Why do users seem to be mad that simple advice fixes their problems?

I’ve seen this many times over the years. I think there are a few things going on here. Most users are very insecure about their computer abilities, so when you tell them to do something simple and it works they take that as somehow calling them stupid. (Which is insane, but well, you know…users.)

And related to the above, they want some fix to be final and the problem to be fully resolved forever. They want to witness you engaging in an epic bout of troubleshooting where you call Satya Nadella himself and rewrite and recompile the Windows source code just for this one aggrieved user ¹.

Of course, because they do not understand computers and how fantastically, insanely complex they are, explaining to the person experiencing a problem that a reboot or logging out and back in again is the best (and often, only) way to fix a problem they see as you not wanting to do your job ².

So to wrap this up, when you combine insecurity, entitlement and lack of knowledge you end up with anger. Which is one of the many reasons working helpdesk is terrible.

1. Don’t laugh. Or do. But whatever you do, I’ve gotten this exact demand when I was doing support.
2. Another thing more than one lovely user has told me over the years.