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Senior Citizen Computer Problems

  1. #1
    BeeReBuddy motherfucker [pimp your due marabout]
    I recently wiped and reinstalled windows on a senior citizen's laptop.
    It was completely fucked.
    Anyways, I took it back to him and he said he wanted to access his e-mail and paypal account.
    At first I was thinking "ok... just type in paypal.com or gmail.com or whatever" but then he informed me he didn't know any of his usernames.
    I'm almost certain he didn't set up paypal so it was linked to his phone number.
    Paypal is what he is most worried about as there is money on it.
    Other than guessing and looking up the customer service number I haven't tried anything else.
    I'm not sure where to begin with this but I'm hoping his e-mail account is also on a utility bill or has been linked to maybe his bank account and that they could inform us as to what it is.
    He also insisted on paying $99 a year so he could maybe use power point.
    I have no more time today to help him with any of this but was wondering if anyone else has had similar issues dealing with forgetful old people...
    Suggestions?
  2. #2
    aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
    yeah, my advice to them is usually to set up a password manager (keepass) but they're just as likely to forget details for that and not use it
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  3. #3
    Originally posted by BeeReBuddy but was wondering if anyone else has had similar issues dealing with forgetful old people…

    I think so but I don't remember.
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  4. #4
    AngryOnion Big Wig [the nightly self-effacing broadsheet]
    Team viewer is my friend.
    I have no idea where my mum picks up browser hacks but WTF??
    Last week her facebook account got highjacked and I know fuck all about how to recover that so my sister in law will have to deal with that shit.
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  5. #5
    BeeReBuddy motherfucker [pimp your due marabout]
    Haven't gotten any further with this yet...
    Has anyone ever used any software to bring back old files off a hard drive that's been wiped clean and somewhat wrote over?
    It sounds like FBI shit but I know there has got to still be accessible information on it.
    And would information like saved login credentials even be recoverable?
    Looking for suggestions.
  6. #6
    POLECAT POLECAT is a motherfucking ferret [my presentably immunised ammonification]
    call mike linndellll
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  7. #7
    aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
    Originally posted by BeeReBuddy Haven't gotten any further with this yet…
    Has anyone ever used any software to bring back old files off a hard drive that's been wiped clean and somewhat wrote over?
    It sounds like FBI shit but I know there has got to still be accessible information on it.
    And would information like saved login credentials even be recoverable?
    Looking for suggestions.

    you can typically recover files as long as they haven't been overwritten using something like undelete or photorec

    browser passwords are saved in an encrypted file so if even a small chunk is damaged it probably won't decrypt properly
  8. #8
    Sophie Pedophile Tech Support
    Does he have his credit card linked to his paypal?
  9. #9
    BeeReBuddy motherfucker [pimp your due marabout]
    Originally posted by Sophie Does he have his credit card linked to his paypal?

    I don't think so.
    From what I have gathered talking to him, he made a paypal account to have his royalties sent to because using a bank account would mess up his ssi or some shit.
    And that is literally all he did. years and years ago...
    He said he never transferred money from it or anything.
  10. #10
    Sophie Pedophile Tech Support
    Originally posted by BeeReBuddy I don't think so.
    From what I have gathered talking to him, he made a paypal account to have his royalties sent to because using a bank account would mess up his ssi or some shit.
    And that is literally all he did. years and years ago…
    He said he never transferred money from it or anything.

    I have a program that checks if any phone number occurs on the internet with a certain email address the more hits the more statistically likely it is the phone and the email are related. I can run the number, or sen you a copy of the source code.
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  11. #11
    Originally posted by BeeReBuddy I don't think so.
    From what I have gathered talking to him, he made a paypal account to have his royalties sent to because using a bank account would mess up his ssi or some shit.
    And that is literally all he did. years and years ago…
    He said he never transferred money from it or anything.

    So have him just click on "forgot password"..the username is generally the email address.
  12. #12
    Buy him a small notepad for Christmas and tell him he can use it to write down his credentials when he makes accounts.

    Getting his old browser stuff restored sounds like a huge pain in the ass technical project. Might be a lot easier to help him reset his passwords.
  13. #13
    My sole advice would be to never give up due to a lost password. Call and email and bother them and eventually you will have access.
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  14. #14
    The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!
  15. #15
    Bradley Florida Man
    I write down all old people's info on a paper plate then put it as their second to bottom plate in the kitchen stack. They'll never lose it
  16. #16
    Originally posted by Jiggaboo_Johnson

    He also forgot the username and email
  17. #17
    Speedy Parker Black Hole
    Originally posted by I Live In Your Crawlspace Secretly4 He also forgot the username and email

    He's fucked
  18. #18
    If you don't have access to the email address, start the password recovery process and on the page where it says we have sent you an email, look at the last option. It says "I no long have access to the email address". You can confirm the account by phone. You can click on by phone and then follow the online steps.
  19. #19
    Incognito2u African Astronaut
    If he has a google account and uses chrome he may have all his passwords and usernames saved so you just have to recover the google name and password and see
  20. #20
    Fonaplats victim of incest [daylong jump-start that nome]
    The issue has been resolved with help from the publisher.
    Everything is all hunky dorey.
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