george15232 wrote:How am I wasting your time?
Don't mind them. It's simply that we've been asked this question several thousand times in the last year or two. After a while it starts to be like dragging fingernails across a chalkboard (or blackboard, depending on which part of the world your from), you can practically hear all the forumites starting to clench and grind their teeth when somebody posts it again. It's not helped by the fact that the search function on this forum isn't spectacular. The standard response these days is just to point in the general direction that the information can be found because nobody can be bothered to type out the necessary paragraphs over and over and over and over and over again.
Typically, the members will go through the pain of typing out the necessary information yet again if it's someone who's been on the forum for a while and who's name they recognise, but for a new member, with a low post count, they probably wont (probably never going to hear from them again, so what's the point).
This may not be what you wanted or expected, but there are two ways most posters deal with our response.
1) The "I'm a d.i.c.k" response.
This usually involves the poster getting slightly 'miffed' at the forumites lack of response, because they think the forum is some form of online help desk rather than a community (sign up, log in, ask question..... never to be heard from again), and that they are owed and explanation. I guess you'd say they have a 'sense of entitlement'. Either one or both parties just stop posting, or a full out flame war erupts with name calling on both sides.
2) The "Mature" response.
This usually involves the original poster going off and reading the links they've been directed to, absorbing the information and coming back and asking questions about the linked information. This tends to impress the older forumites (especially Max, for whom not doing any research from the links he gives is probably one of his pet peeves, and guaranteed to get a less than pleasant response), and almost guarantees that you'll get further help, even though your new and not well know yet.
Needless to say, we get more of response number 1 than 2. Which one you want to go with is up to you.