Being your own tech support person speeds up fixing the problem. While you’re not the expert in whatever fails to work the way you expect it, many companies have set up self-help systems anyway or they’ll ask if you did this ‘n that. So trying to solve the problem — or narrow it — can save you time as you’ll have the answers to standard tech support questions.

Photo from sxc.hu user laser

Tech support often follows a script. You contact them to report a problem. “Is it plugged in?” “Is it turned on?” They’ll continue down the list from the simple to the complex depending on your answers. Think of it like a flow chart: if yes, go this way. If no, go that way.

These steps are not in a specific order as different problems call for different approaches. The 10 steps will solve the most common problems.

• Reboot or shut down/turn back on. This works for almost every computer, accessory, mobile device and other electronics. When my digital video recorder (DVR) freezes or acts weird, I shut it down and turn it back on. This solves the DVR’s problem 99.99 percent of the time. We had to call the service provider once or twice in all these years. With laptops and PCs, try to shut down the computer before rebooting. Sometimes it can take a long time to shut down. Go do something else for a while and if the computer looks frozen, then turn it off. Wait a few minutes before turning it back on. I had a monitor acting weird (the other was fine) and asked my husband about it. He told me to turn it off and back on. (I can’t believe I didn’t even think of this.) It worked. I had never encountered this problem and sometimes we overlook the obvious.
• Run and update your anti-virus (daily) and anti-spyware software (weekly). I know plenty of successful professionals who don’t have their anti-virus applications automatically checking for updates on a regular schedule (more than once a day). Sometimes a situation requires turning off the anti-virus app and people forget to turn it back on. They forgot they turned off the software and never turned it back on. Most standard anti-virus apps run a full-system scan at least once a week.  Make sure yours does.
• Check cables and switches. The cable on my printer sometimes falls out. (The cable is barely long enough.) So first thing I do when printer doesn’t turn on — check that cable. My son has a laptop that only works if plugged in because the battery is dead and not worth replacing. He said the laptop wasn’t working. It was the surge protector where he had it plugged that was turned off.
• Go to manufacturer and developer websites. Manufacturer and developer websites often have forums, Q&As, support pages, knowledgebases and documentation with common problems and their solutions.
• Search the problem. Some of us forget that people experience the same problems and post them somewhere outside of the developer or manufacturer website. Look at this post I did in 2008 that solves the problem of the mouse not working in Microsoft Word. Notice the latest comment is a couple of months old. This is a three-year-old post. It’s tempting to ask a blogger, writer or expert for help. They won’t all respond or take the time to help because they get many requests like yours. They’re not trying to be rude, but they have jobs to do plus they are thinking “Let me Google that for you.” Be specific as possible in your search by entering error messages (if you get one) and the name of the application. Copy the error message or take a screen shot.
• Know how to save, export and import files in different formats. Many people emailed me when Office 2007 came out because they couldn’t open the .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files. Two solutions: Have the sender save these files as .doc, xls and ppt, and download the free Office file converter from Microsoft. Make “File > Save as” your friend. Thankfully, we’re seeing more standard formats like CSV files and ical, which you can import into Outlook, Gmail, Apple Address Book and more. Also find a resource (search for them — many free ones out there) that lets you save files into Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format because the reader is free and everyone can open and view them.
• Narrow down the causes. A new tablet kept posting a notification that the new microSD card may be corrupted. I looked for a microSD card reader so I could test it out to rule out the possibility it was a bad card. Two of my readers were broken! Luckily, I found one and it confirmed the microSD card worked. I also verified there were no files on it. If it had files, I would transfer them somewhere else for safekeeping before reformatting the card. Problem solved. No more notifications.
• Uninstall and reinstall. After trying everything, remove and reinstall the app unless it’s something big like an operating system. First, back up your data files to a safe place.
• Test it on another computer or app. A client’s website looked weird in Firefox. Rather than panicking thinking the client’s website had a serious problem, I checked the website in other browsers and it showed up fine. The problem was a small one (it would’ve been a biggie had it happened on all browsers).
• Backup and sync all data. I have a stand-alone external drive that holds a backup of all my computer data AND I also backup to a cloud service. The cost of various backup solutions have gotten cheaper so there’s no excuse for not having a backup. Remember to backup your devices, too.

Solving the problem on your own saves time, avoids sugary sweet scripts thanking you for being a valued customers and how they want to help you or waiting for someone to respond to your call or email. Even if you can’t find the answer, you have a list of steps you’ve taken and can get through the script faster.

What tech support tricks do you have?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

One thing I love about the Internet is I can find the answers to my problems without calling anyone, schlepping to a repair store, and buy replacements of things no longer made like remote controls and mini appetizer forks made in the ’60s that my mom said she wished she had bought more of them and I surprised her with two sets.

Web sites have helped me solve software problems, get minor upgrades that improve or fix software, fix hardware problems like my PalmOS device and printer, download newer drivers that come in handy when I’ve upgraded my computer or operating system, research products so I can make informed decisions, and much more.

If you have problems with a specific product, try starting with the manufacturer’s Web site for answers. I had problems with Adobe software and almost always find the solutions on the company’s Web site.

Windows Process Libraries

ProcessLibrary.com
Security Task Manager
WinTasks Process Library

When you press Ctrl+Alt+Del to review the processes currently running, chances are high that you’ve run into at least one process you don’t recognize. These process libraries are like a dictionary for processes where you can look up a process and get details on it.

