You may think that they lied to you when they said that computers are easy to use. A computer is a complex device. Anything can and does go wrong. The tech-support people know this, and they brace themselves for anything. They will receive callers that range anywhere from the stark beginner who has not taken the computer from the box all the way to a seasoned hacker whose PC has been totally disassembled and desoldered. You could make the task of a tech-support person a lot easier just by doing a little research prior to calling. And this means that they can help you much faster. Let us take a look at how.
The first thing you can do is to determine who owns the problem and narrow a few things down. Is the problem a hardware or software issue? This way, you can call the proper department in the first place. Try as many solutions yourself as possible. Tech-support people will be blown away if you have already looked in the Device Manager or worked in the System Configuration Utility. They may have you look there again. If this happens, be patient as they are typically following a script and must check things off before taking you to the next level.
Determine whether the problem is repeatable. Be prepared to demonstrate to tech support that the bug is not random and can be reproduced. Be prepared to give lots of information, so do your homework before you call. Review and accomplish any steps in the troubleshooting section of your operator manual and collect as much information from that experience as you possibly can. Just make sure not to spit it all out in one sentence to the tech-support person as they will need to become acquainted with your situation and it will take a little time for them to catch up. But do have the info ready when it is asked of you.
Keep in mind that you will eliminate a lot of aggravation just by knowing which number to call. This can be extremely frustrating. There are times when you might wait 20 minutes for the tech to answer, only to discover that he or she can not help you. The tech-support number is typically hidden somewhere in the manual. Sometimes, it is right up front or in a tech-support index. But most often it is in a not so obvious place.
When you find the tech-support phone number, flag it and highlight it. Better still, write it in the front of the manual. It is always a good idea to add it to your address book. You can even spray-paint it on the wall. Just do not forget where you stashed it.
A vital piece of info to pass on to tech support is the version of Windows you are running. You will probably want to jot down the version of any other application or utility that you suspect may be a possible source of the problem. To determine version of Windows you have, simply open the System icon from the Control Panel. And from the Control Panel Home, select System and Maintenance and then System. From the Control Panel Classic view, open the System icon. Or, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. From the System window you can get basic information about your computer.
You also find in the System window other useful information for technical support, including information about your PC processor and memory and other trivia. You do not have to cough up all the information displayed in the System window. Just make sure and not complicate things, only provide what the tech-support person asks from you unless you have good reason otherwise.
Windows may not be the problem. It may be some other program you run. In that case, you may need to tell the tech-support person which version of that program you are running. This information is not the same thing as the version number for Windows; each piece of software has its own version number. To reveal the version of any particular application, select the Help About command. The About command is generally followed by the software name. That command will display a dialog box with the full name, release, and version of the program. And who knows, you might even be lucky and discover a quick button to click for connecting directly to tech support.
The first thing you can do is to determine who owns the problem and narrow a few things down. Is the problem a hardware or software issue? This way, you can call the proper department in the first place. Try as many solutions yourself as possible. Tech-support people will be blown away if you have already looked in the Device Manager or worked in the System Configuration Utility. They may have you look there again. If this happens, be patient as they are typically following a script and must check things off before taking you to the next level.
Determine whether the problem is repeatable. Be prepared to demonstrate to tech support that the bug is not random and can be reproduced. Be prepared to give lots of information, so do your homework before you call. Review and accomplish any steps in the troubleshooting section of your operator manual and collect as much information from that experience as you possibly can. Just make sure not to spit it all out in one sentence to the tech-support person as they will need to become acquainted with your situation and it will take a little time for them to catch up. But do have the info ready when it is asked of you.
Keep in mind that you will eliminate a lot of aggravation just by knowing which number to call. This can be extremely frustrating. There are times when you might wait 20 minutes for the tech to answer, only to discover that he or she can not help you. The tech-support number is typically hidden somewhere in the manual. Sometimes, it is right up front or in a tech-support index. But most often it is in a not so obvious place.
When you find the tech-support phone number, flag it and highlight it. Better still, write it in the front of the manual. It is always a good idea to add it to your address book. You can even spray-paint it on the wall. Just do not forget where you stashed it.
A vital piece of info to pass on to tech support is the version of Windows you are running. You will probably want to jot down the version of any other application or utility that you suspect may be a possible source of the problem. To determine version of Windows you have, simply open the System icon from the Control Panel. And from the Control Panel Home, select System and Maintenance and then System. From the Control Panel Classic view, open the System icon. Or, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. From the System window you can get basic information about your computer.
You also find in the System window other useful information for technical support, including information about your PC processor and memory and other trivia. You do not have to cough up all the information displayed in the System window. Just make sure and not complicate things, only provide what the tech-support person asks from you unless you have good reason otherwise.
Windows may not be the problem. It may be some other program you run. In that case, you may need to tell the tech-support person which version of that program you are running. This information is not the same thing as the version number for Windows; each piece of software has its own version number. To reveal the version of any particular application, select the Help About command. The About command is generally followed by the software name. That command will display a dialog box with the full name, release, and version of the program. And who knows, you might even be lucky and discover a quick button to click for connecting directly to tech support.
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