Tech Blog

[#1]

I think it's pretty safe to say that everyone writing on this blog is a geek and I'm pretty sure we do most of our own tech support. Some of us (me for example) have actually been front-line tech support people, but geek or not you too do a lot of your own tech support. Frankly it isn't very hard, tech support people don't have chips implanted in themselves to give them special power over electronic devices, all of us have just learned some simple tricks over the years that help us solve problems.

Web Worker Daily posted a list this week with the 10 things you can do to be your own tech support—Web Work 101: Be Your Own Tech Support:

1. Reboot or power off/on.
2. Run anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and keep it up to date.
3. Check cables and switches.
4. Know how to save and import files in different formats.
5. Visit manufacturer and developer web sites.
6. Search the web for a solution.
7. Rule out other possibilities.
8. Watch Wi-Fi use. (be security conscious)
9. Uninstall and reinstall the application.
10. Sync and backup everything.

Maybe the most important tip is: Don't panic. There are few, if any, computer problems that are time sensitive. Your hard drive will not be more corrupted in the morning if don't do anything (I stress not doing anything as in leave it alone). If you start just deleting, uninstalling, reformatting, etc while you're in panic mode when you do wind up calling in reinforcements your might be a lot worse off than you were in the first place. I cringe when a friend calls and says "I was having problems with my computer so I started reinstalling Windows..." I know that it probably won't end well.

When you hit a problem, and believe me we all do, just take it step by step. Don't fly off the handle. If in doubt, ask. And if you do need to call in a geek friend for help, don't hover. Really, it doesn't make us work better or faster, it just drives us bonkers. Go get some coffee or beer or pop or cookies ... geeks like treats ... treats do help us work better .

And if you'd like a visual reminder, here is a handy flowchart from xkcd - A Webcomic - Tech Support Cheat Sheet:

Message Edited by trishussey on 09-25-2009 11:25 PM

[#2]

Also, specifics, specifics, specifics! Running a search for "Unmountable boot volume" in quotes will get you more useful and pertinent information than searching for, say, "Windows XP Blue screen of death." If you're getting a specific message or error code, write it down. 'STOP 0x00000024' might sound like gobbledygook to you, but it gives you an error message caused by your specific problem. Running a search on that will likely start you in the right direction.

Also, try to search for your specific issue. "laptop doesn't start" is really general, and probably won't get you anywhere. "Toshiba A70 does not power up" will likely net you more relevant results.

[#3]

Quite so! Those strange error messages do have meaning, and they can be the key to finding a solution, even if the solution turns out to be "yeah we know that's broken, we're working on it".

[#4]

Great tutorial. Very interesting Blog. Hope it will always be alive!