The Suffering Techie
Techies are a subset of a special subset of people. They should be treated accordingly
I hope that this will be useful and timeless because though the exact meaning of "techie" has changed through the years, I feel this will be no less applicable when you have to call up "that guy that 'generic friend' knows" when your Personable Computer is upset and not talking to you.
Techies are a finicky breed and require delicate handling. There are of course more than two types, but most competent techies (I'm explicitly excluding the pompous type that think they know how computers work because they use blogger) generally fall into one of two categories. The dichotomous variable: Do they like it? If they are bit-mavens you're saved. Apply a little flattery, then you're done. Because strangely, they love being virtual plumbing gods. They like to feel important. And they are. What would we do without the Newtons of this world who actually enjoy the equivalent of computing logarithms? The only issue with this type is that your problem will be solved quickly and effectively. Leaving you with an uncontrollable urge to whack that smirk right off of their face with one of the hard metal objects that hover around them like a cloud.
When dealing with the madonna-like suffering techie, you should handle things a little differently. This sort hates dealing with computers and for whatever reason is forced to be competent at it. It's best to take a stance of abject ignorance. Look helpless, even if you're not. Usually they're nice people, so you will feel a little bit guilty taking advantage of their expertise. Ignore this feeling. The gut-wrenching self-loathing will pass.
If you would like to misuse them in the future, only use subtle flattery (e.g. Oh, that's really neat, thank you. Not: "i'm going to name my first child.. etc") and when they've fixed your mess, make sure they know how much you appreciate their time and effort and that they're just wonderful, wonderful people. Buy them flowers. This is just about the only way to get them to do pro bono work. Unless you're really, really hot.