Tech Support Forums

Annoyances.org
HelpOnThe.Net
Mark’s PC Help Forum
Suggest A Fix

Get free technical support through these discussion forums. For most forums, you don’t have to register to read the postings, but it’s required if you want to post. Suggest A Fix PC support forums, affectionately known as SAF, has been around since 2000 with over 100,000 posts and 11,000 members! Annoyances.org is based on the O’Reilly Annoyances book series.

Urban Legends and Myth Busters

Snopes
Vmyths.com

How many times have you gotten panicky emails saying watch out for this! Watch out for that! I recall an email floating around with detailed instructions for removing a teddy bear icon in Windows. Heh. The file was as useless as a gall bladder that came with Windows, but it was no virus. Instead the teddy bear virus was a bad joke meant to cause mass hysteria. So when you get another one of these chain emails, here’s a place to go before following instructions or hitting “Forward.” The stories on Snopes are enjoyable to read as they often have a touch of humor.

Geeky Terms and Definitions

Acronym Finder
CompInfo Directory
ComputerUser.com High Tech Dictionary
FOLDOC
Glossarist
Microsoft Glossary
NetLingo.com
TechEncyclopedia
Webopedia
WhatIs.com
Wikipedia

Need geeky words translated? This dictionary of Internet terms has thousands of words related to the online world of business, technology, and communication. I’ve probably used all of these resources at one time or another. See new terms to ensure you’re up to date with tech-speak. You can quickly look up a term by adding a FOLDOC button to your browser. Wikipedia has a lot more than just geek terms.

File Extensions

Almost every file format in the world
FILExt
WhatIs

As a power user, it’s still impossible to recognize many file formats. In fact, a friend of mine sent me a file and asked if I could get its contents. It was a format I didn’t recognize. So I went to FILExt and got my answer.

General Category aka Everything Else

PC Pitstop
http://www.pcpitstop.com/

PC Pitstop provides free PC diagnostic tools for tuning up your PC, testing download and upload speed, tests pings, checking disk health (requires IE browser), scans computer’s privacy, and more. The site also has a blog, forums, and articles / information.

Tech Support Alert
http://www.techsupportalert.com/

Gizmo Richard has been running this site for a long time and has a wealth of resources to Web sites and software applications, which are all reviewed and rated. Find out about the best free utilities, free support sites, security sites, and much more. Also check out the how-to guides for performing common tasks in Windows.

Computer Gripes
http://www.computergripes.com/

While you might not find answers to your problems here, it’s a useful site to visit because there are detailed descriptions behind the problems and the attempted resolutions. You might discover information that help you in your search for a solution. Remember that even though someone could not solve his gripe doesn’t mean you’ll have the same problem. Every computer is configured differently and there are too many variables that can cause something not to work with one computer and run like a dream on another.

Tech-Recipes.com
http://www.tech-recipes.com/

Site has over 1000 step-by-step tutorials for dealing with tech problems including MySpace, Internet Explorer, Macs, Unix, and much more. It has forums and a blog.

Updated: February 2, 2006

Small businesses have to do it all: finances, paperwork, and even fixing computer equipment and managing the costs to update and maintain the equipment. This list doesn’t even include the business’ core business that brings in the dough.

We’ve all gotten stuck waiting far too long for a technician to come on the phone to help us with a problem. Some can’t even help us and have to redirect the call or contact another technician. This takes time away from the core business.

I prefer to deal with software and leave the hardware to the hubby, an IT manager who also manages the help desk. The book lists tips that are familiar, but I had to learn about them the hard way. Hubby shares budgeting stories and the book covers those. Despite the knowledge I’ve gained between his and my experiences, I have learned a few more tricks.

The book’s organization is first-rate. Non-fiction and self-help books lean on the dry and boring side, but not this one because of its savvy formatting style. It’s divided into three sections: hardware, software, and data protection. The back of the book has the entire list of 101 tips sorted by tip number and chapter for easy search and access.

Each of the 101 tips headlines the page followed by two things: Save on Soft Costs and Save on Out-of-Pocket Expenses. A checkmark by these items indicates the kind of savings to expect from following the tip. The tip has headers and short paragraphs to enable quick scanning.

Microsoft produces various versions of its Office software: Standard, small business, professional, and developer. Just because one is “small business” doesn’t mean it’s the best one and the tip explains how to choose the right one. Or maybe you can save more money by having the software come bundled with a computer, but that means buying a new computer, which may not be necessary.

If the line between soft costs and out-of-pocket expenses is blurry, the introduction explains the difference. It also has a key for $ that appear throughout the tips letting the reader know how much it would cost to implement a solution. The fewer $, the cheaper the solution.

The book includes a glossary and resources to Web sites for more information. Not to worry, the Web URLs don’t take up much space in the book since we all know Web sites do die.

Joshua Feinberg is the founder of Small Biz Tech Talk and its accompanying newsletter, which can give insight into the information and writing you can expect from this book. The writing is natural and not uptight as is often found in technical books and articles. No reason to fear technical jargon as the book is written in plain English for the folks who don’t want to know more than they have to about computers.

The publisher may not be a “name” in the industry, but the book offers high quality like those “name” publishers produce. Any small business and even computer technicians of a small business would benefit from the book. The price of the book is easily surpassed with one of the secrets.

VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: What Your Computer Consultant Doesn’t Want You to Know: 101 Money-Saving Secrets of Expensive Techies
AUTHOR: Joshua Feinberg
PUBLISHER: Small Biz Tech Talk Press
PUBLICATION DATE: 2002
ISBN: 0971415382
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 288
PRICE: US$19.99