12 Tech Support Requests That Never Stop Surprising Us
Published on September 29, 2026
We spend our days connecting with people all over the world to fix their computer problems — and somewhere between one ticket and the next, a story worth telling always turns up. These twelve are a faithful snapshot of the kind of moments our team runs into again and again in remote support: familiar situations across the industry, told in a general way with nobody identified, because every customer's privacy comes first (you can read how we protect it in our Privacy Policy). If you recognize yourself in one of these... don't worry, you're not the only one.
1. The Missing "Any" Key
We asked them to "press any key to continue." Five minutes later they were still searching, very seriously, for a key that literally said "Any."
2. The Brand-New Printer That Wouldn't Print
Urgent report: a brand-new printer, "broken right out of the box." On screen-share, the factory cardboard and tape were still wedged inside the paper tray.
3. Password: Same as the Username
Proudly explained their system for never forgetting a password: making it identical to the username. "That way I never forget it," they told us.
4. The Haunted Desktop
Convinced the computer was possessed after music suddenly started playing on its own. A family member had opened a music tab minutes earlier and left the room.
5. Restarted, Technically
Insisted they had already turned the router "off and on." After a few more questions, it turned out they had only closed and reopened the laptop lid.
6. The Mouse Nobody Plugged In
Half a session spent diagnosing a "broken" mouse before spotting the USB cable dangling, unplugged, behind the desk.
7. Recovering a File Deleted Three Years Ago
Asked us to recover a document deleted "recently." A little digging later: three years and two computers ago.
8. The Screen That Rotated Itself
Convinced the entire computer was broken because the screen suddenly appeared sideways. Just an accidental keyboard shortcut, nothing more.
9. Please Restart All of the Internet
Asked us, quite seriously, to "restart the whole internet" because they believed their entire street's connection ran through their router.
10. The USB Stick That Wouldn't Take No for an Answer
Tried, with real determination, to plug a USB stick into the computer's ethernet port. Twice, in two different ports, before calling us.
11. Deleting the Evidence, Live
Mid screen-share, the customer suddenly started closing tabs at top speed and dragging files into a folder named "private," visibly panicked.
12. It Worked When I Bought It
The classic of classics: "I haven't touched anything," while the system history shows three years of accumulated changes, installs, and settings.
Got a real problem (or a curious one)? Tell us about it and we'll help — with the same patience as always.
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