobile and get all my favourite apps downloaded and the picture on the first screen. I feel like Elon Musk! It won't last I fear 🙁

I hated the idea of changing my techie stuff, but then realised that I had become too lazy in pursuing something that needed some thought given to it. So I am taking myself in hand and pursuing necessary information and guidance on line. Failing that - there’s always my son😄

I darent ask my grandson for help with my phone.
Much hilarity, I swear he mumbles on purpose, and it always ends uo with him saying I need an Iphone.

Then i have to shout at him.

At least you have a phone/mobile. I have been trying to get a new one from Tesco since last July as I had been notified that Tesco mobile would be discontinuing 3g support. Long story short..... Our address was not on their system despite us receiving Tesco vouchers regularly for 2 decades.....and, despite several attempts on line and in the local shop their system, alongside a complaint submitted in August, will not accept our address. They eventually cut off my mobile in December!....but did put £76 in 'my' account but I could not access it as ....they would not accept our address even though we updated it with Royal Mail to distinguish it from another house with a similar name. I was then offered a free new mobile phone but it did not arrive till nearly the end of January.....but no address: no Tesco mobile account!! I live on a small island in the far North of Scotland so other options are scarce. BT, out of the blue, offered us a mobile contract of £9 a month which we have just accepted. I now have to figure out how my new mobile works......Interestingly, in the meantime, my "3g" mobile suddenly sprang into action again with all functions available.....!! Curiouser and curiouser.... Next stop Guardian complaints page....

Getting a new phone is a major change as far as I'm concerned.
Well done.

When we had to change from BT to EE they sent a young man out to set it all up. We absolutely could never have done it.

I realise that this is adding another type of technology, but if you tell ChatGPT what you want to do it will give you a step by step list of instructions.

If you don't have the app, just type ChatGPT into Google and it will come up. It works in a similar way to Google, but is interactive.

You can type in something like 'I want to connect Alexa to my new broadband system. Can you tell me how to do that? Put the instructions in a list, and do not assume prior knowledge of terminology.'

If you run into any problems, just ask it to help, so something like 'You said the green light would flash, but it is not doing so. What should I do?', or 'what do you mean by Admin password? Where sill I find that?'

Basically, talk to it as though it were a real person, and it will walk you through it.

I applaud anyone who even attempts any of this.

Thankfully, in my family, we have a lot of "techies".
I call on one of them.
Two of the techies are always bang up to date.

I have to phone my next door neighbour and ask her what my password is.
She once did a lot of sorting out for me, and she can remember numbers and things.